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Checking Ignition Timing - 1990-1996 Q45


No guarantees are made on the results, and anything you do yourself is at your own risk.

Checking Ignition Timing
By Wes Stinson 

There are 3 methods of checking the ignition timing, according to the service manual

 

  1. Method A is rigging up a spark plug wire to the end of the coil, and then clamping the timing light on there like you would on an older engine…  This is usually what DIYers have to do since they don’t have the special tool (in method C) to do it easily.

 

  1. Method B talks about a special wire you can clamp and check timing.  This has sort of been in infamy, as everyone thought it either didn’t exist or it didn’t work.  I am going to expand on this method as it’s the easiest of them all

 

  1. Method C requires a special tool (called  SST) that you plug in to the ignitor packs and it basically makes a fake coil and plug and you clamp on the timing light there.

 

Method B is by far the easiest..  No one really knew much about it, but I figured it would be easier for me to try and start clamping wires than it would be to dig in there and use method A.

 

 

This is the passenger side.  There is an identical wire on the drivers side but I don’t think it matters either way.  I used the one on the drivers side, but I forgot attach mine in the stock location, so right now it dangles.

 

It does not matter which way you clamp the wire.

 

The timing indicator is shown below, and timing should be 15* BTDC

 

To adjust the timing:

 

 

You want to loosen (not remove) the mounting bolts to the CAS.  There is one in the top left hand corner and other one on the bottom right.  The bottom right one is kind of hard to see and you have to rest the wrench on the radiator hose in order to find it.  Then just rotate and be VERY careful as just a tiny movement will throw off the timing..  Its best to set the CAS where you want it, tighten the top bolt, recheck the timing, and then make final adjustments, then tighten down the remaining one.  Recheck it after you drive it for a little while.

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