How to set timing using a TIMING LIGHT

Setting up your ignition timing correctly is extremely important in order to have your car running properly. If your ignition timing is not set right your car will not be making the power or the mpg it should.

If you have an older engine that uses a distributor the only way to accurately set ignition timing is with a timing light / timing gun. Timing lights can be bought anywhere and are fairly inexpensive, ranging from 15$ to 100$ for high-end professional timing lights. However, the average car guy /car enthusiast will be able to make do with even a very basic unit.

Hooking up a timing light is easy. Every timing light consists of the same basic components. Two clamps which connect to the positive and negative sides of your battery. A timing light also has an inductive clamp which is clamped onto the number one spark plug wire on your engine. After this you are ready to fire up your engine and aim your timing light at your timing marks.

Setting your ignition timing is also easy and you do this by loosening any bolt(s) that hold down the distributor, and as you are looking at the timing marks on your engine you rotate the distributor until you reach the ignition timing specified by the manufacturer.

Specific timing procedure the 4A-GE 16V Toyota engine
This same general procedure for setting ignition timing is the same for a Toyota 4age engine, but there are few preconditions to be met before setting the timing on the 4age.

First of all your engine needs to be at its operating temperature before you start to set your ignition timing. The second pre-condition is bridging the E1 and T terminals in your diagnostic plug. After this you can proceed to set the ignition timing on your 4age engine by hooking up the timing light as described above.
The 4age needs to run at 10 degrees advanced, i.e. before top dead center, with the above pre-conditions met.

There are three ways that you can set the timing on your 4age engine depending on which car your engine is / comes from. In the video I show you three different methods to set the ignition timing on a 4age. First is by looking at the single notch on the crank pulley and aligning it against the timing marks on the plastic timing belt cover. This is the case in the Corolla, Fx16, Celica and other 4age powered Toyota cars where the engine sits in the front. You set the timing by looking at the needle pointer and three timing notches on the crank pulley in case of the MR2 aw11, where the engine is in the back. There is an alternative method to set the ignition timing on the 4age in case none of your timing marks is visible and that is by looking at the cam pulleys. Watch the video to see how.

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D4A (driving 4 answers) is part of the amazon associates program

[justRD]

You are a much better speaker now than you were back then

[ariyapol]

Thank you so much for this video. I didn't even know that I need to put the car in diagnostic mode before I set the timing. I nearly gave up adjusting the distributor because the car ran fine at idle but knock violently under hard acceleration.

[frankdavidson]

i am used to working on older cars and trucks timming is vastle diff from what i am reading on some of these videos and alot simpler

[JeffReeves]

Finally going to be doing this in the next couple of days. While working on unrelated issues, I found that my distributor has been held in place by only one bolt towards the middle of the engine bay... So I'm going to buy some new bolts (should be M8x1.25 and about 1.25 inches long), set the timing properly, calibrate the TPS, calibrate the AFM, and hopefully enjoy a good idle with better fuel mileage and power.

[kosta]

GORGEOUS MR2, but it's cramped in there! As boring as my old Carina is, it's just so much easier to get to things.

[frankdavidson]

one correction the timming marks line up to little metal arrow on the eng. dont confuse timming valves with spark timming the valves a driven with a chain you line 2 points and put timing chain on at the factory you do not change this nothing to do with spark timing it is ad by turning distributor very slowly while watchiing timming light with deg you want before tdc if you go too far before it will spark knock my truck is fine at 4 deg before TDC

[jolllyroger]

Use a lightbulb in the distributor wire positive inline.... turn the distributor until the light comes on.... first set the engine to top dead center on number 1 cylinder then turn to the exact timing now turn on ignition and turn distributor until the light comes on then till goes off set to the average if the 2 and lock down the distributor and it's set perfectly.... with non points electronic ignition you must move the distributor fast enough to get a flash of the light bulb set to where this happens abs lock down perfect timing....

[PC_-iq]

This is awesome I didn't know about the 3rd way of timing

[JK_Shred]

Wait so how do you adjust the degree, dont they have a knob?

[FordEscort-zrqo]

Hi I was wondering what kind of wire do I need for shorting the terminal diagnostics, and where I can get this wire. Also how do I know what wire terminals to short depending on what car I have. I got a 1990 Celica.

[chockes]

Friend thank you for the video you should do one for my 92 eclipse 2.0 motor n/t

[frankdavidson]

i am very confused timming of the valves ha nothing todo with spark timming valve is set at factory with 2 notches lined up a chain belt is installed at the factory ou move that spark timming is by slow moving dist till correct timming marks a lined up with marker on eng as seen wih timming light

[adanjuarezjr]

would this also apply to a 4afe other than the cam timing?

[bhushan]

Make 2 min video bro. I don't have time to watch