Wiring up a distributor cap

[HFStuart]

So long as the arm is somewhere near the contact for No.4 then you'll be OK. I put the cap on and mark with tippex roughly where the post is and then just make sure the arm is pointing that way.

If it's still on points you can be more accurate in the static timing by testing continuity across the points and getting it so the just open at 10 deg BTDC - for electronic just get it close enough to start and do the rest with a strobe.

[mangocrazy]

Cheers Stuart - it's electronic so will get it as close as I can by eye and stop worrying about it.

Thanks, 

Graham

[peteracs]

Hi Graham

You should get it somewhere near and then use a strobe once you have it turning over. I guess at a push you could remove the plugs and spin it over on the starter and still get strobe light pulses which may work. Personally I would get it started and assuming you have the carbs setup somewhere near and then use the strobe light at idle.

Peter

[mangocrazy]

Hi Graham

You should get it somewhere near and then use a strobe once you have it turning over. I guess at a push you could remove the plugs and spin it over on the starter and still get strobe light pulses which may work. Personally I would get it started and assuming you have the carbs setup somewhere near and then use the strobe light at idle.

Peter

That's not a bad idea at all. Removing the plugs and spinning it over on the starter should allow me to use a strobe to set the timing at (nominal) idle. I guess I'd need a pretty heavy duty switch to handle the current. And what sort of rpm would a WOSP style starter motor be able to generate, I wonder? The engine still only has assembly lube on the bearing surfaces, so it will need filling with oil before trying any starter motor action.

[Nigel]

Hi Graham

I'm not very sure about using the starter motor in this way.
This would put seemingly unnecessary load on it.

Once you've got it roughly in the correct position, and it sounds like you've done
that already, i'd leave it until you've put oil in it, spun it to extinguish
the oil light, and ready to start.

Regards
Nigel

[HFStuart]

The starter on the Beta is well capable of driving the car along in 1st. It's significantly larger than the one on my V6 Pug! If you're only spinning it for 5 secs at a time it'll be fine.

[mangocrazy]

The starter in question is one of the high torque jobs based on the Nippon Denso design, and Guy Croft gave it a 5 star triple A rating and said it spun a 2 litre 8v high compression race engine over like nothing he'd ever seen, so I think it will be OK. But to be honest I probably won't be attempting this for a little while as my strobe is with the car in Southern France, and I would find it upsetting to fork out on another strobe when I already have one. I'm heading off to the moneypit French gaff in mid April, so will bring it back when I return.

The strobe that is, not the car...