BritishV8 Forum

I believe My Rover V8 is out of time.  When I went to check it I noticed that there is no pointer on my engine.  So I ordered one from the Wedge Shop.

It seems that this is adjustable, which is fine.  I can use a piston stop to find TDC.  

First question is, how does this thing go on?  I've attached a pic with the pointer on the drivers side and pointer pointing towards the passenger side.  There is only one 1/4" bolt hole tapped on my timing cover.  Seems awful far from the damper....

Second question, Where do the timing marks show up on these engines?  At around 12 o'clock or more toward the driver's or passenger side?

As for being out of time, when I hit the damper with a timing light, the timing marks were down around 8 o'clock when viewing from head on.  That sure doesn't sound right...

Aaron, just curious but where in Cinti are you located if you don't mind? I'm in N. KY.

Those engines didn't have pointers because the ignition is taken off the flywheel and controlled by the ECM. So it matters what engine controller you are using and how it is triggered.

Some of the BOPRs had the timing tab on the right and some had it on the left. Typically 215s on the left, Rovers...eh? Probably left. So if the advance is in, 8:00 could be close.

It's possible there is a timing window somewhere on the bellhousing flange of the engine to flash on a mark on the flywheel under specific conditions.

Jim

colerain

Jim,

Ok, but this car has a distributor, so it has a front cover/ waterpump oil filter from god knows when.  Surely this cover had a timing pointer on it somewhere?

I should add that I have MSD ignition

Fairly typical setup then, intermediate timing cover with carb and conventional ignition. Use a piston stop to determine TDC if you can. A degree wheel would be good but not essential. A timing pointer with degree marks or else a degree tape on the damper would be a big help. You'd need to match the damper diameter. Assuming it has a wide enough place to stick one, I expect Summit sells them.

I have some old timing covers that have the  degree pointer cast in, you could stop by and make a copy of one of those that you could bolt on.

Jim

OK, Jim,  I am planing to use a piston stop.  MArk the damper, rotate the engine the other, make a mark.  Half way between is TDC.

There are marks on the damper.  But if i need a timing tape, I will get one of those too.

Thanks for the help.

I believe that is an earlier timing cover.  The intermediate cover has the crank driven oil pump & serpentine belt.

Find TDC, mark the balancer/pulley, make a pointer.

Instead of timing tape, you can scribe new marks using this calculator:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/timingmarkcalc.html

That's right Carl. Here are some photos of a 215 cover and part of a SBB cover. The 215 is the darker one. You can see the timing tab is on opposite sides. I'm pretty sure the Rover tab is like the 215.







You could make up a timing tab similar to one of these and use a couple of the attachment bolts on that side by the oil pump. The spacing between the marks doesn't have to be perfect to be usable. Also you could find the 0 mark and then use a dial type timing light to locate the other end of the scale.

Jim

Yes, my 215 timing cover looks exactly like the dark one.

As for Rover V8 covers being the same, I don't think so.  Maybe the very earliest ones.  There must have been 5 or 6 (or more) variations of timing covers.  I have never seen one with timing marks like a Buick 215.

The Rover timing cover that I have, I think is a 1989 3.9L cover.  It has a sheet metal pointer bent to a L shape & bolted on.  It is straight up at 12:00.  The degrees are marked on the harmonic balancer.

I've stayed away from the Rovers, though I do now have a Rover block in the shop. Didn't want it but there it sits anyway. No timing covers though. Well, find out where the mark on the damper ends up at TDC first, then decide if you want the pointer at that location. If not you will have to make another mark on the damper.

Jim

Rovers do not have cast markings, instead they have a pointer, see photo.

Yes, that is what the pointer looks like on my 3.9 timing cover.

So then you have degree markings on the damper?

Jim

[qoute]So then you have degree markings on the damper?[/quote]

Yes, for the Rover 3.9 damper.  No, for the Buick 215.


Edited for clarification.

Thank you all for the help.

i am pretty sure that mine does not have holes to mount a pointer  like minorV8's does.

I will get to this later this week or on the weekend.

Saturday my neighbor came over and we timed the engine.

My front cover is not like the ones pictured above.

We found TDC with a piston stop.  Unfortunately for us, the timing marks on the pulley were no where near the pointer that i purchased from the Wedge Shop.  So to find TDC we made a mark on the pulley with a Sharpie, spun the crank the other direction and made a second mark.  We measured the distance between the marks and half way was TDC.  

My neighbor has one of those fancy gizmo timing lights where you can dial in your timing mark.  I don;t know whatthey are called.  Anyway, we went with 10 BTDC.  No pinging in top gear pulling a hill at 45 mph.

Yes, I understand that my "10 degBTDC" is kind of theoretical.  It might be 9.  Or it might be 11.  I guess I could advance it until I hear pinging and then back it off a hair.  But, it's good enough for now and the car runs way smoother than before.

It's called an Advance Timing Light.
Like this https://www.harborfreight.com/timing-light-with-advance-40963.html

Some of them have other features like a rev counter.

Better scribe your sharpie mark if you can get at it, or put on some tape. That mark will fade away by the next time you want it :}

Ivor