ignition timing

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I've got the tach, vacuum gauge, timing light, and sti/gnd jumped, everything is set up to mess with the idle/ timing, and I've been messing around with it. At first it was pulling 6Hg, and idling around 800, I checked the spark gap before I started and set them all to 44 thousandths. The best I can get it to pull is 9Hg around 800 rpm at idle. This is with timing WAY advanced, probably more than 10 degrees judging by both the marks on the pulley. I was told to try for 20Hg at 800 rpm idle. The tank is full of 93 octane with up to 5% ethanol.

The vacuum gauge needle is steady, no slight movements indicating an ignition problem. I'll upload a short vid of the timing light/marks so you can see what I mean by way advanced, the disty is turned a hair shy of as far as it can go forward/clockwise.

Think it's a valve timing issue or am I just not doing it right?

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You can just barely see the black plastic piece down below the white marks, way below.

http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab2/mykromisfit/Aspire97/?action=view&current=VIDEO0005.mp4

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definately off a tooth.. maybe now it will run right...tonite or in the morning when I get it back together.

[Advancedynamix]

That will do it. Also, Matt, You don't need to unplug the vacuum advance or ground the sti to do the vacuum test. Just adjust it till you get the most vacuum with everything set up like you drive the car. The idle screw should be around 1-2 turns out. Any more or less and you may have a problem. Make sure your getting a good clean vacuum signal from the intake manifold, not near the throttle body.

[georgeb]

Forward is not clockwise.

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If I was looking at it from the rear/tranny side I would be turning it clockwise :p

I gotta double check which vacuum line I teed into, I just grabbed one that had enough slack for me to take the T back out when I'm done.

Anyway, hopefully i can get it togethr tonite, trick or treat kinda wore me out so I don't know...plenty of candy so I might get a good sugar buzz goin and get it done lol..

[Advancedynamix]

It's not Halloween! You were just robbing people dude.

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Whatever I gotta do to get my candy fix man.. we're candy fiends.

[Hot_Wheels]

what are you setting your timing to? which mark do you use for reference?

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there are two marks, I can't tell which one is what color, but the first one that should pass by the pointer is 10* BTDC, the second one is 0*BTDC. I turned it back now to about 6* before 10* BTDC, for a total of 16* total timing. The car was running fine (great actually) at 24* total advanced timing but I had the idle set a hair too high so it was killing my mpg's. I turned it back just to be safe, I think the main thing that let me run 24* is a weak ignition system, I still haven't replaced my cap or rotor button, plugs or wires.. and they didn't look good, I cleaned them up but it's definately not like new. Still takes 3-5 rotations of the engine before it fires up. I also gapped the spark plugs out to .044 instead of .039-.043 recommended because I couldn't find my book and I assumed that's what it should have been....they're still like that.