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Hey guys. As some of you know, I started having timing problems with my B6 when I installed a new head gasket. That was a few months ago, and I finally got it sorted yesterday when I took the car into work, and got a chance to really tear into it. (Imagine this, a room full of Porsches, and my Festiva. I had the coolest car in the room!)
The problem I was trying to figure out was why I had to advance my timing into next week to get the engine to run right. I'd advanced it so far that I can only guess that it was at 'around' 27-30 degrees initial, and it was pinging like crazy.
All the timing marks seemed to be lined up, in the opinion of myself, and two mechanic friends. We were all stumped.
When I looked VERY closely yesterday however, I noticed that the forward/horizontal timing mark on the cam pulley wasn't quite perfectly in line with the arrow on the block: it was just about one tooth advanced. The top timing mark that lines up with the valve cover was dead on though. This mystified me for a couple of minutes, but then I saw the light!
The tolerances and positioning of the valve cover are a very slightly more variable than the engine block and cam gear. The valve cover can shift or distort when installed, and that top alignment mark can go out of whack little.
I knocked the cam back one tooth , hooked everything back up, and VOILA! it seems to have worked. I've still got a surge, but it's not nearly as evident as before.
Now, that was when everything was going well, and I wasn't being and idiot. To get an idea of how frustrating things were when I was doing things wrong, see the post entitled "Stupid Ol' Me"
Jim
The problem I was trying to figure out was why I had to advance my timing into next week to get the engine to run right. I'd advanced it so far that I can only guess that it was at 'around' 27-30 degrees initial, and it was pinging like crazy.
All the timing marks seemed to be lined up, in the opinion of myself, and two mechanic friends. We were all stumped.
When I looked VERY closely yesterday however, I noticed that the forward/horizontal timing mark on the cam pulley wasn't quite perfectly in line with the arrow on the block: it was just about one tooth advanced. The top timing mark that lines up with the valve cover was dead on though. This mystified me for a couple of minutes, but then I saw the light!
The tolerances and positioning of the valve cover are a very slightly more variable than the engine block and cam gear. The valve cover can shift or distort when installed, and that top alignment mark can go out of whack little.
I knocked the cam back one tooth , hooked everything back up, and VOILA! it seems to have worked. I've still got a surge, but it's not nearly as evident as before.
Now, that was when everything was going well, and I wasn't being and idiot. To get an idea of how frustrating things were when I was doing things wrong, see the post entitled "Stupid Ol' Me"
Jim
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