Tune Ups

"Well Nick how do I do my own tune up on my …?"

"I would suggest purchasing a Owners manual or even better a Workshop manual and following that !"

"No I haven’t got one, so you must help me.."

By this time my eyes start rolling and I feel Nauseous. There are writers getting paid loads of money (unlike me) to try and show the biggest moron on "How to…" and some dimwits are too cheap to purchase said literature. Sorry I can’t help you- buy a Horse, actually I could be dragged into court for cruelty to Animals, by making such a suggestion to certain individuals.

What I will do for those of you more technically inclined is try to explain how it works and the Logic behind all this plus little tricks. And for those of you preferring to keep the posterior planted in their upholstery, some further wisdom to add to your collection.

Most idle Airscrews meter more fuel as they are turned out, so a good starting point is 1.5 turns out from LIGHTLY seated . Well from your manual you can see how to set up initial timing (normally between 5-10 deg.), please in 99% of all cases this is done with vacuum disconnected. See that you have enough oil in the motor and Oil Filter. And "slinger away". If it Fires through the carb, your Dizzy is probably 180 degrees out. If it pulls the starter dead, you have too much Advance or were too cheap to buy a healthy battery. If it just starts to catch but then runs really Ill you are too retarded (sorry your timing is). Once started let her warm up at 2000 Rpm and then set up timing as by the book. By ear you can normally advance timing until she runs real smoothly and any more timing does nothing. Some say best timing has the most manifold vacuum. Thereafter turn the Idle richer at idle speed, until you achieve the highest rpm with the Mixture screw and then go ½ turn back. Set idle again, and if you really want to be meticulous redo the timing procedure described previously. Timing and Mixture go hand in hand.

Solid lifters can be adjusted as follows, if you have no specs. Start at about .15 gap all round and warm up the engine. Then back out each screw by 1/8 turn run and repeat the screw turning, until you can just start hearing the tappets. This should be all right for that cam, but see if your exhaust and Intake valves all have the same lash and if not set them all to the tightest and then redo the procedure of listening to noisy tappets. Normally the In. valves first make a Noise and then you only carry on with the EX. Rather go loud than soft on valves- remember that mistakes only crop up later and could cost you a Burnt valve or replacing worn parts.

If your hydraulic valves are adjustable, this is the way us old-timers do it:

On a warm Motor (Oil Temp above 180 F) which is running, make sure all valves are Silent, otherwise find the noisy one and screw down onto the Lifter until it shuts up.

Then each Follower gets loosened until the Valve starts ticking and then SLOWLY turn the follower down 1/2 to 1 full turn. This you do for all valves.

Again set timing and idle mixture as you have no specs. Right ? Hopefully by now you will have called CNA for a Manual or asked the Engine builder for specs.

Problem being timing and mixture are very correlated. The leaner you go the more Advance you can give- at least until the Piston melts. Now you can tune the rest of the system. Get a looooong gradual hill and accelerate up it in the tallest gear your motor can pull. First at ¼ throttle and note if the engine pulls smoothly or pings etc. by the way if the Motor is not really healthy, don’t bother ! When the Motor runs out of steam or a fraction before redline (5500 Rpm at 6000 Redline), rip your foot of the accelerator and cut the ignition. Now turn out all plugs and compare them to one of the handy charts provided free by your Friendly Spark plug distributor. Peering down the insulator with a Loupe and strong light you can see a Brown ring forming advising you whether she is running rich or lean, in the middle is about right- adjust the carb if you are out. Then repeat the run at the same procedure until the plugs read right. Then give your distributor 2 deg. More advance, make the run and inspect the plugs. Repeat until the plug shows trouble or the vehicle pings- of course you are making notes all the way. Then go slightly back on your adjustment for safety. Repeat this procedure for ½, ¾, and full throttle.

Peering at your exhaust tip does not do much in the way of Rich or lean, and much less if you have a hole down the pipe and nothing at all if you run unleaded. Normally you can hear a Motor whistle if it runs to lean or it may pop through the carb. If your Motor runs rich enough it will Blubber like a brides Mother. When your Motor sounds like a loose timing chain- that is detonation (normally a Engine only does that shortly until it comes to a final rest, so you are unlikely to come into much enjoyment of this kind of noise). Low Rpm knocking noises show too much timing and if the motor runs flat it is too lean, not good for Bearings etc. but it’ll take time to rattle your Motor to death.

Ah yes, the infamous Manual and those Afraid to read it. COLD means just that-3 Hours after Engine Shutoff on a Cold Winters day- or for me the Morning after the Car stood overnight. Engine warmed up and Vacuum of does not mean that it can run on choke with the vacuum canister pulled wide open and you subtract those degrees from your present timing mark to calculate timing hot. You did not get the past sentence ? Good, neither did I, but I heard somebody do it that way ! By the way your vehicle has a certain timing position at idle (at least piston #1 has just before TDC). Then it has a certain advance on vacuum (easy suck the canister open and check your advance with a light) and then a certain amount of advance at certain revs. If these are out- you have a problem and if your local mechanic tells you differently, consult someone else!

You want to know how to adjust your points and Condenser quickly and effectively? Easy, buy an Electronic Ignition!

You have more chance in getting a response from Home affairs, than asking me for advice on a problem that can be solved by a workshop manual. Said manual is probably the cheapest way to extract the most power with the least Fuel consumption from your Motor. Read it apply it and you will smile.

Since I am getting quite a few requests on weird problems plus tune-up solutions, I have thought up the Following:

Write me the nature of your problem to Box 21469 Windhoek, e-mail me or Fax Windhoek 216883. I will then publish Question (no I wont mention your name unless you think that is the way to Stardom) and my Comment. Actually all I want to test if these Individuals with the quick dialling finger are just as handy with the pen!

Now, if you want to read more of my Personal comments (who would ?), please hit