Ive attempted to adjust the timing, well atleast that was the idea, on my 1275LS.

I took a bit of time , found the timing mark, marked it up nice and white so i could see it, throw the timing light on #1 cylinder (closest to water pump) and cant see the timing mark.

So next maybe its 180 out as from memory the drive can only go in one of two positions .... Nope , not on #4 , back to scratch give #2 a go, no mark, onto #3 there it is (although about 10'+ past the largest timing mark against the balancer towards the firewall).

So in order to set the timing right and have the light on #1 like it should the job for today/tonight will more than likely be to correct this issue.

Now i dont have any workshop manuals but from memory the dizzy plugs into another *drive* which then goes onto the camshaft.

Being 90degree's out is a bit of a bugger because i cant just pull the dizzy abit and whizz it around 180' degrees it looks like whoevers done the dizzy drive that gears onto the cam stuffed that up good and proper.

Is it *safe* to attempt to pull that dizzy drive from the cam and put it back in correctly with the engine in car without it deciding to fall down south and make something that could be left alone a biatch of a job ?

The engine will come out at some stage for a freshen up even though it doesnt need it so there is no major rush at the moment, i must get to my fathers and see if any of my old mini workshop manuals are there

You can move the dizzy drive (the bit that is wound into the helical cut teeth on the camshaft)around 90 degrees , you use a bolt (thread escapes me at the moment but I think it's the same as an 1100 head bolt) but make sure it's securely threaded in before you attempt to move the dizzy drive or it will fall into the depth's which means engine out and off the gearbox

Much easier is to switch the plug leads around on the dizzy cap and make sure that is the problem

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ok,,, firstly there is about 9 teath (from memory) on the dizzy drive gear so it can go in---> 9 different places

But , it sounds more like """Maybe""" you have a 2-piece flywheel that has been fitted back together in the wrong place,,, the 2-piece flywheels have 6 bolts that hold the 2 pieces together (& 3 x threaded puller holes) & """IF""" someone has just shoved it back together the wrong way round or in the wrong spot,,, or maybe miss-matched the centres ((( there are many different centers to suit different flywheel alignment configurations)))) It`s a real catch if you don`t know what you`re doing

But,,,the very first thing i would do is check that the piston is at top-dead-centre on number 3 cyl & both the inlet & exhaust valves are actually shut on that cyl when the timing mark is showing lined up (#2 cyl valves should also be "on the rock" at that point)

If that`s not the case then there is still something a-miss

If it is the case then just time it on #3 cyl & all shoud be good.... that is until you try to fit a flywheel puller cause the puller holes/threads are probably covered over by the incorrect 2-piece center alignment ((Maybe)))

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

If the only problem is that you can't time it with a timing light on number 1 cylinder and if it is 90° out you just need to hook the timing light up to number 2 or 3 to time it.

Or you can set the timing with a dyno or a vacuum gauge.

Ive gone out and had a bit of a play.

Here is how things are at the moment :-

inl/exh on #2 is rocking, inlet closing, exhaust opening.
inl/exh on #3 is closed , no rocking of valves, can get feeler gauges in there
piston is up top


So i take a look at where the timing mark is .....
You can see the one Ive marked (you can also see an old mark down in the V of the belt groove.)


What gets me at this point is that the dizzy is facing where i think #3 should be so it seems like thats right.


I might go and invest in the mirror for the clutch cover to check the timing there.

It looks like a pressed metal pulley, it would be the wrong one for a 1275.

Why not go back to square one - #1 & 4 TDC with 1 firing - ( valves closed) and check flywheel timing marks and postion of rotor at that point

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Mick
its a small bore engine isn't it - the thermostat is a bit close isn't it ???

Mike

It is a 1275LS, it says so in the first post.
The thermostat housing is the big "wrong way" type to take the air pump on the front of it.
Look at the thermostat housing bolts studs. The front two are in line across the car, the small bore ones have the studs located the other way.
It is a 1275 head.

Thanks Mick

And apologies to the owner if i caused a skipping of heartbeats.

I just looked and the thermo housing distance and jumped to an assumption.

Mike

I had to look twice when I saw the tin pulley.

Sweet,

When it all lined up ok on #3 but the timing mark was still not in the right spot i gathered it was some other wrong part, cant expect much after 30+ years i guess.

I'll scrounge one up over the weekend and pull the radiator etc to get some room to get to it, i bought some coolant to give it a flush/change anyway.

Cheers all.

Some of these pulleys do have the timing mark 180° out. This is because they were used on a Morris Minor, which has the timing pointer scale UNDER (ie below) the timing cover. OK under there on a Morrie, bloody useless on a Mini.

Use the flywheel marks instead, if still there.
Or, put it on TDC #1 cylinder (I use a pushrod in the plughole and a dial gauge in its top) then mark the pulley again with a 3 corner file.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.