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MG TD TF 1500 - Distributor Timing Variations

This afternoon, I had a new experience with the TD and I thought that some of you might be interested. Last spring, I had Jeff at Advanced Distributors rebuild a dizzy that I had planned to use in the XPEG block I am putting together. I have a pertronix Ignition in the XPAG block that I have been running this summer and it has done everything that I could ask. Once the installation problems were resolved, [through this forum] it has started and run beautifully. When it came time to set the timing, George Butz gave me his method, and it ended up at 13 degrees BTDC. This afternoon I took out the Pertroix dizzy and installed the dizzy that Jeff did for me. In his instructions to me, he suggested that I should set the timing between 6 degrees & 10 degrees BTDC. I started out 6 degrees and the car started up right away. After a warm up run I reset the timing the way George Butz had suggested, and when I checked the timing with a static light, it was at 8 degrees BTDC. The car ran with good power when I got it on the road. What I found interesting, was the difference between the timing of the 'Pertronix' and the 'points' systems. I hope this might help some others who are having a problem with with one system or the other.
George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

Doesn't sound like enough of a test yet. Give it a couple weeks fooling around for best compromise timing, and see what you have. I like mine best when I can hear a hint of pinging using cheap gas. Then I don't take it up to that torque very often.

When I do use all the power she has, it seems not to ping, just do what it was made for, kick my butt. I don't know if it's just that she runs a bit lean on a bit less than full throttle and nice and rich on full chat, or if my advance isn't just perfect, or if I just have poor timing skills. But it has worked for me for years, timing to specs, and working from there. Then never using the timing light after that.
Tom

George - I would imagine that some of that timing difference would also come from having that XPEG distributor in your XPAG engine (if I understood you correctly). Jeff at Advance has my XPEG high lift lobed distributor as we speak. I am anxious to get it back, install it, and get it timed.

I'll give an update here once that is done. My understanding is that there is also the difference in Dwell on the Pertronix units as this is becomes a fixed variable. On the MGB, I found the Dwell to be out of spec on the Pertronix - but the car runs fine - I will look at that on the TF distributor - may go with Pertronix but will initially run with points.

Jeff
Jeff

Tom: Your right about I should get some more time on the car to be sure of the performance between the two dizzys. I had driven the car in the morning with the 'Pertronix', and then in the afternoon with the 'points',and felt through the seat of my pants, and the speed of the tack needle rising, that the two distributors were on par with each other from a performance stand point. My timing as set, does not give any pinging but as I only use #1 gas , I possibly could go further with the setting at some time in the near future. Thanks for your comments.

Jeff: You did the right thing in sending your dizzy to Jeff at Advance Distributors. Before sending mine to him, I asked a few questions and got immediate answers back from him. His response was exactly what I had hoped and gave me a great deal of confidence in his work. When I got it returned to me, it looked like a new distributor. I would very much like to read your update when you have it installed. I would like to know if Jeff give you the same suggestion on the timing that he gave me. Hope to hear from you.
George Raham
TD 4224
G. L. Raham

This thread was discussed on 10/08/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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