1966 65hp Timing adjusting

[kickinchicken]

I have a 66 65HP Merc, and I have read the service manual or rather parts of the service manual pertain to my motor. Everything is working great, but the timing has to be off. With the service manual to adjust the spark advance, it is telling me I need to have a "thread Timing gauge". What I need to do is set the Spark Adv. Screw on the stop adjustments. Can someone tell me another way to do so? This is driving me crazy. It was set right but after changing points and cons. and taking the plate off it has not been right. <br />By the way points are set @ .010 to 0.08, which will give me a 48 degree dwell. Everything else is ok, but it just does not have the power since changing the points. And this have been the only thing that was changed, minus points. Thanks in advance. And I hope folks know that your help is be received very gratefully.

 

[dolluper]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

try www.maxrules.com/oldmercs/timing/61.pdf

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

There should be marks on the flywheel that will get it running. As the timing is moved such great amounts during acceleration those marks should suffice. You should have a buzz box or some way to ascertain when the points are opening.<br /><br />Just as a note, if the points were pitted at all it can lead to poor ignition performance and will show mostly at idle. If you replaced them or removed and filed perfectly smooth that is good.<br /><br /><br />A dial indicator can be used that screws into the spark plug and can help determine the maximum advance. The Dial indicator can be acquired pretty reasonably from harbor freight or other online sources. Some come with the screw in adapter or an adapter can be made from an old spark plug drilled out with a setscrew to hold guage in place.<br /><br />And perhaps during the time you were fiddling with the ignition, the carbs or fuel pump are becoming problematic.<br /><br />Or you may have swithed a couple of plug wires. (been there/done that before)

 

[kickinchicken]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

Yepblaze<br />I recently purchased a timing guage that threads into the spark plug. I have mercury manual actually the Mercury Service manual. My question is the manual tells me to use a "Magneto Analyzer to magneto frame. Attach second lead of tester to primary ground terminal of magneto." I don't have a magneto analyzer, is there a way to use a mulit-meter, and how would I hook it up. Thanks for you response thus far, and look forwad to any other response you may have. I have poured over my manual and read and read and then reread. But there is just somethings that make no sense to me. <br />Pax!

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

I'll probably get flamed for this but.<br /><br />Although certainly not approved, but, I took a stop tail lamp from a trailer I had laying around and connected both filaments together. Then by running a 12 volt battery through the two filaments and through the points to ground I was able to see a visible change (albeit not great)in brightness as the points opened and closed.<br /><br /><br /> http://www.goodvibesracing.com/timing_buzzers.htm <br /><br />If you dropped the mag with the four little bolts from the adapter it is keyed in position to the shaft so that would not have changed. <br /><br />Double check the firing order. Some caps have more than one firing order written on them.<br /><br />The dial indicator is used to set maximum advance and like I said the initial starting advance setting is right near tdc at idle and shouldn't be hard to find. As the idle is set with advance and the carb doesn't even come into play till it's reved up a bit.<br /><br />Put a timing light on number one, spin it over, and see if the marks line up.

 

[kickinchicken]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

Ordered one, last question is what do you hook it up too?

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: 1966 65hp Timing adjusting

The one connection on the magneto and the engine ground. They usually have their own battery power.