My neighbours 1988 3.0L cobra seems to be extremely off timing wise. The boat starts and idles well when on the ear muffs, but when the timing is checked it is way out of wack. A complete tune up kit was put in last year and all was set to spec. This year when I put the timing light on to check the timing the timing mark was at about 3 o clock when looking at the flywheel from the front off the boat. I double checked the dwell which was good and even checked the spark plug wires for firing order. Now when the boat started the next time the timing mark shows up around 8-9 o clock. I checked the distributor advance which looks good. When the engined is bumped to TDC the rotor isn't even close to the number 1 plug wire. Has something moved on the crankshaft to cause this problem? I painted the flywheel after which shows no movement now! Should I time it by feel in the water or do I risk ruining the engine? I've been working on this boat the last 7 years and I am certain that no one else has touched her. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Thanks.