Timing 87 TBI engine

[MNorby]

Friends 87s isn't running too well. He replaced the distributor and cured alot of the prob but engine was surging so he brought it over and we threw the timing light on it. According to alldata set timing to 0*. Unplugged tan brown wire or whatever color it was and set to 0 and it ran like crap so started turing up till it ran decent. 17*. Am i missing something here? This is the first electronic distibutor engine with a dist I have fiddled with. Thanks

 

[MTBLAZER89]

Thats how I did my 89. Unplug the wire set to 0. Plug in wire and go. I think I actually set mine around 4* with the wire unplugged and it ran a little better than 0.

 

[MNorby]

was just thinking about it and wonder if he got the ditributor 1 tooth off making it run halfway decent at 17*

 

[sled_dog]

I think your distributor must be off if it runs better at 17*. I set mine to 4* for ****s and giggles once and it ran terrible. backfired through the throttle body, whole nine yards. Set it to 0* like they wanted and it ran great. If yous et it to 4* you are adding 4* to whatever the PCM wants the timing to be. You never know what that could be. Could be something like 32* off idle. between 0 and 4 isn't a big difference, between 32 and 36 IS.