Hey all, I am having a hard time figuring out how to determine ignition timing on my N14 engine. I just replaced all the valve stem seals without removing the head from the engine. I used the trick of shoving some nylon rope down the cylinders via the spark plug holes and then turning the engine over manually to press the piston with rope against the valves to keep them in place while removing the springs and stem seals. To do this I have to remove the locking tool from the camshafts and the crankshaft of course. So now I'm basically doing all the timing from scratch. With this method I am concerned that I will have my ignition timing (i.e. the spark) going on the exhaust stroke since my crankshaft night be 360 degrees off from where the computer thinks it is. I put everything back together with the pin locking the crankshaft and the locking bars on the camshafts to get the engine timing lined back up so I thought I was good. However, with everything back together, the starter just turns the engine with no firing. Is it possible I have the engine timing off from the ignition timing by 360 degrees? Many thanks for your time!

 

If you turned it until the 4 straws (or whatever you used) in the cylinders lined up, the locking pin was in and the exhaust and inlet cams had their detail stamps visible on top at the same time then it should be all good and not 180 out.

 

Thanks, Scudder44, for the the quick reply. That's what I thought too, but with the engine not starting up now I'm trying to figure out what could have possibly gone wrong. I see how the locking pin and locking bars can guarantee the crankshaft is timed correctly with the camshafts, but how does that guarantee the engine knows when to fire the spark? If it fires the spark based off the crankshaft's position then it seems like I could have the spark firing on the exhaust stroke if I didn't line the electrical timing up correctly. Otherwise, I'm at a dead end. Any ideas?

 

have you watched this video? Might help. The ECU sends the signal according to the cam shaft sensors. I think you have to start again...

 

Yep, that was one of the videos I followed along with. It looks like I'll be taking it back apart and rechecking the timing. Thanks for the help so far!

 

Note that in both this video and 'two guys two minis', the No1 piston is on the way up when the sticks are level (not down), that is how I did it, just copied everything they did.

 

Cams have only 3 flat surfaces where the timing tools fit, so if the tools mounted completely to the head and the crank was locked, timing should be OK. However, if you managed to turn the engine CCW during your seal replacement, you may have screwed up the vanos --- they only want CW rotation. To be safe, it's best to do the timing all over again, including the tensioner tool. This can be done without loosening the crank center bolt, just be sure to use new TTY bolts on the cams.

For setting / checking timing, I always recommend this procedure --- https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...aft/1VnY7d2Xnh --- use your own VIN to get the correct version. Most on-line videos give you a rough idea of what to do, but very few have all the needed info. I haven't looked at this one, so can't comment on it's value. NewTIS is your best bet.

Hopefully you've checked for the presence of fuel and spark before tearing it down for re-timing. Also, the ground wire at the front center of the valve cover needs to be securely fastened --- it's often missed and causes lotsa grief.