Quote Originally Posted by garzeln View Post
Hi all, thank you very much for the feedback really appreciating.
Rspears you got perfectly the problem of the language barrier ... english plus technical ...
in the meantime i found an extract of the service manual (attached). If i'm correct for the CH350 the original degrees should be 28°-31° with 10° BTDC.
so if my understanding it's correct i should use the RED limiter at 16° and this should be safe correct ?
if you see different just please let me know and i'll communicate to the harbor people.
Here the problem is that there are not machanics knowing this engines ... today they are only box checking ... they plug the test and the box is telling them what to do.
you can't imagine how long was taking me to restore those 2 engines (will post a couple of pictures).. all parts from USA (inclusing the 2 blocks) and a lot of study by myself.
thanks in advance, ciao.
Garzeln,
Your two engines look great! I applaud your efforts to see this project through in Italy, with all of the problems dealing with not only two USA engines, but Marine Engines which bring another level of "issues" and understanding. I'd say your understanding of the timing is correct. With an initial/idle timing of 10°, the RED advance limiter at 16° should give you total timing of right at 26° which is a safe, conservative number not knowing fuel quality, etc. Once you see how it does, and see that it doesn't show any pre-ignition clatter or detonation knock at Wide Open Throttle (WOT), you can try the 20° advance limiter which will put you at 30° total timing, just below the maximum listed in your manual. I'd say you're clearly on the right track.

Not to confuse you, but once you have verified your fuel quality, tune, and completed your break in of these engines another way to approach the timing is to select the advance limit that you want (for example the 20° mechanical advance), and then with your timing light rotate the distributor to set the total timing at the desired value, say 31° in this case, snug down the distributor hold down and then see where your initial/idle timing lands. Just another way to get to the end result that you want.

Looking forward to hearing how your initial startup goes, and then some video of the boat screaming across the lake!! Ciao!!