TheSamba.com :: View topic - Correct Timing of a bosch 009 distributor

Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:48 am

whats the correct setting for a bosch 009 distributor? thanx...

Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:22 am

10 degrees before top dead center, on the crankshaft or better to set it at 3,000 rpms at 30 degrees before top dead center, on the crankshaft. You a degree alum. pulley or a variable reading timing light, to get it right.
---george4888 Oh, the 10 degrees was at idle of 900-950rpms.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:42 am

I thought 009's were 7.5 BTDC at idle?

Wed Mar 02, 2005 7:13 am

I always time mine at 32 degrees total advance (when its all in), which usually ends up around 10 degrees BTDC at idle. Cheers!

Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:48 am

I set mine statically at iddle, depending on the year it could be 0 deg or other.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:07 am

My local VW mech set mine at 8 degrees btdc. On advise from the forum I checked the total advance with a light and it was 35 degrees! I now have it set at 3 degrees statically and it runs great. Apparently there is a lot of variation among the 009s and the only way to get it right is to look in the horses mouth and see what you are actually getting at high rpm. My engine is a stock 1600 sp.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:34 pm

And the winner is: CPRcubed

with 1/2 credit going to both george and remroc who both knew to get all fo the advance possible out of them and then letting it fall back to whatever at idle.

From the type2.com library....

Timing the Bosch OO9
by Ken Hooper

The thing about timing is that what matters most is what happens at cruising speed, maximum advance--that's where you can burn up an engine quickly if your timing is too far advanced.

But: The Bosch 009 does not have a predictable advance curve--the German ones are different from the Brazilian ones and the worn ones are different from the new ones and on it goes. The natural result of this is that just because you've timed the 009 properly at idle does not mean you have any way of knowing what's going on at highway speeds.

So while the stock vacuum advance distributors can safely be timed at idle (or even timed statically per Muir, although this is never optimal), the 009 has GOT to be timed to about 30 degrees TOTAL ADVANCE with a timing light. Which means you have to rev it up until the distributor stops advancing before you can dial it in.

It takes three hands and if the process isn't painful, you aren't doing it right. =^ ) It's okay to time it statically at around zero degrees in order to get the engine started, but you have to finish the process dynamically by making lotsa noise.

It is very easy to find 30 degrees without a degree wheel as long as you know where top dead center is. From TDC, measure an inch and three quarters (1 3/4") to the right around the diameter of a stock pulley. That's about 28 degrees, go a tinch further and mark it with fingernail polish or something.

If you don't know where TDC is, then you have to pull the #1 spark plug and push the eraser end of a pencil in the hole and rotate the engine and feel the piston until you figure it out.

A basic timing gun is ~$20, get one and carry it with you, it's an irreplacable tool.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:16 pm

yeah i have noticed.. its like. when a tree falls in the forest and there is no one arround to hear it. Does it make a noise?

does the 009 advance correctly when you dont have a timing gun on it?

Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:21 pm

Miguel Arroyo wrote: I set mine statically at iddle, depending on the year it could be 0 deg or other.

If you set an 009 at at 0 degrees TDC your gonna have one hell of a flat spot.
Year model has nothing to do with setting the timing when using an 009... only for various stock vacume or vacume/mechanical distributors.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:28 pm

keifernet wrote: Miguel Arroyo wrote: I set mine statically at iddle, depending on the year it could be 0 deg or other.

If you set an 009 at at 0 degrees TDC your gonna have one hell of a flat spot.
Year model has nothing to do with setting the timing when using an 009... only for various stock vacume or vacume/mechanical distributors.

Oops! sorry, I did not read 009. I have a vaccum advance distributor on my 70 single port.

Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:55 pm

Something to add. I just timed my 67 1500 for the first time. I researched and found 7.5 BTDC static, 5-7.5 BTDC idle at 850-900rpm, and 28-30 BTDC at 3500rpm. My source used was http://www.vw-resource.com/tune-up.html

I am new at this, so read a lot first and then had at it. I have a stock pulley w/ file marks. Looked up 7.5 BTDC and info said it was 11.5mm right of TDC on radius of pulley. Looked up 35 BTDC and it was 46mm right of TDC, marked them both.

Static timed first to 7.5 BTDC w/ light. Idle timed with strobe and dwell/tach to 7.5 BTDC. Then, with some help, rev'd it up to 3500 on the dwell/tach meter and set it to~28-30 BTDC. Sounded good at 3-3500rpm. Went back to idle and the timing light showed 0 TDC???

Drove it and it drives well, but seems to idle a bit rough, but not too bad. I want to make sure that I am running as cool as I can at 3-3500rpm. So, is there anything else I need to do? Or should I just drive it? Think I should get a degrees pulley as I see some discrepancies mentioned in the measurements on the pulley.

Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:07 pm

I've timed my two 009s 7.5 BTDC static since I bought them new in the mid-1970s, Just last month I checked total advance at 3500 rpm, and it was right at 30-32 BTDC, held steady. So FOR MINE it doesn't matter how I set it. I'll check and post what country those were made in.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 5:52 am

I have checked brand new 009's (Brazilian) off of the shelf and when they are all set at the same static time they will vary 5 degrees at full advance. So, some of them will do great at static time, while others will vary with full advance.

Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:32 am

So to set it at say 30° total advance, with the engine off, I find 30° on the pulley and mark it with paint or something. Then, I start the car rev it up to 3000 rpm's (or so) and aim the timing light at the pulley.

With the strobe, will the paint mark appear at the split in the engine case (@ 3000 rpm)?

And if it doesn't appear at the case split, I rotate the distributor until it does appear?

I totally get the static timing, but I've never used a timing light before. :oops:

Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:39 pm

yup thats pretty much it. or with adjustable timing light zero and read the knob on the light or the digitail readout. as far as what to set it to thats up to your car.....& you or whoo ever is doing it and weather that have a clue or not.... try to keep it atleast 3 degrees from detination.

Thu Aug 04, 2016 5:08 pm

Grug wrote: So to set it at say 30° total advance, with the engine off, I find 30° on the pulley and mark it with paint or something. Then, I start the car rev it up to 3000 rpm's (or so) and aim the timing light at the pulley.

With the strobe, will the paint mark appear at the split in the engine case (@ 3000 rpm)?

And if it doesn't appear at the case split, I rotate the distributor until it does appear?

I totally get the static timing, but I've never used a timing light before. :oops:
Yeah, you got it. The red alligator clip goes to a + 12v source and the black clip goes to any suitable ground (I actually use the rear bumper). The inductive pick up gets clipped around the #1 cylinder wire. They say you should clip it as close to the cylinder as you can conveniently get it to avoid electromagnetic interference from the other wires. In other words, don't clip it on the #1 cylinder wire right at the distributor.

You will need three hands to time the 009: one to hold the throttle at the RPM's you want, one to aim the timing light and pull the trigger, and one to rotate the distributor until the 30º BTDC mark you made lines up with the split in the crankcase. I've always meant to try taping the gun trigger shut and taping the gun to the bumper aimed at the timing mark. But I haven't got around to trying that yet.

If you happen to have gotten one of those timing lights with the adjustable capability Mark was talking about, you don't need that capability because you made a mark on your pulley. Read the instructions to find out how to do straightforward timing by pulley mark. On mine, which is analog and not digital, I just turn the dial all the way counterclockwise.

Fri Aug 05, 2016 5:56 am

zoobyshoe wrote: If you happen to have gotten one of those timing lights with the adjustable capability Mark was talking about, you don't need that capability because you made a mark on your pulley. Read the instructions to find out how to do straightforward timing by pulley mark. On mine, which is analog and not digital, I just turn the dial all the way counterclockwise.
Just a note on advance timing lights with adjustable strobe.... these work good if you have a TDC pulley mark as a reference. Unfortunately, if you ONLY have a timing notch that is NOT TDC (eg. 5ATDC) you will need to add a TDC paint mark to your pulley. The timing light adjustment is relative to TDC so not having a TDC mark is a problem.

Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:25 am

ashman40 wrote: zoobyshoe wrote: If you happen to have gotten one of those timing lights with the adjustable capability Mark was talking about, you don't need that capability because you made a mark on your pulley. Read the instructions to find out how to do straightforward timing by pulley mark. On mine, which is analog and not digital, I just turn the dial all the way counterclockwise.
Just a note on advance timing lights with adjustable strobe.... these work good if you have a TDC pulley mark as a reference. Unfortunately, if you ONLY have a timing notch that is NOT TDC (eg. 5ATDC) you will need to add a TDC paint mark to your pulley. The timing light adjustment is relative to TDC so not having a TDC mark is a problem.
If you have a mark, any mark, and know it's relative location to TDC then you can use that to set the timing light.

For example, if it has a 5* ATDC mark and you want 30* BTDC, then set the light to 35*. If you have a 7.5* BTDC set the light to 22.5* (22*) and you'll be fine.

Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:27 am

I am glad that I do not have one of them there fancy timing lights. Mine has to have a solid connection and not inductive pick up. Yep old school.

Fri Aug 05, 2016 7:24 am

gt1953 wrote: I am glad that I do not have one of them there fancy timing lights. Mine has to have a solid connection and not inductive pick up. Yep old school.

Same here. I painted a "total advance" mark on my stock pulley to check total advance on my 1976-purchased German 009, and use my same-era timing light. Note that with mine, the total advance does correspond to static timing at 7.5 BTDC, but always check your individual distributor after setting total advance, to see where YOUR static timing falls.