Thread: Engine confusion...timing and other info

Hey all

I have been trying to set the timing on my SIII with 2.25L Petrol and am getting quickly confused on a number of fronts...

My engine number is 902695xxxxx, one manual I have says this is 8:1 and another 7:1....can anyone confirm which it is?

I had also read previously that 1981 and onwards got the 5MB engine, my number goes against that apparently and the number range has been listed as 3MB on a couple of sites....so 3 or 5?

Inside the engine bay there is a placard which states timing should be "6 degree ATDC, at 750-800rpm and with vac advance connected." (dynamic OR static)

My engine has a single mark on the camshaft pulley and 4 pointer marks on a gauge attached to the block.
The manual I have states that the right most pointer (when looking down on engine) is 6deg ATDC, next on left is TDC, then 3deg BTDC and finally 6deg BTDC.

I have set the engine dynamically to 6deg ATDC and it certainly seems wrong, very slow at take off and down on power.

Before I adjusted it the mark was way, way to the left of ANY of the pointers....yet it still seemed to run OK....

Any advice much appreciated, I am getting pretty fed up with all this contradictory info!

Cheers
Ash

Originally Posted by ashhhhh

Hey all

I have been trying to set the timing on my SIII with 2.25L Petrol and am getting quickly confused on a number of fronts...

My engine number is 902695xxxxx, one manual I have says this is 8:1 and another 7:1....can anyone confirm which it is?

I had also read previously that 1981 and onwards got the 5MB engine, my number goes against that apparently and the number range has been listed as 3MB on a couple of sites....so 3 or 5?
...........
Cheers
Ash

If you check the head between the rocker cover and the carburetter, there should be a square boss cast on the top of the head between the two centre head bolts. This boss should have either 7 or 8 stamped on it. This is not absolutely reliable as the head may have been planed without the marking being altered. (Early heads, which should not be on your engine, but may have been fitted, do not have the boss, and there is not reliably enough metal to allow planing to 8:1)

Although the literature suggests that the five bearing engine was fitted from 1981 on, it seems that Australian assembled vehicles never had five bearing engines. They were fitted to fully assembled vehicles imported to Australia, mainly station wagons. Consequently, they are quite rare in Australia. Note that the 2.25 engines, petrol or diesel were never sold in coil spring Landrovers in Australia - from the start of coil spring production until the Defender, only the V8 and the Isuzu were fitted to locally sold vehicles.

For timing, follow Dave's instructions.

John