What is the correct timing position towards the harmonic balancer of a 350 Chevrolet truck?
My timing light has a knob marked off in degrees (highly recommended), so it is only necessary to use the top dead center mark. At my altitude (over 5000 feet), a carburetted Chevy truck runs best with overall advance of about 35 to 38 degrees. When starting the engine cold, the engine must not kick back against the starter. This means the idle timing should be no more than 12 to 14 degrees BTDC. The newer electronic ignition engines run about 22 to 24 degrees BTDC at idle and you must disconnect a wire, which temporarily retards the timing, to set the timing (see shop manual). Be warned: some older harmonic balancers can slip and no longer have the marks in the right positions. The outer ring with the marks ride on a rubber sleeve, which can swell and crack with age.
