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ive noticed a pretty splatter of oil on the passenger side onto the rear motor and transmission

im thinking the o-ring for my distributor isnt sealing very well
it only makes it look spotty
but also below that is the starter so
ive got to do a bit of tuning to my engine

it used to idle @900
now it idles @1100-1250

rocker adjustment, timing adjustment and other stuffs



how best to estimate what angle is the timing?
my timing cover has this nifty plastic markings but its rather useless if i cant see exactly what tdc is on the crankshaft with all that junk in my way

so its 12degrees @900?
do i maneuver the distributor to an ajustment that the timing probe reads constant 12 degrees on idle?

ive only seen a timing spotter on a yellow 1967 ford truck hah

The starter won't splatter oil - it doesn't access any (unless rear main seal blown etc) but dizzy ring is quite likely.

On the Piazza with knock sensor, it's probably best to time with light. Surely you can see it, or draw other marls where you can?

Normally I never use timing lights and set as advanced as possible without pinging (top gear foot down at ~30-40kmh), but advancing the Piazza just raises revs until it remains constant because the knock sensor cuts in.
But it's best not to rely on the knock sensor to correct for "constant" pinging.
I did use the ear method to confirm a mate's timing by marking the orig position, then rotating backwards/forwards. The marked position was a bit retarded from where the "constant" revs began.

4zc1 engine is timed on #4 cylinder normally, easiest way to fix if you can't see timing mark on crank pulley is to remove the top plastic cover on the cam belt, take out the spark plugs and rotate the engine (NOT with the camshaft bolt) until you see the arrow on the cam wheel align with the small nick in the metal backplate. This will be TDC on #1 and #4. If you look down the plug holes with a torch you should see the valve edges on the one that is on overlap and nothing on the one that is on comp stroke, apart from the piston head of course. Once you have got #4 on TDC with valves closed you Should be able to see the mark on the pulley aligned with the "0" on the timing cover.