Astra ignition timing

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Sun 29 Aug 2004 14:40
Astra ignition timing - Uncles
The Haynes manual for my 1997 Astra says that the ignition timing is not adjutable. However, the car has a distributor and another Haynes publication (Engine Management) indicates that the timing can be adjusted. The latter manual suggests that the timing marks on the cam-belt housing and the adjacent pulley should be aligned using a strobe, and that the mark is not TDC but is the correct value BTDC. But when I aligned the cam pulley mark to TDC, I found that the bottom pulley/cam-belt housing marks are also aligned, indicating that these marks are in fact TDC and not the correct timing values.
So the questions are:
1). What is the correct value for the ignition timing for the X14NZ engine?
2). Am I correct in thinking that I need to scribe a new mark on the cam-belt cover to reflect this figure (presumably 5 or 10 degrees BTDC)?
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Sun 29 Aug 2004 15:50
Astra ignition timing - Aprilia
I have worked on this engine and IIRC the timing is 10 deg. BTDC at 900rpm. I don't think it is adjustable, but you can check it. I'm sure that the marks you refer to are TDC marks.

When I check timing I use the TDC marks - I have a timing gun with digitally-adjustable timing indication. i.e. I dial in the timing figure and point it at the TDC marks - the gun inserts the appropriate electronic delay (for the rpm) to the strobe so that the flash arrives at TDC. Most workshops use this type of gun.
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Sun 29 Aug 2004 17:07
Astra ignition timing - Railroad.
You need diagnostic equipment to ajust ignition timing on your car. You need to enter into base timing mode to make adjustments. Any alteration you try to make without doing so will be counter adjusted by the ECU. So really it can only be done properly by a dealer.

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Mon 30 Aug 2004 17:00
Astra ignition timing - Uncles
Thank you for the excellent replies.
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Mon 30 Aug 2004 20:55
Astra ignition timing - John S
Uncles

There are plenty of variations in the engines used during this period, and certainly some do not have adjustable timing. Howver, I had a '96 Corsa with the 8 valve 1.2 -12NZ engine (can't remember the prefix, before the 12NZ), which had a 'conventional' distributor.

If that's anything like your 14NZ engine, the timing was certainly adjustable, by rotating the distributor in the usual manner.

JS
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Tue 31 Aug 2004 20:16
Astra ignition timing - blinky
According to my Haynes manual for the Corsa the X14SZ uses a Multitec Distributorless Ignition System, (The C14NZ has a distributor). Don't know if this helps.
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