unburned fuel in my tailpipe / ign. timing fun

96 accord 4cyl vtec m/trans

Well, I was bleeding my cooling system today, and noticed this unsightly event:

not sure if it’s just dripping before engine reaches optimal temp or not, but decided to check my timing, which I’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. I capitalized that so people know NOT to follow my lead on anything! Anyhow, I read the Chilton manual, it said (exactly):

ignition timing adjustment, 2.2 & 2.3L engines

1. place shifter in park or neutral. parking brake on, wheels blocked
2. with heater off and in full cold position, start engine, hold engine speed at 3000 rpm, till radiator fan comes on once. to check timing, engine must be at idle and at normal operating temps. Turn off all electrical consumers (defroster, radio, a/c, lights)
3. locate blue plastic service check connector, which can be found centrally located on the passenger side, under the dash.
4. attach the service connector tool number 07PAZ-0010100 or equivalent to the connector.

a paper clip can be substituted for the tool by forming a ‘u’ shaped bend in the paper clip and carefully inserting it into the back side of the scs connector terminals. the purpose of the tool is simply to connect the two wires together temporarily.

5. connect a timing light to no. 1 ignition wire and point the light toward the pointer on the timing belt cover.

6. check the idle speed and adjust if necessary

7. the red mark on the crankshaft pulley should be aligned with the pointer on the timing belt cover. the white mark on the crank pulley is top dead center.

8. adjust the ignition timing by loosening the distributor mounting bolts and rotating the distributor housing to adjust the timing. the timing should be set at 13-17 degrees BTDC at 650-750rpm.
9. tighten the distributor bolts to 17 ft. lbs and recheck the timing.
10. remove the scs connector or paper clip.

So I think I found the scs connector and jumped it (warmed the car up first). I was slightly confused that the Chilton said to stick the paper clip in the back side of the scs connector terminals. Didn’t know if this meant to back-probe or not. I stuck the paper clip into the female end of the connector. Also, there wasn’t a male end to this connector, the blue plastic was like just a holder for it.

then I attached the timing light and fired it up again. I probably could have just left the car running but wasn’t sure so I shut it down before connecting the light to the battery and #1 spark plug cable.

then when I pointed it at the protrusion above the crank pulley where you look for the marks it seemed to vary a little bit. I would see a mark about an inch to the left, but that mark would vary. it would move out a little further, then come back in, like there was a variance in the timing. I also saw a mark to the right side of the protrusion thing.

I shut the car down considering it inconclusive, and tomorrow I am probably going to try to locate some fluorescent type paint or something to repaint my timing marks so I can actually distinguish my tdc from my btdc marks. I think that would be good since even when I was manually rotating the crank pulley last week on my valve adjustment adventure, there really wasn’t any paint left on the timing marks.