Triumph Repair: Carbs., deg btdc, piston movement

Question
Hi Jim,
I noticed in your profile that you are in the RRTC.  I joined three months ago but missed the last two meetings...work.

Any way, I would appreciate any help you can offer.  I have 1974 TR6 that I bought last year.  I recently replaced all of the carb seals, gaskets, and needles. (carb kit).  I know that it needs adjustments and Ive tried following the drivers hand book in doing so.  My questions are 1. what should the timing be set to.  Ive was told that 4 deg before TDC.  2.After I thought I had everything adjusted, I noticed that after driving for a while, the idle speed would slow to around 500 rpm or less which made it difficult to keep running when not on the gas.  3. hesitation, I used the engine oil in the carbs, would this cause hesitation or delayed reaction once you push the gas?  

Answer
Tim,

Congrats on joining the club!  Let's see if I can get you moving in the right direction.

For 1971 the spec was 4 deg BTDC... for ALL other years of TR6 the normal static timing is 12 deg BTDC.  In reality, you need to check the dynamic timing with a decent timing light to verify the correct setting.

The oil in the carb acts as a damper to slow the piston movement down, acting like an enrichment pump on a "normal" carb.  Thicker oil means more enrichment(gas), thinner oil means less.  Are you noticing any of the exhaust smoke?  Black smoke is too rich, white smoke is too lean.

It sounds like there's a bit of sorting to do  between the carbs and the timing.  


Cheers,

Jim