I know this is a bodge but it will work to prove the point, make a conical shim out if say a drinks can, easily cut with a sharp pair of scissors and being aluminium will seat and grip, it needs to fit the mag taper, be slightly shorter and have only a small gap when closed up.
The mag goes on the taper just as it should. I get the bolt started, ATD ears wedged open, slowly tighten the bolt, without the washer, tighten it some more and I can see the gear moving back into place and can feel it is starting
on the shaft. I loosen the bolt slightly, insert the horseshoe washer. finger tighten it up some more 'til I can't turn it and now the gear is even further back. I take a socket and put it over the bolt onto the washer, tap it, and the gear moves back even more onto the taper...and without tightening the bolt any more...the ATD ears are stuck open. My wooden
dowel that goes in-between the ears has literally NO jiggle. So I do it again, and this time I'm able to take out the wedge and the ears snap closed. The bolt is finger tight. I finger tighten it just a tad more, and the ears lock..so I go
back and forth trying to tighten the bolt with a socket held by my fingers, and I can feel the place where the ears
lock up. I quietly swear. Thus I fiddle back and forth and ultimately get the ears to stay open, and feel like the ATD
is ON the taper. I put the timing cover back on, hook up the oil lines, install the pipes, etc. Kick it, and what do you know it doesn't start and I check the timing and the ATD has slipped. I'd bodge it with JB Weld if I thought I could get by with it. I've had the pipes off 6 times, have over 50 hours in trying to solve my ham fisted problems. I just took out the B-TH bench tested at ultra-low RPM's with my drill, did the whole routine once again and ran out of patience. I'll put the cover and pipes back on in the morning and kick it once again. I just don't see how a shim, Teflon Tape would work too..is going to help the ATD ears. I can get the ears to stay open, and then can get them to stick just by finger tightening the bolt. I'm surmising there is some internal slop on the ATD or the taper that's cocking the thing so much it binds up the ears.
Maybe my method of finding TDC is actually incorrect, maybe I'm on overlap. I take out the plugs put it in fourth, look at the rear cylinder and the moment I turn the wheel forward the exhaust valve moves. I see it go open and then see the intake start to open. I go round to the other side, put my finger in the hole, move the wheel forward and feel a little puff..I move it some more, feel more of a puff and I see intake closed both valves are closed..I stick a rod in the cylinder and feel the piston is coming up, up, up..that's TDC on some stroke. I go over TDC a hair, I go back down a little and do it again, and feel what I think is TDC, then back it down enough to clear the spark plug stop, install my spark plug stop, go forward until it hits the stop. Maybe I can't tell over-lap from compression stroke, but I THINK I can and have thought so in the past, and have started it in the past with this method. So ANY suggestion as to finding TDC I'll take.
I know I can't install the ATD to satisfaction with the timing cover on.
