Check. I just the cam mark (on driver's side) to the top edge of the
head while #1 at TDC. I had messed with that a bit in experimentation.
The result seems fairly insignificant. I am now questioning my own
senses. That is, maybe I have gotten accustomed to a mazda pickup that
I had been driving while my truck was dead. I will take my pickup on
the freeway tomarrow to observe its behavior. That is the place that I
know my vw performance. It would usually be ~struggling when on cruise
at 75 MPH in .71 5th gear. I shall see if it will even pick up and
hold 75 MPH now. The idle point seems to change now as well. If I let
it sit and idle, it seems to start to miss a bit and the idle drops.
How do I read this? Oh, and i responce to the ignition quality.. I
have recently read that in opinion of some experts, Bosch ignition
systems are relatively of lower quality than the American counterparts.
The source of this is "The Doctor's step by step guide to optimizing
your ignition" by Christopher Jacobs of the Jacobs company that makes
ignition components. What it all seemed to come down to is the
ignition system's ability to allow greater spark plug gap. Which would
allow a larger ball of flame initially, so the propogation of
combustion would be advanced and more complete. What do you think?

wrote:
> Incorrect camshaft timing will cause a big loss of power while
> presenting a deceptively smooth idle. The 82 should already have all
> the electronic ignition you need.
>
> wrote:
>
> >What can go wrong when changing a timing belt that would result in a
> >big loss of acceleration while still holding the same idle. It also
> >seems to miss just a little when cruising down the street. Please
> >help. Also, do ignition computer systems help older vws?
> >
> wrote:
> >> You will see an increase in power if the cam is one tooth
retarded.
> >> Reset the ignition timing after reseting the cam timing.
> >>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> >I thought that I had my timing straightened out on my 82 1.7 CIS
> >rabbit
> >> >pickup with AC. It idles pretty good now. The timing light had
> >> >confirmed that the ignition timing is on the mark. I have the
cam
> >mark
> >> >set to the top edge of the head. Everything looks good. The
> >problem
> >> >is the lack of power. There is a significant loss in power since
I
> >had
> >> >changed the timing belt. I just dont see what is causing this.
Can
> >> >anyone help me? Thanks. And what could I expect from advancing
the
> >> >cam by one notch?
> >>
> >>
> >> Jim B.
>
>
> Jim B.