Hi, so i was checking out the balancer with a timing on my 68 cougar GT and the mark showed about 20 degrees BTDC which seemed way too high to me. So i tried retarding the timing near 12-15 degrees (as the manual expects me to tune it at) but the idle speeds drops a fair bit and the vacuum does aswell.
My question being : What should I look for when setting my timing? highest vacuum? Highest rpm ? I thought I needed to idle (in Neutral) at 800 RPM or so but the engine seems smoother at around 1000 RPM but this seems too high for idle doesn’t it?
I’m new to all of this and I’m not sure what the engine SHOULD sound like at idle when happy.
Could you help me figure it out?
Set the timing, then adjust the idle speed and mixture.
Don’t forget to disconnect the vacuum advance and plug the hose. If you didn’t do that you were reading total advance.
The engine and transmission has to be up to normal operating temperature.
I suggest watching thunderhead289 on you tube
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That, I did !
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I’ll have a look thanks 
I think it was, the engine had been running for half an hour maybe and the choke was open
Right so the distributor sets the base and then the idle is set completely by the screws ?
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Yes. I usually end up around 12 degrees.
The factory shop manual expects you to plug the vacuum advance and then it expects you to set the initial advance to between 6 and 12 degrees before TDC. Are you doing that?
I am, but the engine doesn’t seem to run smooth, it doesn’t feel happy
Well then you should test other things. I would do a distributor advance test, a cold cranking pressure test, and check that all the spark plugs are firing properly.
Sound like an ignition issue
The engine should be happy idling at 600 RPM with the headlights on. It sounds like you have serious problems.
Here is another possibility. Maybe you have the wrong balancer, or it has slipped moving the outer ring. both will give you incorrect readings. If you can find top dead center and see where the timing mark is at.
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The thing is im not sure what « happy »translates to in terms of sound.
I can make it idle at about 800 when at 12 degreee but it doesnt feel right for some reason
I will try that
Most likely you have a huge vacuum leak caused by leaking headlamp actuators. They will need to be fixed to have any luck setting idle speed.
I do know the headlights wont come down because of a leak.
I might try to plug the headlights vacuum hoses to tune the carb until I get a chance to repair the actuators