Re: Johnson 5hp TD20 ignition timing facts & figures?

[frankr]

The timing is fixed by design, and cannot be changed. At least not if you have all the right parts and assembled correctly. So think of something else being your problem.

Now that I’ve said that, there is another look-alike magnet that may have gotten put in there. Or maybe the magnet is upside down?

Have you got the slow speed needle set at 5/8 turn open? Perhaps the Y fitting is destroyed? Perhaps the piston skirts are scored? That is a third port engine with a rotary valve, and everything has to be in good condition if you expect it to run properly. Compression is only half the story.

Also: It has to be cooling properly. Because the carburetor is part of the exhaust manifold, it gets hot as the motor heats up. Too hot and the gas vaporizes inside the carburetor and it won’t run good at all.