[SEL] That Wico Advance Lever

[Rick I.]

In my thread "My Taylor Vacuum Engine LIVES!!"

rustaholic777 at yahoo.com writes:
>My experience says The Wico Retard/Advance Lever Works Great.
Germoamer at aol.com
>Same here!  We run the hay baler with my 6hp International M at our show
>every year.  Lever down to retard and start, lever up to run and she purrs
like a
>kitten!

Well, it looks like it's supposed to work then!

Any ideas why my advance lever doesn't work properly?  I have a Wico Type
No. 2 drive.  I can get everything *precisely* set- exhaust open & close
just right, run (advanced) timing=exactly 30 degrees per factory manual, but
when I flip the lever to retard it, I would expect it to go from the 30
degrees BTDC to zero (TDC).  Instead, the lever changes the timing about 90
degrees- it changes from 30 deg Before TDC to 60 degrees AFTER TDC.

Maybe this is related- I have also noticed that adjusting the push
rod/finger length a very small amount seemed to have a pretty big effect on
timing.  It was tricky to get the timing set just right.  I had to nudge the
adjustment/length literally a hair at a time.

Is it a combination of magnet strength, drive spring strength, return spring
strength, rocker arm wear, or latch-off adjusting screw that I'll never be
able to figure out?  I'm content to run the engine as-is, without using the
lever, but it is quite puzzling now that others have spoken up that their
lever works fine.

Thanks!
-Rick