Points and timing

[simonseagull]

Hi all I have now cleaned carb and jet gapped plug and points correctly it ran ok but had a few pops which kids thought was great. Is there anyway I can check timing ? Engine is running starts fine but I have had it run with more power thank you all for your help it is most valuable my misses has just got iPhone 4 so I can now work on seagull and get on forum at the same time oh yeah engine is little forty number fv making it 1950 and has billowed mk1 thanks guys

[simonseagull]

Sorry mention to say villiers mk 1 ignition my fingers are to fat for this phone !

[Jerry In Maine]

if you find that its not the timing it maybe a leaky head gasket. head bolts tight? if so try the poor man's test: disconnect spark plug lead. put some dish soap around the area where the head and cylinder meet and have someone turn the flywheel to the point of max compression and hold it there. look for soap bubbles that would indicate a leak. a better test is to have a mechanic put a guage in the spark plug hole and do a proper leak down test.

and just for giggles you might check the spark plug lead to see if the insulation is breaking down and causing misfires. connect a wire lead to the metal of the engine. while motor is running run the other bare end of the wire along the spark plug lead. if at some point the engine quits you know you've found a weak point. could be the spark is short-circuiting. a more dramatic test is to run the motor in the dark or at least away from very light. spritz a little water on the lead and look close for little flashes of blue where it nears the metal. i've found bad wires this way...

this will just test for insulation breakdown though- not for intermittent opens.

not saying this is the issue -but worth trying while you're waiting for other (more intelligent ) responses.