in the middle of changing the timing on my 98 to 16* ....

found tdc etc and checked stock timing which is supposed to be 14* on my 98 12v auto... well its not 14* anymore its 11.25* or so so either who ever originally timed it wasnt too precise or its slipped some in its 115k life time.


just a heads up to check your timing if you havent ever had it done.

 

My feeling is very few engines come new with the timing correct. I've checked quite a few 12 valves when they had low miles and only a couple were what was stated on the build plate. The timing could be up as well as down.
Good practice is to check the timing, even if it hasn't slipped it very well could be wrong.