drittens

So, should the plugs be a brownish color, or should they be BLACK?

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

http://www.theultralightplace.com/sparkplugs.htm

drittens

The reason I was asking is because I was told that black plugs are normal for '7s.
I know the general meanings of plug colors, I just wondered if the 2-cycle oil my engine is burning would cause it to be black(as it is now) despite running correctly...but apparently not, I can go with my feelings that the car is running waay rich and work on fixing that.

steve84GS TII

Some brown and tan, with a little white and black is OK.
All brown or tan is OK.
Gray ash deposits are from fuel/oil additives
All white is too lean(hot)
All black is too rich(cold)
All black and wet is oil burning(worn engine)

The trailing plugs will usually be funky,make sure you get your reading from the leading (bottom) plugs.Running too much pre-mix oil can coat the plugs and mask the true "color" and state of tune, of the engine.Dont run more than is needed,it can also affect power output.

drittens

well, I'm still using the OMP, I've just adapted it to use 2-cycle. Its not really oily, jsut black.
I also have a question about timing, but I havent really seen much info while searching regarding it the way I am wanting to see it so:
Which way is retarding/advancing timing? Clockwise or CCW turning of the distributor? Also, there are two marks on my pulley, the first one (going clockwise) is just black like the rest of the pulley, but the second mark is a red dot. When installing the distributor, which one of these dots should be lined up w/ the needle on the housing? Then, when timing it, which one should be lined up w/ the needle? (I jsut want to make sure that I have it timed correctly)

steve84GS TII

The first mark should be yellow,thats the mark you line up when timing the leading system.
The second,red mark is used to time the trailing system.

If the engine is running and a timing gun is hooked up,it should be easy to see which way the marks move,when the distributor is turned.
Set the leading first,by turning the distributor housing until the yellow dot lines up with the pointer.
Then check the trailing.It should be OK,but if its off you need to loosen the trailing advance pot and slide it in or out, until the red mark lines up with the pointer.