MGB crank timing dots

[a boardman]

Quick question about the crank timing chain gear, can this be put on backwards as the gear i have been looking at shows no timing marks so i assume that it is on backwards, is this correct.

I have to remove it in order to fit the chain anyhow but dont want a surprise of no timing mark, (does the woodruff key need removing in order to pull it off)

and am i correct in saying that the timing dots should be facing away from each other and not next to each other in order to get firing on No 1 cylinder.

[MG Mark]

a boardman said:

Quick question about the crank timing chain gear, can this be put on backwards as the gear i have been looking at shows no timing marks so i assume that it is on backwards, is this correct.

I have to remove it in order to fit the chain anyhow but dont want a surprise of no timing mark, (does the woodruff key need removing in order to pull it off)

and am i correct in saying that the timing dots should be facing away from each other and not next to each other in order to get firing on No 1 cylinder.

Both gears should have a dimple mark on them to be able to align them correctly to time the crank and camshaft, and you shouldn't be able to remove the woodruff key with the gear in place. The timing dots should face each other when installing the gears - they need to face away from each other when installing the distributor to avoid the ignition timing being 180 out. More details here:

http://www.british-cars.net/mgb-technical-bbs/timi...

MG Mark