Shove the throttle wide open. Turn ignition switch ON. Remove #1 spark plug and get it well grounded to side of head. I piece of wire wrapped around threads works well if you don't have a helper. Put pull handle on nut on top of flywheel. Back flywheel (counter clockwise looking down from top) around well past timing marks and stop. Rotate flywheel back in a clockwise direction and listen for the sparkplug to pop (fire) observing the position of the timing mark. Do not advance the timing past 21�. Adjust timing stop and go back through proceedure to check. Of course you can also do a wide open throttle check IN THE LAKE with a timing light hooked up, stop, adjust the timing, and then go again. Inlines are very critical as far as the low speed timing/carb pickup synchonization. What I've always done on MY engines isn't exactly the same as the manual, and it draws conflicting opinions when I've posted it in the past from some VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE inline guys, so my best advice there is to buy a manual and set 'em like the book says. One thing that nobody debates is that the engine has to get MOST OF the timing advance in before the carbs start to crack open. If the carb pickups are adjusted where the carbs crack too early in the sequence you'll get a bog. [links]