I just converted my 1.6 16 valve over to cv carb and 88 samurai distro.  Any suggestions about where to set the timing?  I'm at sea level and this will just be a daily driver. 

This is kind of a loaded question with so many variables, If your hearing is still good I would take a felt pen and mark your distributor and start advancing it until you hear it pinging and then back it off just a little bit lock it down and call it good.

I'm just asking for a staring point to get it started and then I can work with a vacuum gauge etc.  What's the stock setting for an 89 1.6 16 valve with carb.  Thanks for the help

There is no stock setting for it,You can do the standard 8 deg advance at idle and shoot for around 32 deg total advance. and kinda go from there.

Thanks, That's what I needed. 

What is the deal on the timing for the sidekick.  When you say there is no stock setting for the timing what do you mean?  If, for instance, you had the distributor out and someone cranked the engine over while the distro was out.  What would you do after you got the number one piston at top dead center?  Would you just install the distributor set to fire at number 1 and then start the engine with it set at tdc and then adjust the timing?  I guess I'm used to looking up the tune up specs and setting the timing accordingly.  Don't they use timing lights with 1.6's.  If they do how do they know where to set them if there are no stock settings?  I'm not a newby mechanic, just a newby to sidekicks.  Thanks for your time and interest

So where do you look up on a "non stock" engine?

Suzuki never sold the 1.6 16v Sidekick with a carb, or a "self contained" distributor - it was MPI, and the ECU controlled the timing curves, so there is no "stock" setting.

5~10 BTDC should be a good starting point and then you can tweak it from there

Let me further confuse this issue - you say it's an '89 1.6, 16v engine with an 88 Samurai distributor?

Unless I'm mistaken Suzuki weren't using a 16v engine back in '89, and unless I'm even more mistaken when the 16v engines did come out (maybe '92), the distributors rotated the other way, which would throw the timing advance mechanisms completely out of whack ...

What do you really have?

Swift AWD was available with a 16V 1.6 carb engine. Much to my surprise there was apparently a 16V 1989 JDM model which was available with the 4sp auto, a guy on Auszookers claims to have one.

Swift AWD was available with a 16V 1.6 carb engine.

Yup - we had 2WD Swift sedans here with 16v carburetted engines - that's actually the reason I was specific in mentioning that Suzuki never sold the 16v Sidekick with a carburettor, rather than saying the 16v engine didn't come with a carburettor.

If you read my 1st post you'll see I stated that I have a 1.6 16 valve I converted to cv carb and 88 Samurai distro.  When I was told it was a loaded question etc I simplified and asked what the timing was set at on an 89 1.6 16 valve with carb, which they did make.  I recently bought a distro out of an 89 1.6 16 valve and it is very similar to the 88 Samurai distro I already have. I bought it from a guy in Arizona, it was off a motor he no longer had.  I figured it was common knowledge about the existance of the 89 carbed 1.6 16 valve.  I see it mentioned a lot on other forums.

I figured it was common knowledge about the existance of the 89 carbed 1.6 16 valve.  I see it mentioned a lot on other forums.

Let me ask you this question - you've seen it mentioned on the internet forums, so it exists - is that about right?

I'm sitting behind the Suzuki dealer parts database application, there is no 1.6 Sidekick with a carburettor shown in that database - if you were in my position, which information source would you believe?

Let me take it one step further, the 16 valve 1.6 engines don't appear in the database prior to 92 - if you were in my position, which information source would you believe?

Do forgive me for thinking (and suggesting) that such a vehicle does not exist.

After reading your post, I did a quick google search, it didn't turn up much on 89, 1.6, 16 valve carburetted Sidekicks - I did find stuff on 89 1.3 Sidekicks with carburettors, 89 1.6 Vitaras with carburettors - both of which I know exist, and both of which have 8 valve engines.

How about you post a link or two to the other forums where there are mentioned a lot, so I can be properly educated.