Timing marks

Hi folks, Mk1 golf cabriolet 89 automatic. Can anyone tell me any info about these timing marks? There is a 0 which is TDC what do the dots and line represent in degrees? Can’t seem to find much about them in the manual.
cheers Steve.

1.8 carburettor EX engine code

Wow that is a really old flex plate Solid I would imagine.

0 -2 -4 -6 -8 .

Each dot is 2 degrees BTDC.

Only ever seen the newer style of flex plate that the marking are more plain.

Hi Briano do you think it's the wrong one for the car then? Thought the ex engine had to be set at 18 degrees BTDC or something like that.

Could be, as I am only knowledgeable on the 010 on a 2H as that is what is normal over here.  There were 2 styles of flex plates over the years that I am aware of, the Solid one that ran from the early 60's to about 89, and the Spoked ones that were present on the 90's.

Of course there were 2 styles of Starters for each version of the flex plate and they aren't interchangeable.
Putting the wrong starter on the wrong flex plate will cause the Teeth to Strip I know that personally as my daughter had one installed without telling me… Trying to source the correct one is a JY feature, and looking for hens teeth.  As a Get thee by, I welded up the teeth, and Grinded and Filed them back and that lasted about 2 years with the correct starter, until I found a flex plate.

Here is a side by side on the Spoked in the rear and a Solid off a 88 Cabriolet 2h/010



Flex


solid


Solid starter.


Spoked starter has lugs on the casting in the circled areas.

Here are the chewed teeth that I welded up then had to replace after sourcing a solid because the frigging shop remove a 6 month old good Bosch starter for spoked with the wrong one for a solid..



I had to replace it when the my cavity repair finally gave up. 

I usually time my Green one (solid) at the 3rd dot, where I see that the spoked plate has a 1|8 stamped at the far left so you could be correct.

Well this is a spare engine and auto box I'm reconditioning to replace mine and I know both starter motors are identical.so I'm going to assume it's the correct flex plate. Does anyone know for a fact what an EX engine is supposed to timed at? I've read it supposed to be 18 degrees BTDC with vacuum hose connected. If this is the case will I have to add extra marks because if it goes by multiples of 2 then it only goes to 14 degrees and why would they design it like that.

Just done some research and it appears the line at the bottom is 18 degrees BTDC. So don't know how the dots relate.