Never had a car overfilled to the point that it actually smokes so I don't know what damage it could do specifically. Timing being off could make it run rough. It wouldn't hurt to adjust the timing anyway. Taking the cap off and putting it back on shouldn't affect it but I don't know what else they did with it. Maybe you need a new cap and rotor. What was the car in the shop for? Maybe you should ask them what they were doing and maybe even why. That way you'll know what else they might've mucked up. Make sure you have spark everywhere and all the wires are tight and on. Make sure no loose tubes or harnesses either, maybe you have something disconnected. Also pull the plugs and check that they're ok. If you were burning oil, they could be fowled.
The dist shouldn't rotate freely, you just loosen the bolts that hold it still and twist it a slight bit. I don't know what the right timing is but if you just set it to 0 degrees top dead center it should be safe although it won't be running optimal.
I'm going by general information here, for all I know it could be something unique in 96 golf. I can't look up information like that at work but last time I saw the dist in my 98 2.0 it looked like a normal distributor. Just do a google search or wait until someone else responds.
|