turned my distributor by accident...how to tell where to turn it back ?, My distributor is loose...how can I tell where to tighten it without a timing light? Options

[second wind]

Hello out there....due to rain and such have not driven my '73 2.0 very much lately so when my truck needed to go to the mechanic I drove my 914 around for a day or so.....I noticed it had a weird idle so I thought must be a vacuum leak.....sure enough I found the vacuum hose to the distributor had fallen off....when I went to put it back on the distributor twisted and I see it can be turned a inch in either direction....how can I determine where to tighten it without a timing light? Can I listen for a sweet spot and call it good? Do tell..?? Thank you very much!
gg

[Jack Standz]

Use a timing light.

Set timing at the point appropriate for your motor, including any modifications that may have been made, with the vacuum line disconnected.

Also, it looks like you probably have a distributor with points (has a vacuum line, but some electronic distributors have them, like a Mallory Unilite). So, you really need to either set the points gap or dwell. So use either a set of feeler gauges or a dwell meter.