engine timing

I have a 1995 90 hp johnson mod#j90tleor....I took the boat and motor to the nearest dealer (100 Miles away) to have it tuned up. When I got there he said timing was off and proceeded to set the timing. Here is what the mechanic did....he did link and sys first...then he started and warmed engine ...and set the timing at idle with the muffs on....he set it at 4* btdc using the adjustment on the spark advance rod....my prob lem is that I just received my service manual for this engine and it describes 3 things that must be done...maximum spark advance 28* btdc.....cam follower pickup timing and lastly throttle pickup timing 4*btdc.......the boat seems to run just fine ....is what the mechanic did the correct way to set this timing?If not what should I do.......also could some please tell which cylinder is #1..looking fom the back of engine on this motor.....please help....thank you

Re: engine timing

From what you've said, the mechanic simply set the timing for the cam pickup (where the throttle butterflies start to open in relation to the timing), not the full spark advance timing (two different settings) so there's no need to be concerned about the timing.<br /><br />Standing in back of the engine, #1 would be the top right cylinder. Stand back and look, really look at the cylinders. Notice that the top right is just a little higher than the others, top left is the next lowest, bottom right is the next lowest.... guess which is #4.<br /><br />2....1<br /><br />4....3