Thread: How to: Adjusting Ignition Timing

yeah thanks. On a SR20VE there -5,0,5,10,15,20 right..want to make sure i have right info..iam going to change my spark plugs & do my timing tommarrow morning..

I waited to pull the tps and do the revs until after the idle went just under 1k. It would be hard to tell you by the stock tach.

I use consult and nissan datascan but there is a clear difference in the idle between the two. (at least to me, it is night and day when I switch between the two, 15* and 25*) But I think that is the map inside the ECU. Nothing mechanical.

But it is probably right and you are hearing all this for nothing. Well, not nothing, a tad bit of info on the JWT programming but that is it.

Good luck, I hated doing that method, but dammit, it works.

Can I use an OBII scanner to see the timing instead of a timing light??
---just to see.....
I dont have timing light..but..I have an Innova scan tool

No...buy a timing light. It is like $30 tops and one of the most basic, elementary tools you should have when you play with a car.

I'm going to put the link for the discussion of the timing marks for the UR pulley in here.

http://www.sr20-forum.com/general-sr20/30154-ur-crank-pulley-timing-marks-question.html

Viprdude I was having the same problem of my idle jumping around a bit every few seconds, advancing the timing. It happened whenever I heard the PAIR valve area start sucking in air. Also, I have no idea what my timing is at now. I set it right back where it was when I checked it pre-dizzy removal (and right where I marked the dizzy and bracket with a line). However, if I did have it properly in timing mode and the link above is correct, then my timing was around 9* and when the pair valve kicked in it was about 17*. I'll drive around a bit and try again, make sure the car is really warmed up. OEM temp gauge was in the middle when I tried this, but my VDO temp gauge was still below 180.

And you did have the TPS disconnected and the idle was still jumping around?

Yeah, it was disconnected. While the cluster temp needle was in the middle, I wonder if I had it fully warmed up yet. When I disconnected the TPS the car immediately revved up and then died. It took several starts and revving the engine with the gas pedal to 3-4k rpm to keep it running, then I slowly let the revs drop until I finally settled at idle. And by idle I mean it would roam a bit, around 650-900rpm or so. I'm going out here in a few for an hour drive. I will try it again when I get home and report back, especially now that I know what the timing marks on the UR pulley are.

Sounds to me like you got into timing mode correctly. Watch when the engine spikes. I would re plug and un plug the TPS and before it would shoot up in idle, it shows you the correct timing value.

After getting the car full warmed up (rad fans kicked on while I was doing it), I got a solid 15* reading off the timing light. It still fluctuated just a tad, but not nearly as bad and not as frequently. So I think I'm good. Thanks for the help and thanks for the great write up V!