Well this is a fully built motor for boost but currently running NA using an S300, I am just a DP away from boost but I have been putting miles on the car while learing the basics fo the S300..... what does my ground strap tell you guys about my timing? All 4 plugs have 2 marks all the way down the strap which I thought the marks should be around the 90 bend of the strap, should I add timing? Take it away? The S300 says I am at 18 deg ADV at idle

 

Did you do a run and pull them while at high RPMS or is that just from idling...they'll look way different. If that's idling it makes sense because it looks just a tad too advanced and since you say you're at 18*BTDC that explains it. Go back to the stock 16*

 

You're gunna try to guess the timing from looking at a spark plug? Get a timing light...

 

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mopar junkie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're gunna try to guess the timing from looking at a spark plug? Get a timing light...</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes, drive a car while looking at a timing light, brilliant idea..."reading plugs" can tell you lots about whats going on in a motor...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mopar junkie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're gunna try to guess the timing from looking at a spark plug? Get a timing light...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mopar Guy...... I was reading the timing off of my Hondata S300 screen, And the whole reason why I started this thread is because I know plugs can tell you about timing.

I am running a Stock USDM P72 map that I have been fine tuning the AFR's because it was making my car run rich at idle and lean up top, I have my AFR's back where they should be but I have not touched timing as this is one area I dont know much about. I am at like 8.9:1 comp, I was told that running a little more timing is ok with the lowered comrpession, is this true?

 

I have a timing light and I was told to look for different colors when I shoot at the crank pully, the problem is I do not see the color just 3 lines, and those lines are all above the mark on the cover. I guess I was trying to verify what the S300 screen was saying versus what I was reading with the light. How can I tell what the timing is by looking at those lines. I have checked timing on V-8's before and it was alot easier than this.
Thanks

EDIT: Looking at the basemap I have it looks like under WOT in colums 8 & 9 the Ign is between 30.5 & 31.75..... remember this is NA and not FI.

 

my plugs look exactly like that. bump for u

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itsJDMyo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my plugs look exactly like that. bump for u</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thank You Sir

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by adseguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did you do a run and pull them while at high RPMS or is that just from idling...they'll look way different. If that's idling it makes sense because it looks just a tad too advanced and since you say you're at 18*BTDC that explains it. Go back to the stock 16*</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is just from idleing, I warmed my car up fully to do a compression test and decided to take some pictures of the plugs while I was there, I will take it out later and do a WOT gear and then shut the car off and pull a plug....... where should the marks be after I do that? Further up the strap correct.

 

Yeah at wot you'll want the mark to be closer to the apex of the ground strap.

 

Dont bother with pulling the plugs to check for proper timing at idle. Like others said you need to do a pull, shut the car off after doing the pull, coast to the side of the road, and pull them out for inspection.

To set your base timing you need to match up the timing at idle which you see with your timing gun with what the timing sais in hondata at idle. Say you want it to line up at 18* if you have an advance timing light with a dial set the dial to 18 and move the dizzy until the SINGLE mark on the pulley lines up with the lower timing cover. Do not line up the three marks close together with that notch...only the single mark to the right of them.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mopar junkie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're gunna try to guess the timing from looking at a spark plug? Get a timing light...</TD></TR></TABLE>
your an idiot

 

my plugs look like that right now too

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SOHC_MShue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dont bother with pulling the plugs to check for proper timing at idle. Like others said you need to do a pull, shut the car off after doing the pull, coast to the side of the road, and pull them out for inspection.

To set your base timing you need to match up the timing at idle which you see with your timing gun with what the timing sais in hondata at idle. Say you want it to line up at 18* if you have an advance timing light with a dial set the dial to 18 and move the dizzy until the SINGLE mark on the pulley lines up with the lower timing cover. Do not line up the three marks close together with that notch...only the single mark to the right of them.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I wish I had a fancy timing light like that, mine is prob 20yrs old. I was not aware that there was another mark on the pulley, I just noticed the 3 lines that light up under the timing light flash and the single mark on the timing cover, or am I missing something here?

 

take a pic so i can see down inside the plug to see the burn ring on the ceramic

 

it will look like ****, my camera sucks but i will try it. its a 4 mega pix but for some reason close ups dont come out right

 

I got one to work What does the light brown on the porcelain mean?

 

Set it to Macro mode (the little flower button or selection in a menu).

Like SOHC_MSHUE said, you need to "sync" the distributor to the computer. If you want 18* then make sure when idling the car is supposed to do 18* then with you timing light adjust the distributor so it reads the 18* BTDC timing mark on the crank pulley.

When you check WOT timing make sure you:
a.) use new plugs
b.) Shut off the car in high RPMS so deceleration values don't contaminate the plug's readings

 

I dont know what macro mode is nor see a little flower button, even searched the help index..... nothing on macro.

 

take the pic, from the "bottom" of the plug, so we can see inside where the porcelin is.