Whats the difference? When is an advanced one needed?

 

If all you have is a tdc mark you will need a timing light w/advance.It allows you to dial in the 16 degrees of advance.

 

so i probably don't need one for MOST imports?

 

On a honda/acuras we have btdc markings etc. On some crank pulleys/setups you only have a tdc maring (0 deg top dead center). You then need a timing light with timing advance on it to sync your ignition timing etc.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by miksew &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so i probably don't need one for MOST imports?</TD></TR></TABLE>Every car I've worked on has a mark for stock timing. If you want to advance beyond stock, say 2 degrees earlier than stock, then you'd use the advance dial so you don't have to guess.

 

I prefer the advance lights, however, Hondas have four marks on the crank pulley so it isn't necessary. There's the TDC mark, then a large gap behind that there are three more. The center is the spec timing, and the marks before and after it are two degrees + and - respectively. As long as it's between the two outside marks, it's technically within spec. I always set mine to the high side of spec if the motor is in good working order.