OKay i dont really know too much about timing. From what i understand you can adjust this timing from the distributor. Stock should be at 16* and +/- 2. My questions..

1) Whats the difference in timing with the distributor and Hondata?

2) When should you have to change the timing with the distributor?

3) i plan on running CTR cams with +3/-1 settings, do i need to change timing at all.

4) How can the computer change the timing back to factor when its changed manually by turning the distributor? When jumping the ECU and changing ign. timing, will the ECU change it back once you take that jumper off?

6) Whats the purpose of changing your timing?

7) Last of all.. what can happen with the wrong settings? LIke for example... do you advance to get more power, or retard, but doing so might damage something?
What is safer? adv. or ret. and what does each one do for the motor?

This is all just pissing me off not knowing, and im searching but cant find the basic info i need. So please help.
If there are any sites you can link me to read, send em. thanks!


Modified by 1SlowSi at 6:36 AM 5/1/2004

 

help please

 

I don't know about all that. Listen. Jumper the ECU, then advance your timing to 18. Take out the jumper, reset the ECU. Drive wide open throttle up a steep steep hill, with the AC on and the windows down. Listen carefully for pinging. If you even get the slightest ping, take the timing down and try again. If there is no ping, advance it to 20. You want it as far advanced as possible without the slightest ping. Running higher octane helps.

But as I and most people have found, 18 degrees advanced is the farthest you want to go on a stockish N/A Civic. With other cars/engines, its usually the high side of the spec. For boosted engines, its necessary to retard the timing from the factory spec.

Advancing it too much damages your engine. Driving around pinging your *** will quickly age your engine.

 

1) Well the only thing Hondata or any other computer can change is ignition timing, as cam timing has to do with the physical cam gears. Cam timing has to do with when the cams open and close the intake and exhaust valves with respect to each other. Ignition timing is when the spark gets sent to the plug with respect to the valves and piston location in the cylinder. The stock spec of 16 deg. BTDC means the spark plug fires 16 degrees before the crank/piston gets up to the very top of the cylinder. That means the air/fuel mixture ignites while the piston is still travelling upward in the cylinder, just before it gets to the top and starts to go down again.

2) You should only have to change the ignition timing as part of maintenance (making sure it's set within spec) or if you take apart anything that has to do with the distributor (the distributor, cams, etc.).

3) You should still run stock ignition timing settings with CTR cams. However the cam timing settings (if you run adjustable gears) MUST be tuned and set on a dyno. It is impossible to determine the optimum settings from other people's settings or the butt dyno, etc.

4) The computer doesn't change it back to "factory" when you move the distributor. First of all, the "factory" setting of 16 +/- 2 BTDC is measured with all accessories turned off and the diagnostic connector jumped. What this does is put the ECU into diagnostic mode, which means the ECU will not change the ignition timing during that time. Whatever you set it to is what the ECU uses as a baseline, and during normal driving the ECU determines the optimum igntion timing for the current conditions, based off of that baseline.

5) I don't know of any rules of thumb. "This seems like it would be for the Hondata. Or ALL MOTOR." What? This doesn't make sense.

6) What's the purpose of what?

7) Just stick to stock specs. Don't go past 18 BTDC or the engine will start to detonate, which is bad.

 

When you jump the ecu, then make your igntion timing change, once you take that jumper off, will the computer leave it at whatever you set it at? or will it try to change it back to whats best?

So advancing igntion timing gets you more power BUT, you risk detonation right? Other than boost, when is it necessary to change it OTHER than making sure its within factory specs?

From what ive read, you can change igntion timing through Hondata right? So you can either change it by the distributor OR Hondata? thats kinda what i didnt understand.

When you boost, you have to change timing 1* per lb. of boost?

Last thing... When i put these CTR cams in, and adjust the cam gear to lets say +3*, doesnt that change the igntion timing because its connected to the distributor? What do i do, put them in, then adjust the timing accordingly? or will the ECU automatically change it for me? *I read this on C-SpeedRacing.com.*

Sorry for all these questions, but its things i gotta know!

 

The ECU always adjusts timing based on current conditions, but it goes off the baseline that you set while in diagnostic mode.

I'm not too familiar w/ everything that Hondata can do.

I don't know about boosting, but I don't think I would want to retard ignition timing 14 degrees if I was boosting 1 bar, but then again I don't know too much about that either.

I guess if you were to change the intake cam timing, you would have to adjust the igntion timing, also, but just adjust it back to spec using a timing light.