setting timing

[gtune4]

I have heard that on the sr you can't accuratley set the timing without a consult or tectom diagnostic tool. Is this true? I have been using a regular timing light, I mean there are timing marks on the motor. The guy said that it had something to do with the actual signal going to the computer...?

[Hijacker]

you can set it with a timing light. The CAS is adjustable, which allows the timing to be advanced and retarded manually.

[Phax]

Setting the timing on the SR is not like setting the timing on a normal car. Get a factory service manual, it details the process. Basically you have to find the right lead coming off of the motor to attach your light to in the first place, and then mess with the CAS to get everything timed properly.

[gtune4]

i already have all of that down, my question is do you have to use the consult, or can you get an accurate timing setting with just a light??

[compression]

OPen up the ignition coil harness for the #1 cylinder(peel back the sheathing)Go get your $18 timing light and put the signal clamp around the wire labeled "-" on the #1 coil. THen loosen the bolts on your cam/crank sensor. Start the motor and check timing. Rotate the cam/crank sensor with the engine running until you have the timing where you want it.Make sure that you know what the timing marks on the crank mean. THe first mark that comes around is 20degrees advance then each mark is 5degrees retarded from that.Hope that helps.

[Hijacker]

i already have all of that down, my question is do you have to use the consult, or can you get an accurate timing setting with just a light??

the timing light is accurate

[gtune4]

you are correct sir.i took my car to nissan yesterday.we connected the CONSULT II box to it (the guy said it was like 6000$ or some ****). then the car is turned on, the CONSULT started automatically reading the ecu, we didn't have to input anything. all of my sensors were in proper order, as well as my timing that i had set with the light. good news to me.... consult works on sr20det.hope this helps!

[Luke]

you are correct sir.i took my car to nissan yesterday.we connected the CONSULT II box to it (the guy said it was like 6000$ or some ****). then the car is turned on, the CONSULT started automatically reading the ecu, we didn't have to input anything. all of my sensors were in proper order, as well as my timing that i had set with the light. good news to me.... consult works on sr20det.hope this helps!

That's good to know, thank's for taking the dive.

[gtune4]

the coolest part was that when we were done, he said "don't worry about it, I told you we would hook it up(the consult)!" So he didn't charge me and I bought a sweet nismo shirt instead.

[Hijacker]

6000 to hook it up to a consult? or was the consult a 6000 dollar piece of equipment?

[gtune4]

i asked him how much the consult unit itself was... 6k

[Nismo_Freak]

We used one like that at Mazda, except ours was 9k w/ printer and lockable docking station

That thing is beautiful ... because it shows all.

[charlotte240]

OK, So I have a timing light. My timing is WAY outta whack. What is the stock timing setting and what notch is that on the crank pulley?

[compression]

you want the timing (after a brief warmup) at idle to be 15degrees +/- 2degrees advanced.If you are looking the at the front of the engine, standing in front of the car, the notch farthest to your right is 20degrees advanced.then each notch to the left is a 5 degree interval in the retarded direction. so use the 2nd notch from the right.IF you have the S14 service manual in PDF it is on page EC-36. Dont worry, its the same for an S13 engine.

[SRdave240]

Warning though, when using the black wire at the back of the valve cover to read timing...

I found it is actually important to follow the FSM EXACTLY. I skipped the "revving past 2k rpm 2-3 times" and the gun read my timing wrong. I don't know if other people have had this experience but it's best to play it safe and do everything EXACTLY as the FSM says.

When I went back and actually followed the directions it worked (hrmm, imagine that!)

[martin]

Another Warning... some timing lights won't read accuratly hooked to that loop of wire at the back of the valve cover. Worse still you won't know that they aren't reading accuratly. My Snap-On light requires a resistive coil wire. Using the loop it reads 36btdc when it's really 15btdc... if I hook up a coil wire between the plug and the coil pack and hook my snap-on light up to that it reads 15btdc.

-Martin.

[Hijacker]

this is why the FSM suggests you do it my way, by adding a spark wire plug to the #1 coil pack so you can hook the pickup to that. Also, not everyone has the inductive loop on the back. I know I don't

[sgpnismo]

ok, ive heard 2 different ways to time a sr, do you need to get it into timing mode to change the timing or not because a lot of people are saying you do have to and a lot are saying nothing about it. Can I just hook up a timing lite to a spark plug wire on the 1st coil pack or do i need to warm the engine up, turn it off, unplug the tps,etc. and then time it????

[240_Keyy]

well Bbandit and I check the timing on my SR the "normal way" (hook up a light to coil #1 and point it at the crank pulley) simply because we didn't know any better. When you turn on the car, the timing was on the 15* btdc but it moved around a little bit as the idle came back to normal from cold start. Once it was warmed up, it sat there at 15*btdc.

We didn't try to adjust it or anything, that was just what it has been set at for the past year (aka, the way I got it when I pulled the motor from the clip)

[rudee023]

You must set it using the FSM procedure. Otherwise it will not stay at 15 degrees. It will jump around after a few seconds. If you have already adjusted it and are just checking it, I don't know if you have to do the procedure to get the right readig.

[gtune4]

mine will jump too, hot or cold sometimeswhen i flip my fan switch, it steadys out

[nismostate]

yea, i never did the revving part. im gonna do that tonight. i noticed it changes so often. maybe it'll fix something i didn't notice... will it make much difference with a more precise timing? i always did it using the spark plug wire. much easier. just make sure you keep it for future use.

[deejayS13]

gtune4's s13 blacktop....a champaigne in the a**...get it right and leave it alone!!! stop tuning your car every single day!!! get at me sucka...and hold on to my records!!!

[tony/ka24de]

will the wrong timming make your car run hotter? I got my sr20det with no distrubutor. I have installed it to tdc. I need to set my timming with a gun. I need some expert advise. Where can I get the fsm? Is there any step by step instructions on the internet anywhere. Please let me know. thanks

[yellow_jacket]

http://www.srswap.com

go to the sr faq and there is a section on how to set the timing.

[sgpnismo]

you can download the s14 sr20det fsm from http://www.zilvia.net

[Hijacker]

http://www.srswap.com

go to the sr faq and there is a section on how to set the timing.

that's the hard and annoying way to set the timing. it should only be done when the CAS has to be removed for whatever reason. Using a timing light to alter the timing around is the simplest and most pain free way.