Using a timing light and...

[I ask good questions]

I was checking base timing with a timing light and the timing loop... I unplugged the tps so timing wasnt jumping around and when i looked at it... my base timing is about 20 degrees off!!! Am i supposed to put the ecu in diagnostic mode or something for it to show the correct time that hasnt been changed? I didnt think it was possible for the car to run like that.

[CoupedUp]

Did you warm the engine up?

Did you set the Idle?

Did you turn the car off and then unplug the TPS?

[I ask good questions]

The car was warmed up. I did not set the idle... please explain that! And no... i just unplugged the tps not with the car off. I guess all three of those could effect my reading.

[Mistaken]

I think someone should make a sticky thread about the proper way to set base timing on the sr

[I ask good questions]

Yeh, I agree 100%. I searched timing in the rwd SR engine forum and read through every post. Even read the fsm and it said nothing about the timing loop that I saw. Im sure that I just looked over the basic steps to do.

[Morgs]

seriously someone should, cuz its not exactly the easiest, and everyone would benefit, so if someones good at writin one up that would rock!!!

[GTS4-R]

i had the same problem for a long time....i set my base to 15deg btdc and had no power a glowing manifold at idle and high egts...come to find out the timing really was at "0" or TDC....there are a couple "loops" in the back and after speaking with a lot of people (enthalpy, enjuku and HT) they said NOT to use them cause u mstakenly use the wrong one.....U can try clamping the inductive pickup around the primary to coil 1 (just the ahrness that goes to coil 1) thats how i did it and it runs flipping awesome now..... OR u can make shift a wire from the coil ot the plug and put the inductive pickup on that if ur not getting a good sigmnal from the primary's harness......also make sure u follow the fsm to the t....warm up...hold at xxxrpm for xxx mins and then shut off unplug tps start up and race engine 3 times to 3k and then make sure ur idle is aropund 750-850 rpm..... But forget that loop it had my car running like **** for a whole year..... just try it my way....

[GTS4-R]

see the makeshiuft red wire? we did it that way on the drift car.....