Why advance timing

Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Automotive Body and Related Repairers will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the national average annual job openings in each of the following occupations between and will be: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, 61,; Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, 24,; and Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, 43, Universal Technical Institute of Illinois, Inc.

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I am currently in the U. Military, Guard, Reserves or I am a veteran. Military Release Date Required. Get Info Get Info. Previous Step. Retarding Ignition Timing. Table of Contents. What Is Ignition Timing? During the process, the following steps occur : The spark plug fires during the compression stroke. Pressure is built in the cylinder as the burning gases expand. Just as the piston hits top dead center TDC , pressure is maximized.

Pressure pushes down on the piston as hard as possible. Ignition Advancing vs. Signs Your Ignition Timing Is Off If the timing of your ignition system is off, there are several performance issues that can occur. Some things to look out for: Engine knocking: Engine knocking occurs when the air-fuel mixture is ignited too soon in the cylinder.

The mixture then pushes against pistons that are still trying to compress the mixture. This causes loud pinging sounds to come from the engine. Decreased fuel economy: The timing of the spark plug is crucial during the ignition process.

When this starts to happen at the wrong time, the combustion process is off. This causes your engine to use more fuel to compensate for reduced power. Overheating: If the air and fuel mixture is ignited too soon in the combustion process, the heat generated will increase. This can damage different parts of the engine. Low Power: Ignition timing that is retarded too far can result in the spark plug igniting the mixture too late. This can reduce the power of your engine.

You can graduate from the program in less than a year with the education needed to enter the workforce. Classes start soon. With classes starting every weeks, no need to wait to start your career. Hands-on training. Get hands on experience with the industry's leading brands. No Pressure to commit. This gives an engine greater performance because it forces the piston in the cylinder back down harder because the spark was energised sooner after it has reached top dead centre TDC.

Retarding the ignition timing means that the spark has less time to become energised Before Top Dead Centre BTDC , and so the force with which the piston comes back down after it has reached TDC is reduced. This means that you will lose performance, and nobody wants that to happen except the cops. A general rule of thumb is that you can advance the ignition timing of most cars with a distributor cap, including older Hondas and VWs.

The first step in advancing your ignition timing is to dive underneath the bonnet to locate the diagnostics box. Once the diagnostics box has been located, open it up and connect the TEN and Ground GND pins using a piece of wire this puts the computer into diagnostics mode, a trick that essentially makes the car learn. The next step is to locate your idle adjustment screw as above and lower your idle to rpm. Following this step, you need to hook up your inductive timing light - one connector goes to the 1 HT lead, and the other goes to a power supply.

If your battery is in the boot like with the MX-5, then clamping to the rear of the alternator is a good substitute for power. Finally, hook up your ground lead to a metal bracket on the engine. Ie at 11 degrees ATDC. The piston is located 1. When the combustion commences there is an expansion of the volume remember the formula for volume of gasses at various temperatures from our first year physics classes. The rate of expansion is determined by the burn rate of the fuel.

In our model this is constant. Combustion actually commences while the piston is on its upward journey. The time it takes for the flame kernel at spark plug to expand to the top and sides of the chamber permits the piston to pass top dead centre before it receives the flame front.

The expansion of the gasses during the period from ignition point BTDC to flame front reception ATDC increases the volume in the chamber and effectively creates higher compression. Now we can see why it is that when the timing is advanced the higher position of the piston at 11 degrees ATDC compared to 15 degrees ATDC increases the effective compression and gives more power on the downward stroke.

That equals more torque. See rule number one above. So, in summary, for those folk with NA model cars the advancing of the timing creates a change in the position of the piston when it receives the flame front. Our dyno days show that there is a correlation between advancing the timing and an increase in low-end torque. In general, each 1-degree of additional advance seems to bring the torque curve back by around rpm.

By advancing the timing by 4 degrees it has the effect of delivering torque at 2, rpm that would normally be realised at 3, rpm. Of course, it has also been noted that top end torque is adversely impacted in about the same ratio. If the downward force reaches the top of the piston before the piston is able to react with a downward motion then the force is directly to the crank, rather than to the rotation a bit like how landing on a stiff leg transmits the jar to the hip.

Lower RON fuels means the flame front hits the piston top sooner than with a high-octane fuel. If the flame front hits the piston too soon the crank angle will not be in the optimum angle range to commence its downward stroke.