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Advance Timing
From:Shawn Church
I have a tip for you on more
performance. Advance your timing! This is an obvious
modification, but one many people don't do because they don't
have timing lights. A timing light is nice (people can email me if they
want detailed instructions from the repair manual), but you don't
need it.
Timing is advanced by rotating the distributor. The distributor is held in place by 3 bolts. You will need a socket and extension for the lower two, and a box end wrench for the top one (can't get a socket on there). Do this while the engine still retains a little heat from driving as it will make it easier to loosen the bolts. Wait a while though or you'll get burned. O.k., you'll note that there is a mark on the top bracket that connects the distributor to the block. If there isn't one, make on. This is your reference so you know what the original timing is. Get a fine tip marker and make several similar marks along the bracket (closely spaced) on the left side of the original one (looking from the passenger side). Now loosen up the distributor and rotate it counterclockwise to the first mark. Tighten it up, warm up the engine and go drive it up a grade in as high a gear as possible without lugging. Turn the air on too. If it pings, and you will hear it, you've go too much advance. The knock sensor will pull back the timing, but you will still pick up a bit of ping. If it didn't ping, go back and rotate it another mark and so on till you get ping, then back it off one mark. By testing it at full load, you can ensure that at no other time will you have to worry about the engine pinging.
Note that if you do this in winter, you may need to adjust it again in the summer. I did mine on a 90 degree day so I'm not worried. I gained 2 mpg and better low RPM power. 5th pulls a lot nicer on the freeway. I advanced mine about half of the additional adjustment between the original mark and max advance. Tim Kelley advanced his all the way for max power on the dyno. BTW, by advancing your timing, you're doing half of what an aftermarket chip will do, for free!
Okay, for those of you thinking: "Wait a minute, what about the knock sensor and the ability of the stock computer to retard timing?" After further discussion with Shawn, we think that the '94+ Integras uses the distributor timing as a base. The computer then works off of this base timing, adjusting the curve of the timing depending on load conditions. Henry advanced his timing and he saw very noticeable improvements with his modified GS-R. Blipping the throttle on heal-toe downshifts was faster with the engine reving to the desired speed much faster. We both advanced it to halfway of the maximum amount of timing. You probably don't want to go much further than this because advancing the timing will cause you problems if you don't run super unleaded. Be careful and don't go overboard with it.
From: Adam Glass
Advancing your timing too far can lead to nice round holes in your
pistons and/or blown head gaskets. And you (and your knock
sensor) won't necessarily hear the increased pressure and
temperatures if the timing is just a little too far advanced. I'm not
saying that advancing timing WILL cause problems, but I'd caution
people to think twice about advancing it past max spec. The spec
is something like x degrees BTDC +/- y degrees -- in other words,
be very careful about advancing it past x+y degrees BTDC.
These are wise words of caution from Adam. After some testing we did, we actually found that the good timing advance point was just a little over +2 advanced which is on the spec: 16 +/- 2 BTDC at 750 +/- 50 rpm with all electrical systems off and shift lever in neutral.
From: Shawn Church
After going out and checking the distributor, I've advanced mine
about 6mm past the factory reference mark. I went as far as 12mm
and got ping. I was running maybe 7 or 8, but reduced it because I
was doing some dyno runs on the car. Tuan actually used a timing
light on his, so maybe he can tell you how far 2 degrees is. Of
course, this will vary from car to car. Another owner has advanced
his as far as it will go (mechanically), but his car is heavily modified.
For reference, ping will occur under heavy load and sound like a little tapping, rattling or pinging from under the hood. I find it easy to hear when the windows are closed to tone down the tire and wind noise. On your car, you shouldn't hear more than a ping or two at a time as the computer will pull back your timing. Theoretically, I guess you could advance your timing all the way and let the computer keep you at the bleeding edge. However, since we don't know how much the computer retards timing, you might actually be running less advance that way. Example: advance timing 3 degrees, no ping. Advance 4 degrees, get ping, computer pulls back timing 2 degrees, net 2 degrees advance.
Be sure to read the latest update on the page as well. 18 degrees is about as far as you want to go (I'm still not sure how Tim Kelley went to full mechanical advance.)
If it's that cold, you should definitely be able to advance quite a bit. I've really been wanting to try some race gas (105-110 octane) with full advance on a cold night, then again, who knows what the side effects might be :-).
From: LKY
When I advance my ignition timing using a timing gun, I found that
the factory set the ignition timing below the red mark (red mark =
16 btdc). I also found the same thing on my friend's GSR. I think
you should advance your timing at least to the red mark. I'm sure
you can feel that the engine is more easy to rev up.
From: Shawn Church
Xmas morning the first thing I did was go warm up my car and
check the timing. Turns out I had it set at about 16.5 for the dyno
run. I set it back to the original mark from the factory and it read
about 14.5-15 BTDC - actually below the median spec! I then
checked it at the mark where I got pinging, about 18.5 to 19 - no
wonder! I then proceeded to set it to 18 on the nose and its been
wonderful ever since, no pinging, free revving, etc.
From: Gary Shrieves
Not to beat the issue to death, but since an Acura lacks timing
graduations like that of most American cars, make your own
template! Measure the diameter of your crankshaft pulley with a
ruler. On a piece of paper, use a compass to draw a circle of that
diameter. Mark a line on the top of the circle. This is 0 or 16 deg,
either way. Then, take a protractor and measure off the degrees
increasing in a counterclockwise direction (this will be advanced).
Now you will have an exact template in scale of timing marks.
Additionally, when adjusting the timing, don't forget to put a jumper in the socket under the passenger side dash! If not, it will be inaccurate.
Lighten Up:
Necessity is a mother and poverty is a reality. With this is mind, I have found a very cost-effective way to increase the intake efficiency of my 1987 CRX Si. The local retailers are asking some large coin for a slick and shiny intake system. Mandrel bends and all, they are beautiful to behold. But if the job could be done for the price of a super sized meal at Mickey D's would it be any less beautiful? Granted, my solution to the problem may be slightly less efficient as the high priced pieces, but the large savings in cost will tip the difference for the budget-challenged racer.
The first step is to run on down to your favorite plumbing supplies store. Tell your significant other that you are going to pick up a few things for the house. She will be so happy that you are now going down to the auto parts store, again, that she will not mind that your project car is blocking the driveway.
At the plumbing supply store pick up these parts:
· A one-foot section of 3-inch waste pipe. This stuff is made out of thick black plastic. "Schedule 40" is the top of the line in the plumbing supply biz, so splurge and get yourself the good stuff. It should cost you less than a buck for a foot of plastic pipe. · An elbow joint made of the same plastic pipe. This comes in a variety of bends ranging from a ¼ turn (a right angle turn, or a 90 degree bend for those not intimidated by big numbers) to less tight turns of 1/8 (45 degrees) and 1/16 (half of 45 degrees, you figure it out). I used the 1/8 turn elbow joint for my application. This is the largest expense item on the list, about three dollars. · A pipe clamp that will fit around the outside of the 3-inch pipe, about a buck. · A disposable furnace filter. You can buy any size that suits you. I happened to have a two foot by one foot filter laying around so that is what I used. If you have to buy it at the store, it will probably cost a couple of bucks.
The total bill from the plumbing supply store will leave you with enough change from a $20 bill to pick up a bouquet of flowers on the way home. The flowers will not make your car any faster, but it could make your life a little easier.
The first step of your installation is to remove the stock air filter assembly, but leave the air tube that connects to the throttle body of the fuel injection system. On the Honda, the air filter cover will pull straight out of the air tube. To get the air filter assembly out of the Honda, you will need to pull the battery out temporarily. Once the air filter assembly is out, there will be plenty of room between the battery and the right fender for your new air filter.
Next, slip the elbow joint over the end of the air tube that is running longitudinally (that's left to right for you and I) across the engine compartment. The air tube will fit into one end of the elbow snugly and will not require any kind of clamp to secure it. The elbow joint will turn the corner into the space were the stock air filter assembly used to be.
Get a hacksaw and saw off about six inches of the 3-inch waste pipe. This short piece, inserted into the elbow joint, will project into that space were the air filter assembly used to be.
Finally, remove the spun fiber glass element from the furnace filter. A pair of scissors will do the trick. I folded the resulting sheet of filter materiel over to make a double layer, one-foot square filter element that I secured over the end of the plastic pipe with the pipe clamp. This filter materiel should last at least three months, but keep an eye on it and change it when it gets dirtier than you care to tolerate. I let the filter materiel "poof" up on the end of the plastic pipe, rather than pull it tight across the end of the pipe so that I get more filter materiel area.
If the look of this cheap filter offends your sensibilities, you can trim the extra filter materiel below the pipe clamp with a scissors to tidy things up. If you can not stand the though of getting away for so cheap, you can buy an expensive filter element at your favorite auto parts retailer and secure it to the end of the plastic pipe.
Once you are happy with the installation, put a little glue on the joint between the six-inch piece of pipe and the elbow joint. The end of the elbow joint stuck into the stock air tube should be OK under all but the most extreme conditions. A couple of wire tie wraps can be used if you are concerned about the new filter assembly flopping around.
It may not be the prettiest air intake, but the cost can not be beat.
More info/how to on fresh/cold air intakes
Optimum Shifting Points:
From: Kyle Wemmet
This formula will help you determine your shiftpoints(for maximum acceleration) according to your gear ratios and when your car makes its maximum torque. First, you must find your gear ratios. I have an American-spec 1987 1.5 Si with gear ratios of 2.92/1.76/1.18/.85/.71, the maximum torque hits at 4500 RPMs, and redline is 6500 RPMs(or so I'm told). The formula is: lower gear divided by the higher gear multiplied by the RPMs for max torque = shift point. For my car, the 1st to 2nd shift: 2.92(1st)/1.76(2nd) x 4500(max torque) = 7466 RPM. But you might be saying, "redline is at 6500?" so you have to shift at redline. The point of this formula is to drop the engine to the torque peak when you change gears. This info comes from the technical section of road and track.
Resetting ECU:To make the ECU perform at the optimum level, it can be reset easily by doing the following:
That's it. The ECU will set itself to give the optimum fuel mixture to the engine.