oh ya im doin the same thing as he is just adding lil things for power to my ka-e till i get a sr20 anyone know what to bump the timing up to for best results?
i want to know how to do this too, where do we advance the distributor ? and by how much
KAs MSD usaully means a blaster coil.
SR’s use coilpacks man[/quote]
So doe that mean that you have to pay a poo Load to up the SR’s
Ignition, I have been thinking about it but it is really worh the money>?
^^^^
Because they all have their little differences and because some people need to be lead by the hand and won’t be able to figure out how to splice connectors or gasp make a bracket.
A coil is a coil is a coil. They all make great claims about offering 40,000 volts or 50,000 volts, but the fact of the matter is you’re not going to make any more power with one over the other. They all do the same thing, and trust me, none of them make anywhere near the claims they say they do.
But either or, simply increasing coil output won’t make any extra power, unless the stock system was failing. You’d see the same power increase with a new stock coil.
If you are running a seriously modded set up and have increased the demand on your ignition (higher compression, pantload of boost) you don’t need to spend the dosh.
But the reality is anything from MSD or ACCEL or Holley or whoever is probably cheaper than a stock Nissan coil.
So why not?
Ok that is what I was thinking, unless it needs to be replaced dont bother
now back to advancing distributor, is the price paying for 94 octane worth the power that comes from advacing your ignition timing, can u do this also by changing your spark plug gap ?
how much do i advance the distributor??
The KA has a stop to the distributor, so you can only advance it so far.
Now, I’m of the mindset that a SOHC KA is not exactly a motor any of you care about, so before I say anything about it …
Don’t jump in to tell us all about the horrors of playing with your timing.
The SOHC KA has a compression ratio of 8.5:1. That’s low, lower than some factory turbo motors.
The base timing is disgusting.
In the past I have just advanced it all the way (clockwise) until it hits the stopper. And yes, this was on a SOCH KA, in an S13, I was even in Southern Ontario.
And the car ran fine on 89 octane dishwater, no ping, just faster.
I can already hear the volley of “you and your backwoods ghetto tuning” posts,
But the way I do it, and have done it on any number of cars, any number of configurations, is advance the timing until you get ping at WOT. If it doesn’t ping (detonate) advance it more until it does.
Once you get it to ping at WOT, back off the timing until it doesn’t ping.
Lock it down and be done with it.
Detonation is a bad thing yes, but in an NA motor it’s not going to wipe out your motor like a turbo. Beyond that, we’re talking about bone stock KAs. If it was a 13:1 motor etc … you would probably want to be a bit more careful.
If you’re getting a lot of ping/detonation, there’s something wrong with your fuel system. I’d set it back to base (you can see the mark on the stopper where it used to be) and leave it be until you figure out your fuel problems (clogged injectors, weak pump etc)
If you need a number, use a timing light.
I’m not suggesting this for anything other than a KA, or anything without a stopper.
So, the bullet point to what I’m trying to say here is …
• loosen (not remove) the locking bolt on the dizzy, turn it all the way clockwise until it hits the stopper. Tighten the bolt.
It will make a big difference in power and it will be free. On an 89 S13 with only a ported head, intake and decent exhaust, it was like night and day. It will rev out faster, not have that slow, clumsy acceleration to 3,000, etc.
DEs respond just as well to it too.
And 4AGEs.
solid post mr
cheers
Actually, the SOHC KA came in two configurations. 8.6:1 and 9.1:1 depending on the year of purchase.
No. To properly set base timing, you must disconnect the TPS in the process. Not simply rotate the distrubutor housing. Stop spreading misinformation.
This is how it is done in the FSM:
Page EF & EC-27
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Start engine and warm to operating temperature
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Open hood and run engine at 2,000 rpm for 2 minutes under no load
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Race engine two or three times under no load, then run engine at idle speed
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Check idle speed, must be 750 +/- 50 rpm
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Check ignition timing with light
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Disconnect throttle sensor harness connector
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Ensure engine speed is below 800 rpm
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If not, adjust idle speed screw on intake manifold
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Check ignition timing with light again
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Adjust timing by loosening bolts and turning housing
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Adjust idle speed screw to 700 +/- 50 rpm
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Connect throttle harness connector
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Race engine two or three times under no load, then run engine at idle speed
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Check ignition timing with light again
Done.
If the TPS is not disconnected, the ECU will mess with the base timing.
Infact, there is a article in the tech section of KA-T.org detailing this process exactly, as many people have screwed up their base timing by simply rotating the distributor housing.
so what happens if you remove the tps and then turn the dizzy all the way, then plug the tps backin?
You advance your timing. By how much, you will have check that with a timing light.
Turning it without unplugging the TPS will advance the timing as well, but the ECU will mess with the base timing. Possibly yielding an unwanted timing curve, as many KA-T’s have experienced by setting the base timing imporperly.
It is VERY important to check your timing with a light, especially if the oil pump & distrubuter was pulled in the past. Since it is fairly easy to skip a tooth on the drive gear and throw your timing window completely off.
mr200 i understood everything clearly, only concern what is ‘ping’ i am not sure, sound of detonation ? how does this sound ?, good post
now, titan when you posted, i got confused, im not that bad with engines but im not the brightest, mr200 explained how to do a MECHANICAL timing advancement, I do not see how this has anything to do with the ecu, where is my tps i dont see any wires anywhere near the distributor under the hood on my KA24E ?
I understand now that there is a HUGE .5 difference depending on which SOHC KA you have. 8.6:1 or 9.1:1. So yes, thank you for correcting me, as they come in two very similar low compression setups, not just one low compression setup.
But do they wear boxers or briefs … THAT is the question.
I remember this from the manual as well.
I didn’t bother, just unhooked the negative for a few minutes. There were a number of codes and often I find with the ECCS, just unhooking it will clear most of the persistant “even though nothing is wrong” codes.
And it worked fine.
I’ve also done it without touching the battery at all on a SOHC KA, with the car running and a timing light. The changes did not do anything except for what they were supposed to bump up the mechanical timing.
If that’s misinformative, well … sorry for spreading misinformation through personal experience…
Thanks for spreading the manual.
The TPS is on the side of the throttle body, and I don’t really see how it would interfere with the base timing. With the throttle shut,there shouldn’t be any signal from it. There’s not supposed to be any continuity until the throttle opens. So it would be sending the same signal whether it was plugged in or not. It’s just a switch on the SOHC after all. If it’s closed or unplugged it’s all the same to the computer.
Whatever. I’m going to just stop spreading “misinformation” and wait until I can chime in on everybody else’s posts instead of actually saying anything relevant in the first place.
The FSM method IS a mechanical timing advance.
You are still turning the distributor, but doing so with the TPS unplugged. This is how mechanical timing is supposed to be advanced/retarded on the KA.
When I unplugged my TPS at idle, my idle speed shot up to 1200 rpm from 750 rpm.
Funny for something that isn’t supposed to send any signal.
Furthermore, if it did nothing, why would it be in the FSM procedure?
I suppose Nissan engineers pulled that part out of their ass for no reason whatsoever. Makes perfect sense.
Fact of the matter is, believe it or not, the people who wrote the FSM procedure know more about this particular motor then any of us ever hope to learn.
In comparison, when looking up torque specs for say the main bearing caps, do you ask a friend? No. You look it up in the FSM, because Nissan knows best.
Had this FSM procedure not been important, it would not be posted in the tech section on KA-T.org. Specifically after many people have had timing issues due to not following it.
You’re right, informing people on the proper way to do things is not relevant.
okay my distributor is in this position, its already all the wya to the right, my car came like this as far as i owned it
does this mean its already done ?
Get a timing gun and check it for yourself. That is the only way to find what your base timing is set at.
15 degrees is stock. Anything above is advanced, anything below is retarded.
Get a timing gun and check it for yourself. That is the only way to find what your base timing is set at.
15 degrees is stock. Anything above is advanced, anything below is retarded.[/quote]
i dont have a f u c k i ng timing light and i dont know how to use it, you guys said rotate it to the right, its all the way to the right, so all i was wonedring if its already been done
Heh …
Just because it’s fun,
But if you check your bloody FSM it’ll tell you on a SOHC TPS that you are supposed to have NO CONTINUITY at idle.
The TPS is an on/off switch on the SOHC motor. It only alerts the ECU whether or not the throttle plate is open.
It is a switch. A switch in the off position is no different than an unplugged switch. To the ECU it would be all the same. That would be the reason I asked aloud why they would suggest you do so.
If you unplugged yours at idle (unless it’s a DE, then the same FSM would tell you that the DE’s use a thrid function - the variable resistor which the SOHC does not) and it changed anything, then your TPS may be improperly adjusted, or your TB is gummed up and stuck open.
Alesserfate -
Your distributor has been advanced fully. You will need a timing light to know for sure how the motor has reacted to it.
Has your car always been running like this? I thought from when I saw you on the track, it seemed to be running OK then.
Are the SOHCs timing chain or belt? (pretty sure they’re chain) If the car has always run a bit funky, it sounds to me like the motor was put back together a tooth off. In an effort to get the car to run properly someone just advanced the timing until it ran “ok”.
Without pulling the motor apart, you’ll need a timing light to check both base and advanced timing. Then you’ll know for sure that the timing is off, and by how much.
You NEED a timing light to know your base timing.
There is no way around it. As mentioned, the chain or the drive gear for the distributor/oil pump could be a tooth off. You will not know for sure until you check it with a timing light.
Your question cannot be answered by simply looking at the distributor position.
Wrong.
The SOHC TPS is a variable resistor. I can see this with my SAFC, as it displays throttle position. It gets this signal from the TPS.
When I depress my throttle, I can run through 0-100. Not simply 0 or 100.
It is not a swtich.
If it was a switch I would not be able to set my hi-throttle and lo-throttle on the SAFC, now would I?