I recently had my timing advanced to 17 degrees on my 2k Maxima.
If I reset my ECU will my timing reset back to stock?

On another note, when I had them advance my timing the consolt tape said
that before the advance my timing was set to 12 degrees.
Shouldn't it be 14 degrees stock?

Thanks.

 

It should stay 17 degrees after a reset.

As for it being 12 degrees... well, every car is different. I think Nissan's quality control tests each engine to see if it can handle a higher timing advance at idle, and if it can't, it sets it back until it works reliably without excessive knock. I think mine is 14 degrees.

 

I advanced mine to 17 and it sticks at that setting even after undoing the battery. One way to bring it back down to stock it to put crap (<91 octane) gas in your car...

 

Thanks for the reply's guys.

So the reason that it may have been at 12 degrees when I got it in there
Could be that the previous owner was running 87 or 89 octane....?

 

what does it mean to change your timing and waht does it do?

 

I highly recommend you DO NOT use crap gas with your timing advanced. The timing may get pulled when the ECU sees the engine detonating, but that requires detonation to occur before it pulls it... and that pinging/detonation adds cumulative wear to the engine's internals. Not a good way to do it. That's like enforcing a 15mph speed limit by putting 2-foot-deep potholes all over a highway.
PearlWhtMaX2000: Do some google searches regarding "ignition timing" and read up about cars' ignition systems, especially about the combustion cycles. Ignition timing is one thing I highly recommend you learn about before doing any tinkering (not like you can tinker with it without access to a dealer's Consult-II anyhow...)

 

If I understand it correctly, advancing timing will allow your engine to compress the air and gas mixture more before it sparks it.
Resulting in more power and fuel efficiency.

 

http://www.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system1.htm

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....1&pagenumber=2

 

ok ill do that , thanx

 

ok where can i get this done, and how much would it cost? any negative affects?

 

A dealer probably wouldn't let you do it if you just came in and asked. Unless you know one of the technicians really well and asked him to do it on the side...
And if your car is still under warranty, forget about it (again, unless you knew one of the technicians really well and he could fit you in on the side...)

 

yeah i called a few dealerships some had no idea what i was talking about and a nother one said theyd call me back. how much does this run for?

 

Beats me... this isn't usually something dealers have "listed" in their manuals. It involves them breaking out the Consult-II, plugging it into your OBD-II port, having it login to your computer, modify a setting, probably check it, then unhook it/etc.
I'd suspect it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes to do...

 

interesting

 

I paid one hour labor to get my timing advanced ($80).
I know that some dealerships like South Point Nissan only charges half an hours labor.
If you go to a dealership and they tell you that they don't do it, or they simply don't know what you are talking about, have them call the techs at Southpoint Nissan to walk them through it.

 

what kinda gains are you looking at getting.

 

The "stock" timing being discussed is a nominal idle timing in degrees before top dead center TDC (0 degrees) of the piston stroke. The timing actually advances and retards back to nominal depending on a number of load, demand and speed factors. On almost all modern engines this is controlled by the ECU depending on a number of sensor inputs. In the old days it was pretty much a vacuum motor advancing and retarding the distributor. Each engine has its own personality, but the basic principle is trying to get the most burn out of the power stroke. Too soon and you get pre-detonation or knock from the burn commencing to soon and trying to slap the piston back down before it has actually reached the top of its stroke. (Old timers will tell you a little knock is the sound of efficiency and economy). Firing too late in the stroke, at or after TDC, may result in the piston travel being down before all the burn or power is achieved. Any remaining mixture will burn near the end of the downward travel, on the exhaust stroke or in the manifold resulting in a loss of power. So depending on mixture ratio, octane (higher burns slower and longer) valve timing and myriad other factors each engine needs to be tweaked to find the best compromise. Assume the manufacturer is erring on the side of safety and quality control and you can usually be pretty safe advancing a few degrees.