Advice on a timing light?
 

Do you use a timing light on your Maxima? And if so, what manufacturer and how do you hook it up?

There are lots of inductive timing lights out there, but we can't just clamp onto the spark plug wire.... There must be some that trigger on the Maxima.


:confused:

I just got one from AZ and put the clamp around the #1 cylinder wire, before the coil and it worked fine. According to the fsm, you're supposed to use a plug wire extension, so the timing light is getting a reading after the coil.

Thanks - I just got time to look at the FSM and it shows using an induction proble clamped around the timing loop built into the wiring harness, as well as how to remove the #1 coil and extend it so a clamp-on will work.

That's what I needed...

:D

What in the world do you need one for?

Well - I want the timing light to check changes that Datascan can make in ignition advance and retarding. That program can supposedly do that. I want to see.

I also want to see the actual ignition timing match what the ECU claims it's doing. I have read mentions of changing the positions of cam and crank sensors causing changes in ignition advance - again, I want to see it.

SnapOn makes a really great unit...but it's really expensive!!