A lot of you guys helped me out in adjusting my timing a while back. However I have a question now. I noticed after changing it, the past 2 tanks I have gotten 12.5 mpg in town at 14 degrees advanced. Before I changed it, I was at about 20 degrees advanced and the truck was not as responsive but it got about 14 to 15 mpg driving in town again.

My question is this, The Loudest Silence asked in a thread if his truck was suppose to have a lot of advance at idle with the spout connected, and someone told him that was normal. My trucks timing does not change at idle regardless of whether the spout is in or unplugged. Does this mean my truck is not self advancing itself? I was thinking that maybe that's why the previous owner had the timing jacked up to 20 degrees advanced in the first place. What do you guys think?

 

With the spout out, the timing curve follows RPM. 20BTDC base time is pretty jacked up! If your engine is at Idle at normal operating temp., and you pull the spout plug out, your Idle should drop a little because the EEC advance drops out. If your Idle dosen't drop, check to see if you have the plug in the right direction, it only seats and completes the EEC loop one way.

 

Yea the plug was def in the right way. So if it follows rpm, the idle timing should stay about the same? It may change a little, but not noticeably. I havent pulled the spout plug with the truck running. I shut it off whenever I plugged or unplugged it so I dont know if it drops the idle. I didn't know if messing with it with the truck running would whack anything out.

 

It was actually in your thread that I asked that question..

According to dr. bowtie the truck should be at full advance at idle with the SPOUT connected.. and retard as you increase RPMs.. If your trucks not advanced any with the SPOUT then somthing may be wrong i would assume...

ill try to go find his exact post as i cant remember exactly what was said..

 

Maybe your SPOUT itself is bad or somthing? As far as i know its just a fuse type plug to jump the two wires? maybe its just not making cantact anymore?

 

nope...I have timed several trucks and cars and all ECMs are set up the same way...

with the SPOUT making contact the timing should jump up over base even sitting at idle...mine sits at 28 degrees sitting idle...others are around there or a little less..

if your timing isnt changing with the spout connected something isnt right....maybe the module is bad or the advance part of the ECM is fried...try reving teh throttle and watch teh mark...

when I give mine gas it drops and when I let off it shoot right back up...the timing should vary with load....it gets that signal from teh MAP sensor....


EDIT check the connectors on the dizzy...may not be getting good contact...thats why you mileage is down...you arent seeing full advance on the highway...it should hit 30-32 then...

 

I always recheck the timing after I'm done, both with the spout in and with it out. In or out it has always been almost exactly the same as I just set it to, with all the vehicles I remember doing it to. The timing is advanced with increases in RPMs because the pistons are moving so fast the spark has to come earlier to fire when the piston is at the top.

If the spout isn't working there will be a spout code stored in the computer.

 

I don't have a code for it in the computer. The plug is in correctly, but I have a power steering leak and the plug was saturated. I cleaned it as good as I could and moved it so it wouldnt get wet anymore.

When I get home this afternoon I will check the timing while increasing rpm's. I did this yesterday but I can't remember what it did. All connections look tight, and I don't have any other problems so I don't think the computer is bad. What module are you saying might be bad? The ignition control module?

 

Sean and Dr. Bowtie are telling me basically the exact opposite. haha I've tried hunting for info on google but so far I'm empty handed.

 

I'm going to throw some stuff on here, can you guys verify this as being true?....
http://allfordmustangs.com/forums/5-...ctor-help.html

that thread says without the egr the ecm no longer adjusts timing. Is that right? Because my egr is blocked off with a plate.

This article says to check that engine is adjusting its timing you should run the truck and increase rpms. The timing should advance when rpms increase. Here's that article....

http://books.google.com/books?id=V6K...age&q=&f=false

This thread also says timing advances with rpms with spout in, but with spout out it shouldn't change with rpms correct?

http://www.fordforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=48784


I think thats enough random links for now. Can anybody verify that stuff? If that is all true I guess the way to check it is to see if I get advance with rpm increase with spout in, and also to see if the timing stays constant with rpm increase with spout out. If those both test good I'm ok, and if I don't get those results its either the computer or tfi module.... right? haha