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Old 12-01-2012, 10:33 AM   #12 (permalink)
California98Civic
Cyborg ECU
 
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
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Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
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90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky View Post
Anyway, without a knock sensor, how would an OBD1 ECU figure out what a safe timing is? What else does it factor in?
I have a 1998 Civic, so I can sympathize with how badly they placed those timing marks. I struggled to get a view for a while. But this really could be the problem, so I'd recommend considering another try. Maybe that mechanic who put the engine in lost patience with the process too and just set timing by what sounded right as he adjusted the distributor? Check other simpler things first, then tangle with those irritating timing marks again. I also think that a couple degrees advance on the timing is no big deal. Just don't get greedy. 2 or 4 degrees won't hurt anything given how easily we drive these engines for efficiency. It'll give you very modestly more torque. When I was doing it, I could see signs of lean, hot burning on my spark plugs. But my engine is off a lot too. And my coolant temps are quite normal.

Good luck!
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See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



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