On my 88 GT, I just advanced my base timing from 6 to 12 degrees. The car feels waaay faster. First gear is all smoke and rubber now! I have two questions regarding what I just did:

1. How much HP/TQ have I just gained
2. How will the advance affect my fuel mpg.

Thanks.

 

Congratulations! lol, 6 degrees is two degrees below factory timing so I bet that thing felt like a dog. I advanced mine from 8 degrees to 13 degrees and felt a hell of a difference! I know that 5.0 mustangs and fast fords (I never get the name of that magazine right) removed the air silencer and advanced the timing to 13 degrees on a completely stock 5.0 and gained like 20 h.p., it really doesn't surprise me. Your fuel mileage will go up and I'm really not sure of how much power you gained.

 

Well damn...how would I go about changing my timing??? Where do I look to change it? Will it tell me what it's at right now? Hard to adjust the timing at all???

 

Thanks for the reply, 91. Now I'm getting greedy, and thinking about 13 or 14 degrees. No, I'll leave it where it is--at least until I see how it acts on a hot day. At any rate, where is this air silencer I've been hearing about? If my car has a K&N and no airbox, do I still have the air silencer on my car? Thanks again.

 

5.0fox, just aim a timing light at the...by the way, what pulley is that anyway? First, disconnect the in-line spout connector from the wiring leading to the distributor. Then hit that lower pully with a timing light, (with the timing light sensor on the #1 spark plug wire). You will see, in strobe light effect, what your timing is set at on that lower pulley. To change the timing, simply loosen your distributor retaining bolt (easy once you find the right wrench/socket), and turn the whole distributor clockwise for more advance. Tighten the retaining bolt, and you're done. It was well worth the 15 mins it took to do it. Can't wait to drive it again tomorrow, and see if the car is still fast

 

umm im a newb how do you change the timeing?

 

and where would you get this 'timing light' eh???

 

Hey guys, here's a few things that might help you out. Base timing on 5.0's is 10 degrees not 8. Advancing your timing like this is the same thing as adding a computer chip except it's free. If you are going to advance your timing past 12 or 13, it's a good idea to run higher octane gas. I've seen people on here running as much as 16 degrees base with 93 octane and no problems. Twisted, that pulley you are talking about is called the harmonic balancer. The easiest way to get your timing where you want it is to clean the balancer so the the marks are clearly visible and then make a mark on the spot you want the timing set at i.e. the 12, 13, 14 dash marks using chalk or white out or even some rolaids or tums if you don't have the other stuff. when you point the light at the balancer your mark will be easy to see and you just have to line up your mark with the pointer on the balancer and tighten the distributor hold down again. Make sure you have removed the spout connecter before adjusting the timing and replace it when you are done. Don't forget when advancing timing that you want to use the BTDC marks and not the ATDC marks. Twisted, if you have an open element K&N the your silencer is probably long gone. The stock location for them is inside the passenger fenderwell at the front where the K&N is probably sitting right now. 5.0 Foxbody, you can get a timing light at Sears or auto store or borrow one from a neighbor who might have one. Well that's all for now I guess. Hope some of this helped.

 

Thanks for the info, Fastfox. One question just occured to me: Short of pinging, is there any reason why a person would not want to advance their timing? Are there any negatives to my going from 6-12 degrees? Thanks.

 

Not too many really. You are picking up a little power and at the same time altering your power band a bit so that you have more low end torque. If you were at 6 and went to 8 you would notice it running better, but it technically should be set at 10 and any adjustments should be made from there, so I'd at least put it at 10. Retarding the timing can produce better readouts on an emissions test which is why a lot of people retard it for the test and then bump it back up to 12 or more when they are finished. and I don't really know how fuel mileage would be affected. I would think it might be a little worse, but really wouldn't change much, other than you'll be hitting the gas more in order to enjoy the newfound power. Anyone else want to chime in on that one?