Ignition Timing Advice

I assume your truck is gasoline powered?

if you keep it advanced for too long you may run the risk of burning out the spark plugs and pistons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_timing

I would say pinking is likely caused by the early ignition. This may not be audible and is the detonation of the last vestiges of the combustion gas. Please note that proper combustion of fuel in an engine is a controlled affair and not an explosion as many people seem to think. When you do have an explosion (pinking/detonation) the pressure rise in the engine is very rapid, this is noisy and can damage bearings, as well as being quite turbulent which can result in rapid heat transfer to the head and more importantly the piston. It is one way to burn a hole in a piston so be careful.

If the engine timing is properly set, you would have no gain in power or efficiency by advancing the timing permanently. There is a reason for the temperature switch.

Pinging or as it used to be known, knocking, is caused when the air/fuel mixture ignites from some other source than the ignition spark. It is more accurately pre-ignition.

It used to be very common if you did a lot of slow and short cold engine driving you would take the car out on the highway and "blow the carbon out". These were actually carbon deposits on the pistons and head. They would get hot and act just like a diesel glow plug.

You also could get it by running low octane fuel in a high compression engine and if left to go very long could destroy an engine in a matter of minutes.

A side note, all so called explosions are really only very rapid burning. When you look into the specs on explosive they will list flame travel.

Rich Hurd

Dreams are windows of the future.

My technology in this area is a little old - think 1985, and I could be wrong however, back then as I recall, the ignition timing was retarded during warm-up along with a richer mixture and consequently a slower flame burn.

The above aside, some phenomena that will be constant. Maximum fuel economy is likely to be near the most advanced igition setting that is sensible - and that means short of causing engine "ping" or pre-ignition. This is dangerous if sustained and or happens in other than a minor way because it will burn valves and pistons.

Ignoring all the above, it will be case that the manufacturers setting will be optimum for fuel economy and drive-ability - unless you've changed something else.

perhaps the following will help:

http://tiny.cc/nqw38

Bob

Yes, absolutely its a cold starting device and it will decrease fuel economy when kept ON continuously.