I have a 99 Altima with 49,000 miles. I just got the smog done on it, it
> passed the emissions part but it failed the "functional" part because the
> Ignition Timing is off. It says Ignition Timing 12 BTDC. Is this serious?
> Hard / Expensive to fix? What can cause this? Is this damaging my engine?
> Now, I have to get this fixed and do a retest for $40. The jerks knew there
> was a problem w/ the timing before they did the smog but went w/ the test
> anyways :(.
>
> thanks
>
>
It is very easy to fix and shouldn't cost much, free at some places if you get the test there.
Be aware that if your readings just barely passed you might fail after the adjustment. Also be aware that there is a tolerance on the 12 degrees, perhaps as much as +/- 3 degrees. If you do fail you can push the timing back to the limit.