One of these threads got me second guessing,
Is the base timing really 0deg. BTDC or is it 6?
haynes says like 10deg... and thats what its running right now,
also what can spark knock do to an engine?

 

Yes, it's really 0*

Most people can bump it up to 6* BTDC with no problems and no knock.

Your 86 LG-4 is equipped with a knock sensor (earlier ones weren't) so even if you go too far you won't get audible knock becuase the sensor will hear it and the timing will be pulled back before your ears hear it.

However, it's best not to over-advance the timing even with the knock sensor there to catch you. When the knock sensor hears detonation the computer really pulls out a lot of timing- more than is really necessary- and performance overall will be worse than before.

I personally have seen stock 1986 LG-4s run as much as 8-10* BTDC with no indicated knock from the knock sensor, but that will vary by motor. 6* BTDC is almost always a safe bet.

 

When I tried 6 degrees when my LG4 was stock, I had to use midgrade to stop the pinging. Turns out the EGR passages were plugged, and when I put the ZZ manifold on, I could then run the advanced base timing and regular gas.

With my current mods, I'm running 10 degrees base on regular gas with narry a ping.

 

I set the base timing to 6* , what would you say the total advance should be?

 

Some years it was 0* and some years it was 6*... mine stock was 6*