Nissan Repair: 1997 Nissan Pickup check engine light, smog test, nissan pickup

Question
My check engine light has been on ever since I bought my truck a year ago. I was told that it was no big deal and that it would go off after routine maintenance, so I never really worried about it. It just failed a smog test. The man at the test center referred me to another place that informed me that it would automatically fail if the check engine light is on. The printout that I was given at the test center says that I passed visual and emission test but I failed the functional test. I failed on "Ignition timing: 15 BTDC" and "MIL". The fault codes it gives me is "P0110: 1AT CKT Malfunction". I have no idea what any of this means. The guy I went to after the test said he would need to do a diagnostic test to figure it out. Given all of this information, is there any way to know whats wrong or will I have to wait for the diagnostic test? I don't really know a lot about cars and I just want to know a little about what's wrong so that I can avoid any unnecessary charges with a mechanic. If you know anything about any of this, I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

Answer
your best option at this time is take it to a qualified REPUTABLE mechanic to take care of this for you.  it sounds like you have a timing issue and theres really nothing you can do at this time.  do your local homework and take it to the best shop.  sometimes its worth it to spend a little more on labor fees.  good luck with this.