diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/action_view/instance_tag.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness/action_view/instance_tag.rb
index 9201d48..4a96d63 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness/action_view/instance_tag.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/action_view/instance_tag.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# TODO remove this from the plugin for v3.
 module ValidatesTimeliness
 
   def self.enable_datetime_select_invalid_value_extension!
@@ -6,13 +7,10 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
 
   module ActionView
 
-    # Intercepts the date and time select helpers to allow the
-    # attribute value before type cast to be used as in the select helpers.
-    # This means that an invalid date or time will be redisplayed rather than the
-    # type cast value which would be nil if invalid.
-    #
-    # Its a minor user experience improvement to be able to see original value
-    # entered to aid correction.
+    # Intercepts the date and time select helpers to reuse the values from the
+    # the params rather than the parsed value. This allows invalid date/time
+    # values to be redisplayed instead of blanks to aid correction by the user.
+    # Its a minor usability improvement which is rarely an issue for the user.
     #
     module InstanceTag
 
@@ -33,19 +31,19 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
       end
 
       def value_with_timeliness(object)
-        return value_without_timeliness(object) unless @timeliness_date_or_time_tag
-
-        raw_value = value_before_type_cast(object)
-
-        if raw_value.nil? || raw_value.acts_like?(:time) || raw_value.is_a?(Date)
+        unless @timeliness_date_or_time_tag && @template_object.params[@object_name]
           return value_without_timeliness(object)
         end
 
-        date, time = raw_value.split(' ')
-        date_array = date.split('-')
-        time_array = time.split(':')
+        pairs = @template_object.params[@object_name].select {|k,v| k =~ /^#{@method_name}\(/ }
+        return value_without_timeliness(object) if pairs.empty?
 
-        TimelinessDateTime.new(*(date_array + time_array).map {|v| v.blank? ? nil : v.to_i})
+        values = pairs.map do |(param, value)|
+          position = param.scan(/\(([0-9]*).*\)/).first.first
+          [position, value]
+        end.sort {|a,b| a[0] <=> b[0] }.map {|v| v[1] }
+
+        TimelinessDateTime.new(*values)
       end
 
     end
diff --git a/spec/action_view/instance_tag_spec.rb b/spec/action_view/instance_tag_spec.rb
index 33ddaa5..536ecf9 100644
--- a/spec/action_view/instance_tag_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/action_view/instance_tag_spec.rb
@@ -8,73 +8,186 @@ describe 'ValidatesTimeliness::ActionView::InstanceTag' do
     @person = Person.new
   end
 
-  it "should display invalid datetime as datetime_select values" do
-    @person.birth_date_and_time = "2008-02-30 12:00:22"
-    output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+  def params
+    @params ||= {}
+  end
 
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', '2008')
+  describe "datetime_select" do
+    it "should use param values when attribute is nil" do
+      params["person"] = {
+        "birth_date_and_time(1i)" => 2009,
+        "birth_date_and_time(2i)" => 2,
+        "birth_date_and_time(3i)" => 29,
+        "birth_date_and_time(4i)" => 12,
+        "birth_date_and_time(5i)" => 13,
+        "birth_date_and_time(6i)" => 14,
+      }
+      @person.birth_date_and_time = nil
+      output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'February')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i] option[selected=selected]', '29')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '12')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', 'February')
+
+    it "should override object values and use params if present" do
+      params["person"] = {
+        "birth_date_and_time(1i)" => 2009,
+        "birth_date_and_time(2i)" => 2,
+        "birth_date_and_time(3i)" => 29,
+        "birth_date_and_time(4i)" => 13,
+        "birth_date_and_time(5i)" => 14,
+        "birth_date_and_time(6i)" => 15,
+      }
+      @person.birth_date_and_time = "2009-03-01 13:14:15"
+      output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'February')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i] option[selected=selected]', '29')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '15')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', '30')
+
+    it "should select attribute values from object if no params" do
+      @person.birth_date_and_time = "2009-01-02 13:14:15"
+      output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'January')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i] option[selected=selected]', '2')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '15')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', '12')
+
+    it "should select attribute values if params does not contain attribute params" do
+      @person.birth_date_and_time = "2009-01-02 13:14:15"
+      params["person"] = { }
+      output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'January')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i] option[selected=selected]', '2')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '15')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', '00')
-    end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]', '22')
+
+    it "should not select values when attribute value is nil and has no param values" do
+      @person.birth_date_and_time = nil
+      output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i] option[selected=selected]')
     end
   end
 
-  it "should not set values in datetime_select when datetime value is nil" do
-    @person.birth_date_and_time = nil
-    output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+  describe "date_select" do
+    it "should use param values when attribute is nil" do
+      params["person"] = {
+        "birth_date(1i)" => 2009,
+        "birth_date(2i)" => 2,
+        "birth_date(3i)" => 29,
+      }
+      @person.birth_date = nil
+      output = date_select(:person, :birth_date, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'February')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_3i] option[selected=selected]', '29')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should override object values and use params if present" do
+      params["person"] = {
+        "birth_date(1i)" => 2009,
+        "birth_date(2i)" => 2,
+        "birth_date(3i)" => 29,
+      }
+      @person.birth_date = "2009-03-01"
+      output = date_select(:person, :birth_date, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'February')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_3i] option[selected=selected]', '29')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should select attribute values from object if no params" do
+      @person.birth_date = "2009-01-02"
+      output = date_select(:person, :birth_date, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'January')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_3i] option[selected=selected]', '2')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should select attribute values if params does not contain attribute params" do
+      @person.birth_date = "2009-01-02"
+      params["person"] = { }
+      output = date_select(:person, :birth_date, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_1i] option[selected=selected]', '2009')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_2i] option[selected=selected]', 'January')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_3i] option[selected=selected]', '2')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
-    end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should not select values when attribute value is nil and has no param values" do
+      @person.birth_date = nil
+      output = date_select(:person, :birth_date, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_1i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_2i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_3i] option[selected=selected]')
     end
   end
 
-  it "should not set value in datetime_select where datetime string has empty value" do
-    @person.birth_date_and_time = '2000-- ::'
-    output = datetime_select(:person, :birth_date_and_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_1i]') do
-      with_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+  describe "time_select" do
+    before :all do
+      Time.now = Time.mktime(2009,1,1)
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_2i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should use param values when attribute is nil" do
+      params["person"] = {
+        "birth_time(1i)" => 2000,
+        "birth_time(2i)" => 1,
+        "birth_time(3i)" => 1,
+        "birth_time(4i)" => 12,
+        "birth_time(5i)" => 13,
+        "birth_time(6i)" => 14,
+      }
+      @person.birth_time = nil
+      output = time_select(:person, :birth_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_1i][value=2000]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_2i][value=1]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_3i][value=1]')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '12')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_3i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should select attribute values from object if no params" do
+      @person.birth_time = "13:14:15"
+      output = time_select(:person, :birth_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_1i][value=2000]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_2i][value=1]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_3i][value=1]')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_4i] option[selected=selected]', '13')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_5i] option[selected=selected]', '14')
+      output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_6i] option[selected=selected]', '15')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_4i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    it "should not select values when attribute value is nil and has no param values" do
+      @person.birth_time = nil
+      output = time_select(:person, :birth_time, :include_blank => true, :include_seconds => true)
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_1i][value=""]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_2i][value=""]')
+      output.should have_tag('input[id=person_birth_time_3i][value=""]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_4i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_5i] option[selected=selected]')
+      output.should_not have_tag('select[id=person_birth_time_6i] option[selected=selected]')
     end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_5i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
-    end
-    output.should have_tag('select[id=person_birth_date_and_time_6i]') do
-      without_tag('option[selected=selected]')
+
+    after :all do
+      Time.now = nil
     end
   end
+
 end