KitCarlson, still fighting... Options

[McMark]

I'm still struggling to get my KitCarlson EMS running smoothly. It's a challenge when you're tuning FI and Ignition.

I read some threads on ShopTalk Forums where Jake recommends 12 degrees initial advance and 28 degrees full advance, all in at 3000 rpms.

So I dialed the ignition controls in to these figures. Checked the setting with a timing light and what's showing on the EMS monitor seems to match what's showing with the adjustable timing light. This is a wasted spark system and I've been ambiguously warned that a standard timing light "won't work" with a wasted spark system. This doesn't make sense to me though.

The first issue I need to deal with is that the car won't rev above 4000 rpms. When I first started setting this up I had the same issue and adding in advance cured the issue. I trust Jakes recommendation and so I'm looking for other sources of this issue.



Currently my logic tells me that if the system is too rich above 4000 rpms it would respond to more advance. Spark earlier gives the rich mixture more time to burn. I'll be playing around with this idea tomorrow, but I'd like to hear what'cha got to say.

[Jake Raby]

Mark,
The issue with Dave's system and ignition is that you may say 12 degrees on the screen, but thats only if the dizzy was installed at true TDC.

Dave had a special timing light that he had made for this that hooked into the ECU and allowed the setting to be 100% dialed in so 12 degrees really was 12.

My settings with the Kit Carlson actually were 14 degrees at idle at 1K RPM then the values went up progressively to a max of 32 degrees at 3400 RPM then I pulled timing away to 28 up to 4500 then it descended to 24 degrees above 5200 RPM.

The numbers of mine that you are going from were with engines that had a dizzy and did not allow the curve to be manipulated so precisely. I had to run 14 degrees at idle because the cam in my 912 engine was not FI plenum happy and lacked some vacuum signal below 1200 RPM so I found it necessary to give it some extra advance and lean out the low speed MAP to get it idling good.

Dave made me send my systems back to him, he didn't ask for yours back??

Basically, use the curve of settings that I mentioned but your values may be different because the engine is different than mine and you may not be at true TDC with the install of your dizzy- Give it what it wants.