Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:23:26 -0700
Reply-To: Old Volks Home <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Old Volks Home <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Definitive test for Hall > ECU?
In-Reply-To: <4727458C.4000802@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
For the past 10 years I have always run my timing on my 84 Automatic Westy
at 0 (TDC) - runs smoother, best powerband transition and have no problem
passing California smog at this setting.
Why not 5 degrees ATDC? The 1.9 Distributor with the high mileage (180K on
mine) on them tends to be a bit "worn" with tired advance springs/weights in
the mechanical action and placing the timing at 0 in most instances
(sometimes even up to 5 BTDC) compensates for the wear. Remember - the
specs shown in Bentley and on my website are for brand new and low mileage
distributors with fairly low to medium mileage engines for optimum
performance.
I'm not sure if I would go as far as 10 degrees BTDC - yer living pretty
darn close to the edge of pinging/detonation, these things run lean enough
as it is. My rule of thumb is that if you have you time it that high, it's
time to replace or rebuild the distributor with new springs, weights, etc.
10 half turns (actually is 5 full turns) from the bottoming out of the
Throttle Bypass Screw is a bit high. Generally 3 full turns is the norm (it
is on mine) and when I upgraded to Boston Bob's Euro-Digijet 2.1 ECU earlier
this year I had to re-set clockwise about 3 half turns ( 1 1/2 full
turns) in to bring the idle down (it went up). Checked the timing, but that
didn't need resetting. Haven't had to mess with it since.
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
***********************************
On 10/30/07, Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Ken. You're not the first to suggest that while 5* ATDC can make
> passing emissions easier -- and in California that's always a
> consideration -- better performance is available closer to, or past, TDC.
> I do a lot of mountain driving and don't want to ping the engine to death
> so I might not enter deeply into BTDC territory.
>
> I am curious to see how getting closer to TDC affects the throttle bypass
> screw adjustment. If 10 half-turns CCW from fully in is, as everyone says,
> an unusually large amount to be needed in order to get the engine to idle
> with the idle stabilizer bypassed, then something is fishy.
>
> But as Jim Thompson offered yesterday, I tend to get obsessive about these
> things, about poking too deeply into the corners where my ignorance is
> darkest and chasing my tail. That's two metaphors, mixed, I think.
>
> W/r/t the other things you suggested I might consider, my cylinders test
> at 155, 155, 155, 135 and the manifold tests at 11'' Hg, which appears to
> be the standard idle vacuum per Bentley's (inferred, see my top-rated blog
> at http://camping.elliott.googlepages.com/poormileage). Others have posted
> more inches of vacuum as being standard but I'm satisfied that 11'' is
> pretty good. But thanks for mentioning them.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>
>
>
> On 10/30/2007 4:21 AM Ken Wilford wrote:
>
> > Mike, I usually set mine for 5-10 degrees BTDC. The 2.1l Vanagons were
> > spec at 7 deg BTDC (if memory serves). The retarded timing setting for
> > the 1.9l Vanagon is (I believe) a compromise for emissions testing.
> > However I have set mine at 10 BTDC with much better driveability, power,
> > etc. Never had any problems with pinging, or even getting through
> > emissions tests (strict here in NJ).
> > If you do this your idle should come up to where it should be without
> > turning the screw to oblivion.
> > Also you might want to check your valve adjustment. If the valves
> > adjustment is too tight this can cause low manifold pressure (vacuum)
> > and idling problems. A compression test would help in this area.
> >
> > Hope this helps,
> > Ken Wilford
> > John 3:16
> > www.vanagain.com
> >
> >
> > Michael Elliott wrote:
> >> Hm. I already did all that. Had a friend check my timing, too.
> >>
> >> Bentley's says 5 degrees ATDC for the 1.9l (p. 24.18). Is there a
> >> reason I
> >> should be doing 10 degrees?
> >>
> >> --
> >> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> >> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> >> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> >> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> >> KG6RCR
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 10/29/2007 9:30 PM Geza Polony wrote:
> >>
> >>> 10 full turns is way way way off the mark. This is an indication of a
> >>> problem. The first thing I'd check is the ignition timing. Free, too.
> >>>
> >>> Start by setting the timing, with the idle stabilizer bypassed, to
> >>> 10* ATDC,
> >>> hoses attached, 950 rpm. You should be able to get it to run fine
> >>> with the
> >>> idle stabilizer out. Then reattach.
| 
