Page 12 (Updated 05-Nov-2008)
Click To Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 INDEX
.
.
.
Re-Wiring Ignition
- Current Spark Wiring Technology Fails; Overview
- Building REAL Wires, DIY
- Hi Voltage Issues
- The Cracked Distributor Caps
- The Plugs
.
.
Spark is the soundbite, electrons orchestra is playing, conductor is conducting - or is it?
.
.
Free Service Manual, Free Download.....see FAVORITE LINKS -page 26- FAVORITE LINKS
.
.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overview
.
Why new wiring is needed as you just bought new set ?
Originally, and all aftermarket "wirings" are carbon-fiber wires. Their superior property is radio frequency suppression e.g. less static noise which has some capability of causing electronics problems. Mainly this is problematic with audio equipment. HELLO! ...does audio equipment dictate your power output!!?
How this static suppression is achieved? With choking electron flow, making the "wires" a resistors. This resistor is actually a carbon rubberbag supported with glass fiber threads. Glass fiber is an insulator, as is the rubber tube, so the job to conduct electrons is left to this carbon powder. Brilliant, eh? Use choking resistance to "boost" your spark? Poor electrons, trying to jump from one soot particle to next, on their journey to your spark plugs. Zillions jumps reducing their energy before their actual job is due.
All this happens in hot, vibrating environment, where soot particles drift in one end of the bags, causing wide caps with no conducting dust... No wonder it sputters! And no wonder there's NOT gonna be any change: quote from mindbranch.com report: "...The world ignition wiring sets market is forecast to rise to US$24.8 billion ..." -2004
www.mindbranch.com/products/R241-7360.html
.
.
.
Original Nissan "Wires" Exposed:
In these pics one piece of ORIGINAL NISSAN carbonbag a.k.a. "spark wire" is cut to pieces: carbon dust with glassfibres.
Copper Conducts:
First thing on any of my 'new', used cars so far, has been to change spark resisting wires to copper conductor. This tech is moving to history [as the car manufacturers could not figure this out?]. The problem with the wires [even new ones] and bad combustion, engine sputter was so bad that something had to be done: now all cars come equipped with coils for each spark plug: the wire problem was circumvented and new problem was created: expensive "cracking carrots" [coils] have to be replaced every second year... Well good business!
(The VE30DE coil packs may be rescued via cleaning, insulating lacquer spray, rubber tape layer. Any insulator (paper, rags) may be used to verify e.g. temporarily correct the problem.)
Luckily VG30E has an old solution: use copper conductors to conduct electricity, let others just envy...
The problem is, nobody offers these, you have to build it your self.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DIY Building REAL wires;
steps 1 through 6:
.
.
.
Here is how I wired my plugs with basic 'old' on the shelf items and my old plug caps.
1. I gutted the old wire, took its spark plug connector (1.) and installed it in a new copper high voltage ign wire.
2. I used my old spark cap in this project (2.), it has no problems with electrical leaks as it works only as a support stick.
3. In the other end of my new wire (3.) [use straight type], I stripped half inch off of the wire insulator, installed the threaded 'nut' -endbit of a spare spark plug on the bare copper wires and soldered it in. (solder might be hard to stick, but main thing is to 'plug' this 'nut' bit on place)
4. This prepared wire was installed inside the old plug cap (2.) so that the spark cap 'nut' =connector comes out at the other end (3.)
5. Now this spark plug end connector is easy to snap in the new 1kOhm suppressor (4.). New wire (5.) is screwed in and the old connectors on the other end for the distributor cap installed, soldered. (5kOhm resistors are typical you can get, 1kOhm best but quite difficult to obtain :(
6. Everything is threaded sealed with self vulcanizing rubber tape.
(One can also solder the wires directly to the suppressor, but its too easy to heat damage it)
.
.
Here's the end product: Super quality conductors lasting next ten years, no problems with any interference in my VG30E, radio, electronics or whatever. I bet this is the case with all other cars also, contrary to theories given from car & spare manufacturers 'scientists'.
Total costs are a fraction of new set (bad business) but needs some three hour handiwork.
.
.
.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Voltage Issues :
.
.
.
Weather ... how can it...?
Severe weather changes may cause ambient humid air to condense even under the hood. One way to experiment this is to in wintertime park car overnight outside the garage, next morning drive it inside into the warm carage ... wait half an hour and surprise - NOstart! (SparkParalysis Antidote: 2minute warmup -idle before driving in)
Condensed water dripping down the spark wire, filling the plug well, eventually short circuiting the spark system. I guess this shorting could be one issue behind destroying the coilpacks on VE -engines.
Another weather -related issue is radio interference to TPS - heavy raining, water splashing into the engine compartment: result is no kickdown, as long as it rains.
Regardless of wiring, one solution is to relocate spark wirin on left side of the TB, like in the following pic...
Distr Cap
Distributor cover, cap has to be replaced as general maintenance every 3 years. Inspect the cover for minor cracks with magnifying lens, 'sunshine' bright light. Any crack, and it has to be replaced. One way to get around for a while is to clean it, dry and spray lacquer to fill the cracks (do not spray on conductor parts). Its good to have hi-voltage insulator lacquer, but my experience shows that so called engine lacquer is just as good (=no short circuits).
The environmental disaster
If once upon a time there has been a radiator leak, coolant Glycol has dried in all small cracks in the engine bay. On misty weather, moist from air is sucked into this Glycol particle like a sponge. On wirings, this micro size water droplet -family reunion will give electrons place to escape the shortest route to ground. Definitely its smtg else than your spark plug...
Schematics:
Note that VG30E uses a capacitor, transistor, resistor (near, on front of the distributor) in the ignition. They may also be bad, groundings oxidized. Some of the resistances, capacitance can be measured for functional verification up to a point.
.
.
Ignition is the culmination point how much u get power, how much of the saudi gold is wasted. If one wants more miles per dollar, one invests in that POINT.
How Can I Test?:
I do shut engine down, unplug one spark wire, add a spare plug in the end (this works on coilpacks, too). Then I let it rest on the intake (ground) and then start engine: will result in viewable blue spark between electrodes. If the plug is raised ½ inch and the spark is healthy, it will still fly into intake (gnd).
Dry clothes and gloves must be used. Getting some spark on fingers wont harm me or normal healthy people; but I do keep engine just on idle... Warning: for myriad reasons - dont you do what I told I did . Now u have been warned...
The test above gives a vague idea if the spark circuitry is functional. However, the spark is much smaller under real conditions in normal cylinder pressure.
.
.
.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
.
The Cracked Distributor Caps
My Newly purchased Distibutor Cap already LeaKing??
Lacquering the Cap:
Yesterday had single cylinder misfire on idle... sounds too familiar? Took distr cap off, and viewed it in sunlight: this japanese cap [NON bosch!] had cracks, and only 15k miles on it!... at least I think I saw those micro cracks all over. Thus cleaned the cap, first taped electrodes and sprayed lacquer on both sides as seen in the pic. Now engines purrs again flawlessly.
.
.
.
...Update 30-Jun-06, checkup 8k miles later
One of the cracks has now developed further. As the electrode is still sitting tight, cleanup & new lacquer fill will still solve and hide this wider crack. Click on the pic to enlarge: note how the lacquer is working well even around this crack, NO blk traces of sparks shorting/escaping can be detected. Right hand pic from 'another story': "nice, clean, working" Nissant Hitachi cap at 90k.
.
.
Toyota Celica 4WD turbo distr cap, same problems...
.
The cap electrodes always accumulate oxidation cake; this kind of thick "oxy-Resistor" will significantly degrade the spark, mpg&pwr. Scrape the electrodes free/shiny with a screwdriver, clean the dirt, then shield electrode tip rotator sides and spray lacquer onto the cleaned cap inner surface. (The white oxidation stuff will corrode/eat into materials it gets contact with, take care.)
.
This did not seem to cause any problems (!?), just found out and cleaned: coil wire terminal...
Note1: Do all scraping carefully AND before spraying lacquer: all scratches will be future conductive 'dirt/dust collection channels' eg. short circuit paths. The hi-voltage sparks 'want' to go anywhere having a trace of conduction, 'seeking' any possibility to jump directly to gnd -NOT- 'wanting to do that jump' in spark plug gap, inside pressurized cylinder.
Note2: pressurized air hinders spark; testing/viewing a plug to spark is no proof that the plug works at all under 10kp/cm3 cylinder pressure.
Contact Grease:
The center brush (from/to rotator) can be greased to maximize spark distribution - not on the electodes... See contact Grease on bottom of page 14 . Also fill/grease liberally the wire connector terminals. (There are also some contact spray products which I dont recommed here -if- they remain "wet" and have dirt/dust collecting effect.)
.
Confirmation - Emission Test Results:
All this means that the engine is now purring clean like V12, see also page 9: Local Emission Inspection results Jan/06, at 85k miles. See the almost zero readings: my car is almost an air cleaner!
[allowed maximum Emission acceptance limit at right, in brackets]
.
-------- 2488rpm --------
CO: 0,00% ------ [0,30%]
O2: 0,01% ------ [5,00%]
HC: 0006ppm - [0100ppm]
.
-------- 0926rpm: --------
CO: 0,00% ------ [0,30%]
O2: 0,02% ------ [5,00%]
HC: 0004ppm - [0100ppm]
.
As u can see, tuneup 'pays'. Also driving on low gear 4000rpm for 5-8 miles, time to time, keeps engine clean:
Resources:
.
.
Want to learn how electronic ignition works? One source:
http://www.picotech.com/auto/waveforms.html
.
.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Spark Plugs
Plugs are not 'just plugs'
I put in NGK PFR5C-11 2271 Laser Platinum plugs . So far works great, hopefully last as long as promised, then they are cheap (here 120$) and save in replacement work. But if some problems arise, do not expect NGK to listen to your problems... NGK customer service = absolut black hole. Standard plugs are recommended to be changed every 10k miles, thats why I bought platinum (60k is promised). If works as promised, platinum will come out ½ cheaper, 6x LESS work. Soot buildup is possible as change time is 60k, but only a WD-40 -class problem I suppose.
.
Std plugs really start idle sputter at 10k. Even 5k used plug pressure tests show wear and reduced spark - under cylinder pressure.
Plugs Expose your Engine health:
- Take out your old plugs -replace-
- Diagnose engine condition: Compare the oldies to www.ngk.com -site plug problems troubleshoot chart... (see: sparkplug411 /Plug problems)
- Note: std plugs lasts 5-8kmiles. Platinum etc 10x...
- seek the net for "spark plug indexing" for pages like http://www.dodgeram.info/Engine-Gas/SparkPlugs/s_plug%20_indexing.htm
Basically indexing is adjusting /rotatin plug electrode direction, using shims, the opening towards intake airstream. See how the bosch4 has an positive (?) edge: whatever u turn it, the electrode(s) always hide the spark... hmm quite an achievement.
.
What not to buy:
Whatever u buy, never buy bosch (*bosch*, the last sound...)
.
Below a NGK compared to std fouled four tip Bosch [no way for 'indexing']. This from 4cyl GM Opel consuming almost double gas with these unbeliavably 3k driven poor plugs. I got this vehicle as it was abandoned by previous owner and barely starting: just installed new NGK plugs, all ok...
My bro was once stranded on the hway, had to swap the new bosch set he had just installed back to old champions as his 4cyl engine DIED ... in -20C weather he was lucky to get his Fiat home. etc etc. This happened some 30 yrs ago - and continues like a Rover...
(British Rover was famous of their failing fuel pumps in the 50's. Their 'solution': two pumps switchable on the run with a dasboard selection switch. And you know what happened durin 1995 -model Rover test drive? Fuel pump failed... dear Lucas, cant you ever stop? Could some Bosch assistance help?)
Note that 'any bosch plugs' will definitely cause stuttering engine; NGK even with their poor nonexistent customer service is currently among the best. (Note1: pls read one opposing opinion from my guestbook, first guy I ever hear praisin bosch plugs. Note2: these plugs I speak of, are non platinum, from EU market 1970's to 2006)
.
.
Std 5k NGK Left, Std 3k Bosch at right:
.
Let the authentic 3k -driven bosch plug pics speak for itself:
Quote from automotiveforums.com 14-May-08: "Well I wasn't sure if it was the spark plugs, so i decided to buy Denso Iridium Long Life Spark Plugs, and replaced it, the car started just fine, changed it back to the Bosch Platinum +4 Spark Plugs and it went back to the way it use to be. Wasn't sure what brand of spark plugs to buy, but from what I saw on forums, Bosch sucked? And my case seemed to prove it."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct."; Solomon
.
.
.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click To Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 INDEX
