A couple weeks ago I made the run from Portland to Springfield and back without an issue. Previously, I had been carbon fouling plugs while trying to get the carbs dialed in. Nothing like a 220 mile round trip drive to clear out the engine, right?
Upon my return I started rethinking about my decision to locate the coil pack in the area underneath the package tray and above the transmission. In the event a wire came loose or other catastrophe were to happen - it would be difficult to get to the coil since it pretty much require you to wrap your arms around the transmission to reach the wires.
So my plan was to move the coil pack into the package tray area and run the spark plug wires through the bottom of the package tray and out the holes I had already drilled in the firewall. That's what I did.... the existing coil pack was relocated to the package tray and the stock VW plug wires (modified to connect to the coil pack) were routed through the bottom and into the engine compartment.
When I attempted to start the car for the first time - the wires were not connected to the correct plugs. A couple nasty clanging sounds came from the engine as it attempted to start. I move the cable to their correct locations and started it up.
Once started I started to notice a popping sound from the engine. I couldn't tell if it was coming from the carbs or not. No flames. When I revved the engine - it seemed a bit flat. A drive around the block confirmed that the motor was popping and running like it had a massive flat spot.
A bit of troubleshooting took place and I decided to replace the coil pack and wires. I ordered an OEM replacement coil pack from MSD and some Bosch wires for a mid-90's Crown Vic. While I was waiting for the parts to arrive - I obtained some vinyl tubing for the plug wires to run through (4 separate conduits) as they passed from the package tray area to the engine compartment.
They arrived yesterday and I installed them. The coil pack went in without issue. The wires were more of a challenge. My intention was to install the screw-on VW plug ends onto the new plug wires. These wires are a bit larger than the stock VW ones so getting them to attach was a challenge. I did manage to get the screw-on ends attached and took it for a drive.
It was still popping and flat. I was getting spark to all plugs (checked with timing light), but something was lagging.
I decided to put the Ford plug ends back on the wires. A bit of creative reassembly and I had them wired back up. Again I took it for a drive. Still popping and flat.
This morning I had a hunch that maybe the coil pack was getting a bad ground. SO I ran a new ground wire from the coil pack to the ignition control panel. No improvement.
This afternoon I presented my issue to a fellow club member for his thoughts. He suggested was I was already thinking about doing - adjust the valves and check the plug gap. Mark suggested adjusting the plug gap to the Ford Escort gap... which happens to be .054 instead of .026. Which I did.... I checked/adjusted the valves and set them to a bit tighter than .006, but no tighter than .004.
Again I took it for a drive. There was still some popping sounds (which may be coming from the carbs) and it was a little better with regards to the flatness, but it still felt like I was pulling a trailer. Something is not right.
Final piece of data....
--- 10 degrees advance ---
I put a timing light on the motor and all I get is 10 degrees advance. Either the MegaJolt or EDIS controller is having problems. When I put the timing light on it and rev it up - no advance. However - the computer (connected to the MegaJolt module) says that 30 degrees advance is being applied. Now I know that by default the EDIS controller will run at 10 degrees advance in a "limp home" state. So that must mean the signal from the MegaJolt to the EDIS is not making it OR the EDIS module is not processing the signal anymore. Maybe it is a grounding issue? I'm going to walk through all my ground points in the back (and check the ground strap) to see if there is a problem there.
Any other suggestions?
VW - no advance even though the software indicates 30
Moderators: JeffC, rdoherty, stieg, brentp
If you're seeing the RPMs in the configuration software then a likely culprit is the SAW connection back to the EDIS module. And yes, checking ground is important. You want to employ a 'star' grounding pattern, where every ground connection goes back to the same point. especially the Megajolt + EDIS.
Keep us posted!
Keep us posted!