Re: [T3] Ignition alternatives

["Keith Park" <topnotch@nycap.rr.com>]

<x-charset iso-8859-1>Some day I ve got to set my timing advanced or buy cheap gas and get out a
camcorder and record my car detonating on the highway at 70... I still say
its a righer RPM problem

Keith

----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>
To: <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 9:52 AM
Subject: Re: [T3] Ignition alternatives


> On 6 Nov 2001, at 23:06, Hal Sullivan wrote:
>
> > At 07:32 PM 11/5/01 -0500, Keith Park wrote:
>
> > >the only thing Ill add is if your driving a Square remove the engine
cover
> > >and run the highway hills on a hot day and Youll hear detonation if
there is
> >
> > The next hot day I get around here is probably going to be months
> > away.  It's finally getting cold around here, relatively speaking.  It
was
> > 43F this morning!  What can I say, I live in Northern California.
Anyway,
> > I'm still running it hard, listening and checking.  I had to advance the
> > distributor a little, it wasn't idling very well when cold, but the
total
> > advance is still under 32 degrees.  I've got to visit a friend who lives
on
> > top of a mountain tomorrow, which should really be a shakedown.
>
> Detonation/knock is a low RPM phenomenon, mainly because that's when
> you can really get a full load of air into the cylinder. In other words,
cool
> weather will actually make knock worse because of the higher air density.
> Going up in altitude is more likely to make it go away.
>
> OTOH, if it's there, you'll hear it right away, as you start the hill
climb from
> sea level.
>
> Remember, knock is a wide-open-throttle, low RPM thing that sounds like
> someone slowly dropping a handful of small ball bearings into a steel
waste
> basket. It is more of a "tinkling" sound than a "knock," but don't let
that
> convince you that it is harmless. My 68 used to do this, back when I
didn't
> know what it was. I wasted years looking for the loose screw that was
> making that "rattle." Over the years I fixed lots of loose screws, but
nothing
> changed that sound. It all went away when I rebuilt the engine and reduced
> the compression ratio. Only later did I learn what knock was and
> remembered that WOT low RPM tinkling sound that I used to have.
>
> -
> Jim Adney
> jadney@vwtype3.org
> Madison, WI 53711-3054
> USA
>
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