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Lightspeed Ignition Problem

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n1cxo320(at)salidaco.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:24 pm Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

I have been using two Lightspeed Engineering  Hall-effect electronic ignition systems on my O-320 160HP engine in my RV6A for  some time now, all trouble free.

  

 BUT, today upon returning from a nearby flyin  breakfast the plane was really "making knots" and was making about 180  TAS  and 171 GPS ground speed at 2,350-RPM, with a fuel burn of 6.7 GPH. So I was  happy.

  

 On shutdown, I always "kill" one ignition at a time  to insure they are both working (you can turn one off in flight and only see a  10-RPM engine drop.) Today with the right side on alone it dropped engine  rpm by 400 to 500 and it ran REALLY rough. I put in new plugs, re-timed the  Hall-effect pickup units and got no improvement. Connections/connectors all  securely attached.

  

 While its easy to suspect the electronic unit I do  have to recognize that the plugs are firing, albiet in strange ways, so the  electronics can't be "dead" - also in flight the roughness was not present, or  at least  not noticeable.

  

 I asked Klaus for an opinion but probably won't  hear from him due to upcoming OSH, etc. Any Lightspeed users out there have any  suggestions?

  

 John

dan(at)rvproject.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Check your coil connections.  That is, the  fast-on connectors that push onto the coil terminals.  Check the wires  & crimps at those connectors.  Make sure there isn't any strain on 'em  that has accumulated in form of poor connection or break in those wires (been  there done that).

  

 Phase your coils as per the instructions on www.lsecorp.com.  Make sure both coils  are firing properly.

  

 That's about as much as I can tell ya.  Let us  know what works or doesn't.

  

 )_( Dan

 RV-7 N714D

 http://www.rvproject.com

  

 [quote]   ---

rvbuilder(at)sausen.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

If you don’t think it’s the electronics, I would look at the coils or the wires.  Might be some corrosion on one of the leads or just a wire going bad.  

   

Michael Sausen  

-10 #352 Fuselage  

Do not archive  

       

From: owner-rv-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-rv-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of John Fasching

 Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:19 PM

 To: rv-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem  

  

  

     

I have been using two Lightspeed Engineering Hall-effect electronic ignition systems on my O-320 160HP engine in my RV6A for some time now, all trouble free.  

    

   

    

BUT, today upon returning from a nearby flyin breakfast the plane was really "making knots" and was making about 180  TAS and 171 GPS ground speed at 2,350-RPM, with a fuel burn of 6.7 GPH. So I was happy.  

    

   

    

On shutdown, I always "kill" one ignition at a time to insure they are both working (you can turn one off in flight and only see a 10-RPM engine drop.) Today with the right side on alone it dropped engine rpm by 400 to 500 and it ran REALLY rough. I put in new plugs, re-timed the Hall-effect pickup units and got no improvement. Connections/connectors all securely attached.  

    

   

    

While its easy to suspect the electronic unit I do have to recognize that the plugs are firing, albiet in strange ways, so the electronics can't be "dead" - also in flight the roughness was not present, or at least  not noticeable.  

    

   

    

I asked Klaus for an opinion but probably won't hear from him due to upcoming OSH, etc. Any Lightspeed users out there have any suggestions?  

    

   

    

John

martin(at)gbonline.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:49 pm Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

John,

 I experienced similar problems  several years  ago.  I determined that it was failure from heat soaking of the lightweight  coils supplied by Klaus.  He suggested I replace them with General Motors  coils which I did.  I have had no problems since, 1000 hours ago.   Good Luck.

 Dick Martin

 RV8 N233M

 the fast one

 [quote]   ---

ronlee(at)pcisys.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:37 pm Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Just remove and reseat all the connections.  I had a loss of

one side once that nothing fixed.  It finally went away and my

opinion is that some corrosion impacted the connection of one

of the wires to the coils.  The multiple reconnecting may have

"cleaned" the corrosion.



Ron Lee

n223rv(at)wolflakeairport
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:06 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

We had the same problem.  Pulled off the contacts to the coils, cleaned

them all up, and put them back together.  Fixed the problem.

-Mike



--

chaztuna(at)adelphia.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 5:45 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Dick

  What GM coils are you referring to? Late model Corvette items? V-6/V-8 DIS (distributorless Ignition System) coils? Could you supply a part number or vehicle/engine application?

 Charlie Kuss



 

 [quote]John,

 I experienced similar problems  several years ago.  I determined that it was failure from heat soaking of the lightweight coils supplied by Klaus.  He suggested I replace them with General Motors coils which I did.  I have had no problems since, 1000 hours ago.  Good Luck.

 Dick Martin

 RV8 N233M

 the fast one

   ---

lors01(at)msn.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 6:40 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

<?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->  Don't know what GM coils Klaus uses but,  I have had similar  symptoms with my system (rotary engine, but they all need spark) and it was due  to heat soaking of coils.  I use GM coils for the LS1 engine and the  failures occurred with the truck version of the LS1. The Corvette version has  always worked flawlessly. 

  

 Point being that all GM coils are not created equal.  The Corvette  coils are made by Nippon Denso  (I love their stuff).  The truck  version was made by Hitachi I think.

  

 Tracy Crook

 [quote]   ---

ronlee(at)pcisys.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:42 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Another problem I had with rough running was not obvious with a casual

inspection.  One wire had broken inside the connector (lead to a coil).  I

just found it by accidentally hitting the wire instead of the connector and

saw that it was broken.  It is well secured now!



Since the cowl is off to fix something else I will take a picture of the 

repaired

wire connection.



Ron Lee

ronlee(at)pcisys.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:36 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Here is a link to the pic.  One of the wires to the closest coil broke

just inside the insulated portion of the connector.  When I rewired it

I added about three layers of heat shrink.  The original method is

somewhat visible in the out of focus right side coil.



http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/CoilWireRepair.jpg



Ron Lee

 	  Quote: 	
		  Another problem I had with rough running was not obvious with a casual

inspection.  One wire had broken inside the connector (lead to a coil).  I

just found it by accidentally hitting the wire instead of the connector and

saw that it was broken.  It is well secured now!



Since the cowl is off to fix something else I will take a picture of the 

repaired

wire connection.



Ron Lee

martin(at)gbonline.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:11 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

Charlie,

 I went to an auto parts store and asked for a  standard GM coil.  Apparantly, this is a very common item.  You will  have to mount them on the firewall over a piece of non conductive   material, because the contact point is on the bottom of the coil.  I used  brass strips  to exit the coil and provide a spade connector  for the  input to the coil.  The output of course is a sparkplug wire.

 Dick Martin

 Getting ready for the Air Venture race

 [quote]   ---

Hopperdhh(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:15 am Post subject: Lightspeed Ignition Problem

In a message dated 7/17/2006 9:13:45 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  martin(at)gbonline.com writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		     Charlie,

   I went to an auto parts store and asked for a    standard GM coil.  Apparantly, this is a very common item.  You will    have to mount them on the firewall over a piece of non conductive     material, because the contact point is on the bottom of the coil.  I used    brass strips  to exit the coil and provide a spade connector  for    the input to the coil.  The output of course is a sparkplug    wire.

   Dick Martin

   Getting ready for the Air Venture    race

	


 

 Having worked on the design of GM's distributorless ignition systems, I can  pass along a small piece of advice.  Ground the laminations of the  coils.  I think the GM coils will have a metal strip evident under one of  the mounting bolts.  Be sure this gets grounded.   Otherwise the  laminations float to a high voltage and finally arc causing radio noise or  interference to the electronics of the ignition system.

  

 Along the same lines, if the secondary connections have even a very small  gap you get what we called micro-arcing.  A 1 thousandth of an inch arc,  believe it or not, causes interference that can wreak havoc with the electronics  of the ignition system -- that is the computer or logic driving the coils.   This micro-arcing is much harder to deal with than the arc at the spark plug  gap.

  

 Dan Hopper

 RV-7A

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