[DML] Re: Bolt On Performance (High Voltage Arc)

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Forgot to mention points (in the 60's breakerless ignition hadn't been
invented yet).

The higher the voltage, the greater the arc when it jumps through air.
You should see railroad locomotive contacts when they close -- fire
shoots straight out like a flame (a fireproof shield called an "arc
chute" protects everything else in the electrical locker). In an
automobile arcing from high voltage ignition will eat up a set of
points. 10,000 volt ignition may also have been so prevalent to
preserve them.

I of course run breakerless ignition. There's no penalty for arcing.
In fact it's quite beneficial within my combustion chambers,
especially since it's occuring 10 degrees BTDC (less time for the
flame to spread). Note also that high voltage ignition works reliably
no matter how cold or damp the air mixture is.

Regarding Bosch's "Blue Coil": In the 70's it was considered a racing
coil. 18,000 volts was obviously pushing the performance envelope then
(I wonder if owners of 10,000 volt systems at that time lambasted Blue
Coil users for wasting snake oil money, as HEI users are so criticized
today?). Performance bar has been raised since. The Blue Coil is
positively pedestrian now, no hint of its performance heritage.

A useful analogy in this debate might be the internet connection I'm
using right now. At one time my 56K (nee 33K) modem was state of the
art. Then came broadband. As it was spreading, I remember telling
people that my dialup connection still worked excellently and gave me
all the performance I needed. There was no reason to upgrade.
Broadband was wasted snake oil money in my mind. Then I tried it....

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "content22207" <brobertson@...> wrote:
>
> Come on Martin, you know that you can't run aggressive ignition
> (advance and plug gap as well as spark energy) on forced induction.
> Even high compression gets dicey. MSD modules can compensate for turbo
> boost, if I'm not mistaken.
> 
> Probably the only way manufacturers were able to get away with 10,000
> volt ignition in the 1960's were 10:1 and 11:1 compression ratios that
> prevailed. Timing was much closer to TDC as well. That may be one
> reason GM pursued HEI in the 70's. Compression ratios dropped
> precipitously, and spark moved closer to the bottom of the cylinder
> for emissions. Basic engines didn't change a lick, however (every
> domestic engine used in the 70's was a dumbed down 60's design, with
> various bolt on emissions devices). I know my 1977-1979 Ford products
> are much happier with high voltage ignition than the original coils (I
> do retain the Duraspark modules). Everything changed radically in the
> 80's, but HEI may have been a necessity in the 70's.
> 
> Bill Robertson
> #5939
> 
> >--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Martin Gutkowski <martin@> wrote:
> >
> > I can tell you that a stock original coil runs the spark quite
happily 
> > on #2727's Renault turbo engine at 1.2 bar of boost. A so-called 
> > "performance" coil started misfiring at about 4psi...
> > 
> > Martin
> >
>




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