ignition upgrade options
Discussion
Mine is completely standard and in good order - it has never failed to start and run properly from cold. I suspect the people who gain the best results from upgrades are the ones whose cars are not running properly in the first place.
That said I have only had it 10 years so maybe the problems haven't started yet
That said I have only had it 10 years so maybe the problems haven't started yet
Ribol said:
Mine is completely standard and in good order - it has never failed to start and run properly from cold. I suspect the people who gain the best results from upgrades are the ones whose cars are not running properly in the first place.
That said I have only had it 10 years so maybe the problems haven't started yet
Yes my MGRV8 180bhp ran a dream and returned 35mpg on cruise ..once you start upgrading the fun starts .That said I have only had it 10 years so maybe the problems haven't started yet
My girlfriends brother mapps engines for Ford ,he told me it can take up to 2 years with a team of men to perfect one engine..
When i tolds him about about getting mine mapped in a day in a day he laughed ..
Edited by SILICONEKID340HP on Wednesday 19th December 22:40
Ribol said:
SILICONEKID340HP said:
Yes my MGRV8 180bhp ran a dream and returned 35mpg on cruise ..once you start upgrading the fun starts .
If what you post on these forums is classed as fun I am delighted to have settled for being boring, enjoy!!Yes i owned a MGRV8 imaculute condition ..only sold it beacause i prefered my 1860cc Peter Burgess Tuned and upgraded MGB
Should of kept both i would of been 10k up ..thats life
Thats interesting that the original system is 'good enough' for the job. Some say the ignition system is a weakness.
I must have a fault somewhere then. Over the last few weeks I've developed a cold start problem. The engine floods badly and then wont start. It tries to start but just doesn't quite get there.
I replaced the spark plugs (old ones were a little black but not too bad) which were wet with fuel, put new plugs in and it started fine. Started fine for new couple of weeks and now wont start again. Its flooded again and engine is cold and damp after all the bad weather.
Battery is fully charged, it spins the engine over really well but it just wont fire up.
I must have a fault somewhere then. Over the last few weeks I've developed a cold start problem. The engine floods badly and then wont start. It tries to start but just doesn't quite get there.
I replaced the spark plugs (old ones were a little black but not too bad) which were wet with fuel, put new plugs in and it started fine. Started fine for new couple of weeks and now wont start again. Its flooded again and engine is cold and damp after all the bad weather.
Battery is fully charged, it spins the engine over really well but it just wont fire up.
The quality of the spark is fine if everything is in working order. When people say the ignition can be improved they are generally talking more of timming, hence why people go for aftermarket ecu`s.
If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
carsy said:
The quality of the spark is fine if everything is in working order. When people say the ignition can be improved they are generally talking more of timming, hence why people go for aftermarket ecu`s.
If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
Thanks for the advice Ian, the car runs perect when warm, I'll change the sensor see if that helps. btw Just been out and the engine bay is wet from condensation, so looks like I'll need to dry all the ignition components before trying again.If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
I've owned my very original spec (except for new shocks) 450 for around 4 months. It starts first time every time in a part of West Yorkshire that is wet, damp and cold, and that's in the summer! Although I'm new to TVR for 10 years I ran a Morgan Plus 8 with a 3.9 RV8 which performed perfectly with its 14CUX and suffered no starting problems cold or hot.
Reading various threads on here it would appear that the search for extra power comes at a hight cost; and not only to your wallet! If the price of being boring means trouble free motoring with a car that is pretty powerful in standard form them I'm with @Ribol. In my mind it's better to spend more time driving the car than fiddling with it.
Although I'm new to TVR for 10 years I ran a Morgan Plus 8 with a 3.9 RV8 which performed perfectly with its 14CUX and suffered no starting problems cold or hot. Reading various threads on here it would appear that the search for extra power comes at a hight cost; and not only to your wallet! If the price of being boring means trouble free motoring with a car that is pretty powerful in standard form them I'm with @Ribol. In my mind it's better to spend more time driving the car than fiddling with it.
carsy said:
The quality of the spark is fine if everything is in working order. When people say the ignition can be improved they are generally talking more of timming, hence why people go for aftermarket ecu`s.
If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
If you are flooding maybe the coolant sensor or afm are at fault. If it runs ok when warm, try changing the coolant sensor. Cheap and easy to do.
However the TVR fuel map does over-fuel slightly when conditions are very cold in my experience 
so starting the car in short stop start cycles without allowing to car to warm up or driving off is not recommended (as so with many non TVR cars) although things can be improved here with a slightly hotter plug to resist fouling 
the standard ignition system is more than up to creating a fat enough spark for those cold mornings all things being equal IMO 
HT leads, dist cap & rotor arm condition are crucial for this to happen Decent stuff at a great price. Got it on mine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-3-9-3-5-V8-Blue-Di...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-3-9-3-5-V8-Blue-Di...
Sardonicus said:
................the standard ignition system is more than up to creating a fat enough spark for those cold mornings all things being equal IMO HT leads, dist cap & rotor arm condition are crucial for this to happen
HT leads, dist cap & rotor arm condition are crucial for this to happen so are you suggesting that people maintaining their cars regularily/correctly will improve the way they start/run ............... whatever next 
I bet yours always started ok, when you used to use it
Merry
BTWI bench tested the standard coil and amp against the RPI mega hi power super dooper amp, and guess what, the stock amp gave better peak HT performance throughout the RPM range, although the RPI gives you a long spark burn time. Both systems gave approx 35kv peak at low RPM, but this drops off quite quickly as the RPM rises and the coils dwell time becomes shorter, and that's just a case of the laws of physics. No aftermarket parts will change this. The Lucas system is very well designed and the components matched to give enough dwell even at 6000 rpm to give plenty of HT to fire the plugs reliably, even though it uses just one coil to fire 4 plugs per revolution, and poor starting should not be an issue due to spark intensity. It also uses a ballasted coil to maintain a good coil voltage supply on cranking.
So in terms of upgrades- don't mess with the basic HT set up- it works. You also wont gain anything by fitting Magnec*re leads, although some will say different, but lack any back to back testing to prove it. (To be fair to Magnec*re- they make no such claims on their web site if you read the small print)
On the down side, anything with a distributor using bob weights and vacuum advance is a little crude timing wise, so things like Megajolt with mapped ignition will improve the ignition timing to improve the general running and MPG, but you do have to accommodate large coil packs in the engine bay and rework the crank pulley to mount the timing wheel. A friend fitted one of his RV8 and it took quite a while to get it fully sorted and working as it should. I think he rather wished he had stayed standard, as the gains where relatively small for the cost.
In terms of plug fouling the stock fuel map 14CUX does over fuel a bit in colder conditions, but it should clear within about 20 seconds as the lambda's kick in and lean the mixture off, which should be quick enough to stop the plugs fouling. If they are soot black when you take them out, then there is a fault somewhere within the EFI system. Problem is the TVR MIL light does not work in most cases, so you cant tell if the ECU is in a fault condition without plugging in a diagnostic.
So in terms of upgrades- don't mess with the basic HT set up- it works. You also wont gain anything by fitting Magnec*re leads, although some will say different, but lack any back to back testing to prove it. (To be fair to Magnec*re- they make no such claims on their web site if you read the small print)
On the down side, anything with a distributor using bob weights and vacuum advance is a little crude timing wise, so things like Megajolt with mapped ignition will improve the ignition timing to improve the general running and MPG, but you do have to accommodate large coil packs in the engine bay and rework the crank pulley to mount the timing wheel. A friend fitted one of his RV8 and it took quite a while to get it fully sorted and working as it should. I think he rather wished he had stayed standard, as the gains where relatively small for the cost.
In terms of plug fouling the stock fuel map 14CUX does over fuel a bit in colder conditions, but it should clear within about 20 seconds as the lambda's kick in and lean the mixture off, which should be quick enough to stop the plugs fouling. If they are soot black when you take them out, then there is a fault somewhere within the EFI system. Problem is the TVR MIL light does not work in most cases, so you cant tell if the ECU is in a fault condition without plugging in a diagnostic.
Maybe worth having a look at the dizzy cap and rotor arm whilst you're at it. When I had my old mini, I used to put a fine bead of exterior silicone sealant around the seal on the inside of the cap to help keep out the damp. I'm not sure if this practice is still used here?
Also, have you tested the coil? Maybe also be worth using a spark tester for the HT leads.
BTW, what sort of resistance value should you be getting when testing the coil? Anyone know?
Also, have you tested the coil? Maybe also be worth using a spark tester for the HT leads.
BTW, what sort of resistance value should you be getting when testing the coil? Anyone know?
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