Tracking a miss - check my work

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Interesting, sounds like a classic ignition issue (point gap too small, bad condenser, etc.) but your list of ignition maintenance seems very thorough and complete.  I guess your plan to rebuild the carbs is the reasonable next step; sorry I can't be of more help on this but sounds like you're already following all of the right paths!

[02Pilot]

That's why I went for ignition first. I've been turning wrenches on these cars for close to 30 years at this point, so I'm at least reasonably aware of their more common problem areas. The carbs are simply next on the list.

 

The only other thing I can fathom is something producing a little slack in the driveline and that I'm only feeling it in the light steady-state throttle condition and mistaking it for an engine issue, but that seems quite unlikely.

[02Pilot]

I knew there was a reason I didn't visually inspect the progression holes - on my carbs those holes have swaged-in brass plugs rather than screws.

['76mintgrün'02]

I recently added an AFR gauge and it makes me very happy.

Therefore, I'll suggest that you add one too!

 

It would be interesting to see if the gauge dipped or peaked during the 'missing' situation.

[02Pilot]

I could see hooking one up for testing, but I like to maintain the relative simplicity of my period gauge setup (oil pressure and voltage) for normal driving, especially since every AFR gauge I've seen is digital (and ugly). In this case, apparently, I'm favoring form over function, which is very unlike me...odd, but what can I say. I'm an enigma.

['76mintgrün'02]

my gauge is analog.  that is why I chose it.  I must be an enigma too, because it took me six years to install the thing, due to my love of simplicity and originality and stuff.  Well, laziness had a bit to do with it too.  Then there's procrastination...

 

I think of it as a tuning tool too and thought I might take it out when I get it dialed in.  Now I think I may leave it, just because it is so much fun.  I may get bored and it will take about ten minutes to remove it.  Simple to put a plug in the exhaust bung and you cannot see that from the driver's seat.

 

You need one.  

[AustrianVespaGuy]

*OT* Chance to brag! I used little LED bargraphs and put them in the fasten seatbelt warning as indicators for battery voltage (right) and AFR (left) whereby maintaining a clean dashboard but with much greater utility.  But I warn you this was a very non-trivial project to cram all of the right electronics in that little space!

(Car isn't running, so voltage is a bit low and AFR is reading almost all the way lean.)

 

[02Pilot]

My gauge pod has lived over the vacant seat belt warning hole for the last 20 years, and after seeing way too much TV and too many GM digital dashes and talking Nissans (all in the 80s, unsurprisingly) those LED bars freak me out.

 

mintgrün, you got a link for your analog AFR?

['76mintgrün'02]

I can try looking for one, but like I said, I bought it six years ago.  I had a little trouble while wiring it up, so I called the Innova help line and the guy on the phone had not heard of my LC-1 and used the work "obsolete" to describe it, in terms of them being willing/able to service it.  Luckily it was just a bad LED, or bad wiring on my part, the first time around.  All that to say, I don't know if they are still available.  If you've looked and not found one, they must not be out there, though that is hard to imagine.

 

I did recently watch a video on the Pierce manifold site where the guy mentioned that the gauge they sell is both analog and digital.  Perhaps you could put a strip of tape over the digital portion (?).

 

I'd still buy one though, even if it is digital.  Do your tuning and then take it out.  I bought a $3 pivoting single gauge holder and put it on the dash, where the Tii clock would be. 

 

I was pretty excited to see that I could swivel it around to point at the distributor, while I stood over there and adjusted the idle mixture screw.  It was fun to watch the needle move with that screw!

 

Tom

 

This one is analog.

https://www.amazon.com/AEM-30-5130-Analog-Wideband-Ratio/dp/B004J2605Y 

Edited September 17, 2018 by '76mintgrün'02

[2002Scoob]

One day, Tom, I hope to run into you and your car, and spend an hour poking about. Being able to rotate and see your AFR from the outside of the car sounds amazing... I now wanna put mine on a leash with a magnet so I can pull it outa the glovebox for tweaking.... Actually. now that i've said that... ?

['76mintgrün'02]

Thanks Scoob, you're welcome... any time  

 

If you have a non-AC car,

you have an extra hole or two

that you could run the wires through

and you could watch the AFR too!

Assuming you have enough extra wire to the gauge, you could unplug it, run the wires through the hole and plug it in under the dash for tweaking/tuning your carbs.

 

I had to cut through the firewall insulation on both sides to use this hole, but I am okay with that, since it gives me a passage way for wires and vacuum lines.  (Currently, the AFR wires, power for the vacuum solenoid and two vacuum lines run through this hole).  You do have to be careful of those brake lines though.

 

Andrej, I think my friend Andy has that AEM gauge, or the digital version made by them.  It is neat that its 'brains' are all in the gauge and it does not need this big black controller.  I am like you, in that I'd like to keep the car 'period correct', for the most part, but I cannot resist having this kind of information to learn from.  The LC-1 has data logging capabilities, but unfortunately I do not.  If I had a laptop it would be sitting next to me on the passenger's seat, instead of a clipboard and pencil.  It seems a little ironic that a 60s era car is what is motivating me to step into the 21st century, but whatever.  Did I mention that the AFR gauge is fun?  Which one did you order??

Tom

[2002Scoob]

Yep,I've got the AEM digital gauge in my car.I put it in a self-made aluminum L-Bracket inside the glovebox because I didn't want it to mess with the interior optics.

 

If I remember correctly thou... There was a big long umbilical cord attached to it that I had to ball up inside the dash that's probably long enough to facilitate pulling the gauge out the passenger window to magnet-stick to the inner-fender.

 

I did just get a 3D printer....  arrived today. A magnetic gauge pod will be one of my first projects I think.

Edited September 19, 2018 by 2002Scoob

['76mintgrün'02]

I see that Innovate makes an LC-2 now.  Offering the same gauge as mine.  It sure would be cool to be able to put the data-logging feature to use.  I wonder if that would be possible with an older i-phone-4  I have?

 

https://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/g5_gauge.php

[Simeon]

11 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

I see that Innovate makes an LC-2 now.  Offering the same gauge as mine.  It sure would be cool to be able to put the data-logging feature to use.  I wonder if that would be possible with an older i-phone-4  I have?

 

https://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/g5_gauge.php

 

It will likely be a serial output so you will need something like an RS232 to Apple Lightning doohickey plus suitable software to log the info that runs off iOS. This most likely exists, a cursory glance on the App Store shows:

 

ArduCom by Abolghasem Shourvarzi https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/arducom/id1023120794?mt=8

 

This will need a good home brewed solution. Might be easier to find a second hand lap top with a real serial port.