Knock retard W/ Classic Fast

[85turbo T]

Im having a problem with Ecm not pulling timing out when I have knock. Casper gauge shows knock but nothing on the dashboard.Check wiring to the ESC to the Ecm with a ohm meter and it checks good. The gauge has always seams to be more sensitive then the fast ,green lights never showed up on the fast only orange and above.Thanks for the help ...
Tom

 

[norbs]

Only knock retard was available on the bank to bank boxes and only a few experimental units with SEQ. Even though it shows its pulling timing if its a seq box its probably not. Not sure on your sensitivity issue though. If you really want to get serious you need a JS spark safeguard system which you can tune in the sensitivity you want, and run it the same time as your knock gauge too and esc module, But this unit costs money $600 +plus, and will give you individual retard, not just all the cylinders at once.

 

[85turbo T]

Thanks for the response Norbs... Im sorry I forgot to say that its a bank to bank box. This is a new problem the last time i took the car out with the lap top in the car everything seamed to be working ok. I made some changes i was gonna do a little tuniing and noticed that the Ecm wasnt pulling timing.I did change the attack rate from 5.00 to 3.00 but that shouldnt have anything to do with it.Why is the gauge shows knock but the ecm isnt see it or not pulling it out

 

[norbs]

Tom, I would say that would depend on the knock software code in the software of the fast, it maybe not as sensitive as the gauge is. There should be 8-10 volts on the esc output, when the engine knocks this voltage drops to zero volts. The longer it stays in (ms) at zero volts the software determines the amount of knock. I would have to talk to caspers and get a detailed information on the circuit he uses, but i think its a simple timer circuit. You could do some testing by grounding the esc line to the fast quickly on and off to see if it picks up knock?

 

[85turbo T]

Norbs thanks for your help..I will try doing that in the morning and see what i get..Iknow the tune isnt that good where there is no knock.. I spun the tires real hard the knock gauge showed knock in the red but the ecm didnt pull anything out which im not happy about..It always pulled timing out if i spun the tires hard.. Disconneting the battery shouldnt have any affect on things,Just wierd that it stopped pulling timing out..I see there is a flash update for the XFI is there something for the classic?? Thanks again for the help>>>Tom

 

[norbs]

AS far as I know there is no update for the classic. Only CAL or Craig Smith would have the answer to that one. If you do not want to upgrade to the xfi yet the only solution is the safeguard box, but its around $600 add the knock monitor and its up to $700. Keep the timing down it will live! Remember high boost and lower timing makes more power than low boost and higher timing up to a point. But high boost and high timing is the winner as long as you have the fuel to support it to avoid knock.

 

[85turbo T]

I will have to give Cal a call monday and see if has has a awnser.. As far is timing I dont think 18 deg 15 psi is that aggressive...

 

[John at J&S]

$600 is a lot of money, but what if it bought you a 10% increase in power?

Neel at Apex Speed Technology recently posted this on his blog (Benefits of Individual Cylinder Tuning | Apex Speed Technology)

For detonation limited motors, individual cylinder knock control is a very important tool for maximizing power. On V8 supercharged offshore-powerboat engines, we were able to see over 10% power gains just from having individual cylinder knock control. We’ve seen similar situations on turbocharged Viper V10′s. Its amazing how much 1 or 2 cylinders can hold back the rest of a motor.

The following graph is from Ian Whiteside's Formula 3 engine, tuned with a Motec with a 2° knock margin as determined by headphones on the dyno. The knock controller was then installed, and timing bumped in steps. The engine was run for a season with no damage.