no spark with megasquirt
Turbo Mini Forums

hi guys, long time no posts!
been busy playing about with my new volvo 480 turbo and riding my bike!
anyway, just been messing around with the megasquirt install and now have all the stuff wired up, only problem is i can't get a spark.
i have tried swapping the pip and saw wires and swapping the wires on the crank sensor and then swapping the pip and saw wires again, but still no spark.
is there any way i can test the coil pack?
does anyone have any clues on where i should be looking next?
cheers
DAN :)

coil pack wiring....

That would be my guess!

Alex

AlexF

You can test the crank sensor as follows, connect a multimeter to the pins, set the multimeter to "AC VOLTS".

With the engine running on your old dizzy setup you should be able to see a small voltage induced at the crank sensor at idle, rising as you rev the engine up.

Make sure you have good grounds aswell, thats what my problem was.

forget the mj for now. it should run just on the edis itll set the timing to 10 degrees (fail safe mode). get it running on the edis then inroduce the jolt.


i think thats right anyway somebody will correct me.

is the sensor gap right.?

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

cheers for the advise guys i'll have a good check over and report back
DAN :)

hi guys, still stuck!
i am running out of ideas now!
i have tried swapping the wires to the coil pack, with no change, i am pretty sure we had these right anyway as we wired them based on pin no. rather than going on colour just in case there are different pieces of loom with different colour coding on the parts. i have noticed that with the ignition on, there is no voltage on either the pip or the saw wire and this is the same when the engine is turned over, could that be a clue to why i can't get a spark?
i would have thought there should be some voltage reading on those wires at some point!?
thanks in advance for any help!
cheers
DAN :)

As has already been mentioned you can ignore the pip and saw until you connect the MS. The car will run with just the EDIS, timing sensor and coil pack. If it is not and you are sure that the wiring is correct then something is broken. I have only had one EDIS fail on me (and I have had about 20 from scrap yards) but it does happen.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
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A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

The PIP and SAW wires are just for signal. It will run without those been connected.

start again.

this is wot id do

1. dissconnect the jolt and the saw/pip wires.
2. check all you wiring with the diagramme in nics how to, ignore colours just go off the pins. my EDIS unit had the wrong plug on it. and had a loop of wire that needed cutting. check power + make sure good earth.
3. check sensor pick up fitment measure gap between sensor and wheel.
4. check sensor operation as toms described, id be tempted to measure the resistance of the sensor to (ohms on multimeter) make sure its not open circuit.
5. check wiring between crank sensor and EDIS for breaks.
6. if your sure the above is ok then try a new coil then a new EDIS.
7. once its running then wire the jolt up.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

thanks for the advise guys, i'll give it a go and see what happens

Have you checked out the crank sensor as I explained above? This is the basic starting point as without this nothing will work.

i can't as i don't have a spare dizzy to hand unfortunatley.
i think i may have sussed the problem though, i just realised i don't have a 12v feed to the ignition module. i obviously missed it in all the excitment to fit it up! i am going to put on my dunces cap and stamd in the corner tonight and then go and try it with some power tommorrow!
cheers guys!
DAN (dunce) lol

got an update now, yesterday i hooked up the power to coil pack and ignition module which i had forgotten to do !!!
turned it over and got a MASSIVE backfire from the exhaust, scared the shit out of my girlfriend who was behind the car at the time!
i also got a couple of splutters from it but it didn't start. it seemed to only be sparking on a few of the attempts. today i have removed the plug for the crank sensor and found that one of the metal plugs had been pushed inside the plastic housing so i refitted the plug nice and tight again. then i tried to start it again. this time i had flames shooting from the carb on every try so i guess its safe to say that i have now got a spark!
i was wondering, is the limp home mode timing ok for any engine, i.e no matter how tuned it is etc, it should at least start, because mine still has not.
i think i am going to check the cranks sensor position, i am pretty sure i have it right, it is 9 teeth from the missing tooth, and positioned around 1mm from the wheel, is this ok?
any ideas why it wont start?
cheers guys
DAN :)
(getting there slowly but surely!)

plug leads on the wrong plugs ??

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

sounds like timings out. 10 degrees should be fine to start your engine.

depending on where the missing tooth is at tdc then it depends on where your sensor should be.

if your missing tooth is at say 12 oclock then the sensor should be at 9 oclock. it doesnt matter where abouts your missing tooth is so long as the sensor is at 9 oclock to it if that makes sense

1mm gap should be fine is.

as robert says are plug leads on right way around. number 1 cylinder is at the waterpump end!!!!

Edited by Carl on 8th Sep, 2006.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

thats plug leads round the wrong way!

AlexF

i have 1 @ rad end and 4 @ clutch end, i will swap them round just on thee off chance lol!
edit: with regards to cranks sensor i have the missing tooth aligned with the marking at tdc on cylinder 1 and the cranks sensor is 9 teeth before that can't see very well from the side but i think its at 90 degrees, i guess it must be as from what i have read the cranks sensor for edis 4 should be 9 teeth from the missing one.
cheers
DAN :)

Edited by clubman_dan on 8th Sep, 2006.

lol! anyone want to come over for a bbq?

good picture dan ,um if its wasted spark arent 1 and 4 fired at the same time ,and same with 2 and 3 ,so if the leads were on the wrong plugs it 'd have to be moved from 1 and 4 to 2 and 3 ..( warning i do not have my thinking head on )

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

The sensor need to be 90 degrees before TDC *if* the missing tooth is at TDC.

1&4 fire at the same time

then

2&3

So make sure you check you HT lead order :)

alex

AlexF

i have an update, and its good news!!
i swapped the plug leads, i put 1 and 4 on 2 and 3 and vice versa, and it started first time instantly!!
it seems that even though according to wiring diagrams i had the coil wired right it was actually backwards, so i have no swapped the wires over and change the leads so they are npw on the correct cylinders again.
it was so good, hearing that weber suck up air like daniella westbrook snorting cocaine! its been a long 2.5 months!!
cheers for all the help guys, i may even make it to castle combe!!
DAN :)