Hello all, this is Phil from Canada...About a month with the new (old) car and most of the gremlins have been sorted out...One last big one is the iginition. Jay at Spiderroadster.com has sent me a box of goodies, including his EI conversion kit....I currently don't have the vacumn advance plugged in on my car, but before I tear out the existing system I want to be able to put it together properly...What hose and 'T' fitting might I need to complete the job and connect things to the carburator? Do I need the vacumn system if it's not currently there?
Thank you,
Phil
Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
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canadiancastro
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:08 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider
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canadiancastro
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:08 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
Maybe a more uscint question is what kind of hose and what material should the 'T' be made of....Also, where is the port of the carb?
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Nut124
- Posts: 748
- Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:39 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider 1800
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
The vacuum advance improves torque and driveability off idle and at very low speeds, under 2500rpm, 30mph or so.
The vacuum advance should be connected to manifold vacuum. The same port as the brake booster hose. Any T or fitting that does not leak nor break will do.
If you connect the vac advance, make sure to set initial timing w the vac plugged and disconnected from the dizzy. Total advance must not exceed 38-40degrees or bad things can happen.
What is this EI kit you have?
The vacuum advance should be connected to manifold vacuum. The same port as the brake booster hose. Any T or fitting that does not leak nor break will do.
If you connect the vac advance, make sure to set initial timing w the vac plugged and disconnected from the dizzy. Total advance must not exceed 38-40degrees or bad things can happen.
What is this EI kit you have?
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canadiancastro
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:08 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
Thank you for the reply, I'm procceding with caution, but I admit I don't fully grasp what the vacumn advance really does...I have a bit more studying to do.
After a great deal of research on this site I went with the EI from Jay @ spiderroadster.com: https://spiderroadster.com/7783.html.
My second choice was the XR3000 setup, but I don't have any history on what is on the car currently so starting with the new set seemed the most logical.
FYI, for any other Canadians out there I had a great experience ordering from him...Fast, affordable, and no customs issue, which is highly abnormal for me.
After a great deal of research on this site I went with the EI from Jay @ spiderroadster.com: https://spiderroadster.com/7783.html.
My second choice was the XR3000 setup, but I don't have any history on what is on the car currently so starting with the new set seemed the most logical.
FYI, for any other Canadians out there I had a great experience ordering from him...Fast, affordable, and no customs issue, which is highly abnormal for me.
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85redpini
- Patron 2018
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:51 pm
- Your car is a: 1985 pininfarina spider
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
1. the vacuum hose comes with the kit
2. the vac hose goes to the carb not the intake manifold.
2. the vac hose goes to the carb not the intake manifold.
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canadiancastro
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:08 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
1. So it Does! Jay, is that you?85redpini wrote:1. the vacuum hose comes with the kit
2. the vac hose goes to the carb not the intake manifold.
2. Where on the carb?
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Nut124
- Posts: 748
- Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:39 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider 1800
Re: Electronic Ingnition Conversion (1978)
Castro, the vacuum advance is a very confusing topic.
At the other forum that you may have attended, as I have, I seems to be a Taboo, a no go topic.
Fiat used what is called ported vacuum for the distributor advance. This was an emission control panic action dictated by the new emission regulations in the late to mid seventies. Made engines run bad. Fiat was not alone. Just about all car companies that had not gone FI had to deal with this and did the same.
Before the mid seventies, vacuum advance was typically connected to manifold vacuum. This is because engines like more advance at idle and low load. Anyone who has ever adjusted ignition timing knows this. Engine rpm picks up significantly when you turn the dizzy CCW to add advance, up to at least 30deg at idle.
Is it a big deal? No, not al all. Vacuum advance or not, it only affects idle and very low speed operation of cruising.
The ported vac does nothing, by design. If you connect your dizzy to manifold vac, your car will idle stronger and be more pleasant to cruise around at low speeds. The problem is that the vac diaphragms tend to fail due to exhaust manifold heat and when this happens, your engine may not start or idle w/o adjusting the carb idle speed.
At the other forum that you may have attended, as I have, I seems to be a Taboo, a no go topic.
Fiat used what is called ported vacuum for the distributor advance. This was an emission control panic action dictated by the new emission regulations in the late to mid seventies. Made engines run bad. Fiat was not alone. Just about all car companies that had not gone FI had to deal with this and did the same.
Before the mid seventies, vacuum advance was typically connected to manifold vacuum. This is because engines like more advance at idle and low load. Anyone who has ever adjusted ignition timing knows this. Engine rpm picks up significantly when you turn the dizzy CCW to add advance, up to at least 30deg at idle.
Is it a big deal? No, not al all. Vacuum advance or not, it only affects idle and very low speed operation of cruising.
The ported vac does nothing, by design. If you connect your dizzy to manifold vac, your car will idle stronger and be more pleasant to cruise around at low speeds. The problem is that the vac diaphragms tend to fail due to exhaust manifold heat and when this happens, your engine may not start or idle w/o adjusting the carb idle speed.