sardengineering

Good day. Just as Dave has pointed out, this should have resolved the problem. Nothing else comes to mind, except for the loss of data flow through the communication port. I know this will be putting you out of your way but can you confirm whether you are using the same USB port always, or if you are using a single (same) USB port in every instance. Also, if you abruptly disconnect the communication cable, will this crash the PCLink in the same manner, or will you revert to an offline status in the PCLink software? With an intermittent problem, it can be difficult to have an absolute resolution. I would hate to ask that you try using another laptop for an extended interval, with the USB power mode disabled and comm port settings optimized of course, but this might be another alternative. Having said this though, your best practices approach is actually the ideal response to the described instance. Thanks again for sharing your experience, cheers!

I am sorry to hear that your CDI box was the source of your grief, however, in the same breath, I am happy your were able to follow logical steps to diagnose the fault. That by itself is a win! For CDI boxes I would advise either the 500R from Autronic or the vast range of boxes from M&W, when it comes to CDI boxes reliability is everything. Believe the units you are speaking of convert the incoming triggers to the correct edge, or so it would appear based on your brief explanation. For your described scenario, and for most racing applications it's quite normal to use by-pass harnesses. The G4+ won't be able to power the dumb double ended coil pack, and ignitor will be needed for that. Like you said, for the given instance a solution with a quick release harness by-pass can be implemented with no changes to the G4+ itself. It's been years since I last installed a MSD box, surely there must be a viable solution which works for you. It sounds as though you have a much better understanding of the task at hand, especially the specifics you require the installation to offer. However, should you require any further assistance getting your G4+ to fit and suite your installation better please feel free to make follow up posts at your convenience. Thanks for using the Link brand, cheers!

Hello Jasaircraft. I can appreciate your attempts to keep things simple and straight forward, but Dave's advisory is actually spot on correct. I am very sorry for any confusion with respect to the instructions issued by the MSD support staff, we aren't here to contradict. Dave's response as well as mine were based on the theory of Capacitive Discharge Ignition systems such as the unit your as using from MSD. CDI works fundamentally different with respect to Inductive Discharge Ignition, which was the OEM solution. To switch between you must expect components to change and to be replaced as well as a difference in the install procedure. The easiest approach is just as Dave explained, the ignition output from the G4+ > MSD inputs > MSD coil inputs > lastly terminating the spark through the plug wires then to the spark plugs. What you have to be mindful of is the trigger edge coming from the G4+ and what is the trigger edge the MSD box is looking, they must match up. For this install, it might be best to build up a fresh harness to go between the G4+ and the MSD DIS-2 as well as the MSD DIS-2 and the coil pack. It sounds more labor intensive than it really is. Also, I know it might sound like a big ask but you should at the very least understand and be able to follow the installation through. This way you can both diagnose and accept support to diagnose any problems. I wouldn't be measuring the signal coming from the CDI box to the coil as this is an extremely high voltage spark energy signal. Remember that in a CDI installation the dumb coils only act as pulse transformers, they neither store nor amplify; the spark energy comes from the collapsed capacitors inside the CDI box. Within the OEM solution, an Inductive Dischage Ignition was used and just as the name implies it functions on the inductive principle. The coil has both a primary wound and a secondary wound, the collapsing of these wounds takes a low voltage high current signal and turns it into a high voltage low current signal which terminates at the spark plug as high spark energy. So the same coil works in two different ways. In hindsight, you may use an oscilloscope to verify the ignition pulse coming into the MSD DIS-2. Coming out of the MSD DIS-2 and to the coils, I would use the inductive clamp of a timing light. I am terribly sorry the solution isn't straight forward enough to resolve immediately, but when I get back to my desk (time difference) I can verify the settings on the G4+ for you. Where to find the menus and what the values should be. Looking forward to your success mate, cheers!

Good day. Please note that CDI installation don't need ignitors, ignitors are used to prevent the fly back from the collapse of an inductive coil and in addition there's a manual cap (limit) on the maximum dwell the coil can receive. While I'm on the same topic, please note that CDI boxes are not to be used with smart coils, only dumb coils which don't have internal ignitors. The reason for this is that the coil used with a CDI box must act like pulse transformer rather than an energy storage medium as with an inductive discharge ignition system. Things to be mindful of when using CDI boxes is the trigger edge the box should be receiving from the ECU, in this case the G4+. Should you need any other assistance please feel free to follow up at your convenience. Oh and please do take care when identifying whether your wasted spark coils are dumb (without and internal ignitor) or smart (carrying an internal ignitor). If I recall correctly the coil packs sitting on the intake manifold either carry 3 pins if they're dumb or 4 pins if they're smart. Cheers!

Good day. Please note that the new Black Edition Storm doesn't have an on-board MAP sensor as the previous Strom ECU had. However, there are some amazing advancement which have been added to make it well and truly amazing value for money. Should you have any further questions or curiosities please fee free to post them at your convenience. Thanks again for your interest, cheers!

Thanks for sharing, we will be looking forward to having this diagnosed and resolved for you so that you may go on to enjoy your investment. Cheers!

Great, we'll be looking forward to your follow up cheers!

Good day. I stand to be corrected here, but this sounds like a power management setting from within Windows which is resetting (momentarily interrupting) the USB connection when the power source is altered. I would try disabling the feature so that nothing happens as you transition from AC power to battery power and vice versa on your laptop. You should be able to find the Advanced Power Settings within any version of Windows by going through the Control Panel. I think you should be safe by adjusting the USB entry only and nothing else, so all other entries can be left as is or at least to your preference as an end user. This is of course assuming that this is the source of your problem. If the problem persists then we will have to revisit with additional feedback. Cheers!

Good day. Is that laptop on battery power or is it using a power pack connected to an inverter connected inside the car? Can you share a log of what happens please? Or can you describe what happens? Does the engine speed drop low stumbling the engine, almost in a manner where load devices such as radiator fans causes a high current draw which exhausts the available torque for the engine at idle. Does that sound similar to what you are experiencing?

Good day. Since I don't have neither the 1UZFE nor the 2UZFE local to me I won't be able to give you any confirmed validation. My apologies for this. However, the wiring fundamentals for solenoid remain the same so having this I think that a non-evasive testing exercise can be completed to back what has been understood about the 1UZFE. With the use of the evap solenoid, I do believe it can be used as a bypass valve to aid stability of idle control. However, I think that you will find the idle ignition control strategy might be capable enough to deliver exactly what you might be looking for when it comes to a stable idle. In most, if not many instances, the idle ignition strategy is more than capable but for cases where the ignition advance available isn't enough to control the torque of the engine it is necessary to introduce an air bypass valve to feed the engine more air so it can be abled to produce more torque potentially; with more air then more fuel (energy) can be added and with this extra air and fuel the engine has a greater potential ability to produce more torque to stabilize itself at idle. Different OEM manufacturers will have different strategies for this, but it's not uncommon to deviate from this when using an aftermarket ECU. Cheers.

No worries mate, I'm more than happy to assist. Cheers!

The internal MAP sensors on the Storm ecus was a 4 BAR, it's the only 4BAR in the drop down list for MAP sensor types. What you can also do is complete the calibration test to make sure there are no errors and the data is sensible. Cheers!

Good day. It sounds like your idle speed control valve might be regulating itself causing more by pass air to enter the engine than necessary for idle causing the engine speed to raise momentarily as you have described. It's unlikely that incorrect fuel or ignition advance can cause the described, however, I stand to be corrected. What you can do when the engine starts up, or even before the engine starts up for that matter, open up the PCLink software and connect to your Link ECU. When connected press F12 to open up the run time values then navigate to the auxiliary tab. Proceed to start the engine while paying attention to the Idle Speed section of the windows in the lower left had corner. You should see the duty cycle reflected as a percentage change in relation to the engine speed. If such is the case then you can open up ECU Settings (View on the main menu of PCLink then select ECU Settings), navigate and open up the Idle Speed Control entry and within Idle Speed Control you should turn your attention to the Startup Step Table as well as the Idle Base Position Table for adjustments to correct the described problem. You may choose to view these tables live during startup or you may choose to enable PC Logging to capture the data for you to be reviewed while the engine is off. Don't forget to press the F1 key while you are on the respective tables to get detailed help file information relative to tasks you may be undertaking. Cheers!

Thanks for sharing Scott, makes a good addition for general knowledge. Cheers!

Good day. Your proposed points sound okay based on the big increases of air flow into the engine relative to throttle opening. So to have break points to cover the range of big increases in VE would be best based on what you are asking. Ignition advance is influenced on fuel and bore diameter in addition to what you've already listed. I would either use the onboard knock windowing of the G4+ or the Link Knock Block so that you can listen to the combustion event as it happens making adjustments based on the feedback you get. The is an extremely interesting project, if you can, please leave a few photos in the customer car section of the forum. It's great to see the Link brand utilized in such a diverse manner. Cheers!