When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
In your video, what is that air sound kicking up a notch about a second after each gear change? Sounds like some sort of air leak after boost hitting a certain pressure.
On my phone, it's at the -26, -23, and -18 second marks.
Take a look at your ignition coils while you're fixing gap. Matt has adjusted his coil size since his early models. I bought a set around the same time period. He uses much longer coils now. The old ones fit but were a bit too short and lead to some arcing which lead to some corrosion at the plug terminals. They are pretty easy to disassemble and he will provide you with new coils. Start by inspecting the units tho. If your plug terminals are corroded even sightly - discolored in any way - that's a problem. Look down into the coil boot and you should be able to tell if the coil is ok. It may also be corroded or discolored in some way. Either way, you should get in touch with Matt from Spoolinup and ask him about his new coils. Just to be clear,I'm not talking about the "coil" as the entire unit, just the actual ignition coil inside each unit that makes contact with the plug terminal. He used to use short coils, he now uses longer ones, the connection is much more robust, cars runs better. I spent an entire summer chasing mysterious source(s) of knock - I had several pieces in my puzzle and that was one of them. I also closed my gap down to the .022 range like suggested and run nothing but ngk coppers just FYI.
I also utilized a blend of 100 and 93 octane unleaded to rule out false knock. I ended up changing many components, from parts to configurations/routing. I'm mostly cured, but I think I have some noisy components in the head. Many years on stock valvetrain with drop in cams. Anyway hope we've given you some ideas to look into with your ignition
I think the older versions were the ones you couldn't fit the spark plug cover on. The connection to the coil would angle up instead of being parallel so that the cover can fit.
Just to follow up - it would be difficult to determine just from looking at the assembled system to tell. I want to say I bought mine in 2012. I'd be willing to bet you have the short coils. I'll attach some pics for reference.
See the height difference between old and new. Simply put, more coil spring pressure makes a stronger electrical connection. I know it just looks like he stretched the old springs but they fit much more snug as well
If any of your components have this type of appearance below, your ignition system is not optimized. I initially thought it was a design flaw and moisture was finding its way in and causing corrosion, but I shared these images with Matt and he explained how he's moved to a longer coil now and that the corroded appearance was caused by arcing due to less than optimal connection between coil and plug.
You can see the greenish color on the plug terminal and the gunk buildup on the coil. I had a great improvement from switching coils and by reducing gap. As others have stressed that is likely a major player here. However, you owe it to your new setup to freshen up the ignition while you're pulling plugs. If your plug terminals and coils aren't clean then you could use the new coils. Send Matt an email, he will help out
Just to follow up - it would be difficult to determine just from looking at the assembled system to tell. I want to say I bought mine in 2012. I'd be willing to bet you have the short coils. I'll attach some pics for reference.
See the height difference between old and new. Simply put, more coil spring pressure makes a stronger electrical connection. I know it just looks like he stretched the old springs but they fit much more snug as well
If any of your components have this type of appearance below, your ignition system is not optimized. I initially thought it was a design flaw and moisture was finding its way in and causing corrosion, but I shared these images with Matt and he explained how he's moved to a longer coil now and that the corroded appearance was caused by arcing due to less than optimal connection between coil and plug.
You can see the greenish color on the plug terminal and the gunk buildup on the coil. I had a great improvement from switching coils and by reducing gap. As others have stressed that is likely a major player here. However, you owe it to your new setup to freshen up the ignition while you're pulling plugs. If your plug terminals and coils aren't clean then you could use the new coils. Send Matt an email, he will help out
Amazing post and something I had not been considering until you pointed this out. I reached out to Matt at Spoolinup and he said to mail back my system for a free checkup which I will. My Unit does indeed fit under teh factory Mitsu Cover which I like FWIW.
An injector issue would be apparent in setting up the base map. They wouldn't scale to where that injector should normally scale.
When you get everything back, put it back together with the .040" plug gap. See your issue not fixed.
I totally agree that’s insane for a gap, I don’t think any boosted vehicle would ever run a gap that big., you can have the best ignition system / coils and it would still misfire/ spark blow out.
Spark plug gap is the main issue here. I'd try that before waiting 1-2 weeks to get the COP back.
High PSI, I'm going to agree with my friend here. Please let me emphasize that. I hope that message hasn't been lost in the info I provided. I had my plugs gapped properly and still had some issues with knock (not marked by misfires at all btw, so don't think that just because your car may not be missing at that enormous gap, that gap isn't a predominant issue). Please close your gap down. All the theory surrounding larger gap, more spark = more power, is not backed by evidence. It doesn't provide more power, even if you have the upgraded ignition system to push it - at least at this power level, fuel, etc.
However, it is in your best interest to make the revisions to your system. I have that exact setup - they were the brand new coils intended to fit under the cover. Did you list your plug type? I can't see any posts while I'm replying. Anyway, the new coils will help, but not unless you bring the gap down. I think its unanimous. Matt is a stand-up guy. He'll have your stuff back to you quickly.
Jun 18, 2019, 08:28 PM
