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1380
Race Mini 
Raced in
the competitive Yorkshire
Speed Hill Climb & Sprint Championships, the
1380 Mini Clubman of John Savage proved to be an ideal testbed
for the Canems Ignition ECU. Many thanks to John for adopting
the system in the development stages.
Wiring in the new ignition system was straightforward due
to the colour coded loom supplied as part of the Canems
ECU kit. Making use of the programmable ECU outputs, a shift
light was added. An original A-series bottom pulley was
machined with the necessary 36-1 tooth pattern.
A Ford
crank sensor was then added in the most convenient location,
facing towards the front grille for easy access. Mounted
here, the missing tooth ended up 232 degrees away from the
crank sensor at top dead centre. Having set the static timing
correctly in the Canems software, the car started and idled
relatively well. To check that the static timing was indeed
correct, the ECU was programmed to lock the timing at 20
degrees. A strobe light was then used to verify the timing
with the engine running.
Once the
spark plugs had been opened out to 0.040", low speed
running of the car was vastly improved. Being a five-port
cylinder head (siamesed inlets) with 45 Weber and a race
cam the car had previously been very temperamental when
low down in the rev-range.
At the
top end of the rev-range, there was a problem with a misfire
approaching 7200 rpm. Performing a datalog in the Canems
software we were able to see that engine speed was not being
sensed correctly. After reinforcing the crank sensor mounting
plate with triangular welded gussets so that the sensor
could not vibrate, the engine immediately ran smoothly through
to the other side of 8000 rpm. Normally the engine would
not be taken to such high speed, being a relatively long-stroked
design. Happy with the system, John arranged for a rolling
road tuning session to get the best from the car.
Mapping
and rolling road testing
After spending
an afternoon on the rolling road at the Fuel Injection Centre
in Bolton, the ECU was mapped under different load conditions.
Ironically, because John knew what the maximum advance figure
should be, little gain was seen at the top end of the power
curve throughout the day. However, we were able to confirm
his thoughts and add some ignition advance when the engine
was not under load. This enhanced the idle characteristics
and low speed running even more.
Happy with
the new ignition map, a full power run was made, recording
a staggering 135 bhp, 112 at the wheels.
Click
for a closer look.
Being a
solid state design, there is less potential for problems
with reliability with the Canems Ignition ECU. In the past,
rotor arms and distributor caps (not to mention high-resistance
coils) would have been under severe strain at over 7200
rpm, which is where this engine reached maximum power. With
the Canems ECU this is not a problem.
Race
Success
Racing
for the first time with the Canems Ignition system, John
was able to win his class in the Olivers Mount Hill Climb,
part of the Scarborough Festival of Speed weekend.
At the time of writing, John has managed to claim his second
successive win in the championship at the Teesside Autodrome.
The next target is Cadwell Park where hopefully the Canems
Ignition system will once again prove to be part of the
winning formula.
Thanks
Thanks
to all at the Fuel Injection Centre in Bolton for giving
up their time to test the Canems system and providing valuable
knowledge and guidance.
Thynne Street, Bolton BL3
6AY
Tel:01204 396263 or 01204 391071
sales@fuelinjectioncentre.co.uk
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