<VV> Detonation woes

[J R Read_HML]

Lloyd,

I just sorted by "from" and reviewed about 4 messages that you sent on this. 
I'm not sure that carb balance is the issue, but it certainly does not hurt 
to check that.  I don't know the history of this car/engine but is there a 
possibility the weights in the distributor are stuck (rusty)?  Also, 
possibly that the points plate is quite worn and giving you erratic 
performance?  I'd be looking in that (distributor) direction for starters.

I did not see any mention of trouble shooting on the distributor, other than 
you had retarded the timing.  I have no first hand experience with a 102 
engine and have not used anything but AC spark plugs, so can't speak to 
those items which you had brought up.

How are the plug wires?  Try misting the engine with a spray bottle of water 
on a relatively dark evening.  See if your spark is wandering all over the 
place on the outside of the wires and/or the engine shrouding.

You DID mention headers, which (I assume they are not enclosed in any way) 
would tend to make the engine warm up more slowly than normal - ala - no 
lower shrouds.  Detonation normally occurs on fully warmed (sometimes overly 
so) engines - as opposed to a relatively cold engine.  But, it is most 
noticeable during medium to medium hard acceleration.  I'm just wondering if 
you are hearing ping OR something else???  Are your headers fooling you in 
some way?  Possibly creating a resonance at certain RPMs which SOUNDS like 
ping?  Do they have a leak and you don't hear it anymore at higher Rs?

Don't know if any of this helps, but I may have touched on something that 
you have overlooked.

Later, JR


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "lloyd biggerstaff" <lloydscorvan at yahoo.com>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:13 PM
Subject: <VV> Detonation woes


>I just read the recommendation about carb balancing for a possible cure to 
>my detonation woes and remembered that I own a Uni-sync, except that I can 
>not find the instructions.Is it pretty simple to use? I am getting 
>desperate with this detonantion problem.
>
>