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Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:11 pm
by pcolette
Audiocontr is correct that the cog on the base of the shaft is offset and will only engage one way, however dirt/grime/crud could be interfering with the cog engaging properly. Careful polishing of the walls of the hole followed by cleaning and oiling is definitely a good idea.
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I once had a distributor that took a few days of penetrating oil and some hammering to break free. If condensation gets in your oil it seems to collect and corrode between the shaft and the hole.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:42 pm
by pinzinator
I have contacted John L concerning this, I'm sure he'll get it fixed OK.

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Haf-e and pcolette are correct, the cogs have to line up with the engine in order for the module to go all the way in. It can only go in one way correctly.

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Turning the Phillips screw in the center of the disc will also tell you if everything went in OK. If the screw won't turn (clockwise), the engine is stopping it, so it is in all the way. Laying the old and new next to each other would be a good idea to verify the possibilty of different shaft lengths keeping parts from mating.

I think the belt is too loose to turn the engine, which is why the disc would occasionally stop while rotating the fan.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 9:47 am
by John L
Thanks guys for the input. I think everyone was at least partially correct. I left the clamp bolt loose when setting the engine to TDC. I would get the light set and then rotate the engine. What was happening was as I would rotate the engine, the disc would start to turn and then stop. The unit was popping up ever so slightly and at some point the connection between the mated parts was lost. To get to this conclusion, I pulled the unit out again. I checked the old distributor and noted some very slight damage/roughness to the ears on the end of it. So, I carefully cleaned the heck out of the cylinder walls, removed the spring and cleaned the cog at the bottom to make sure I got all of the crap out of the indented pieces. After feeling pretty confident I had it cleaned up well, I re-oiled it all and put the spring back. Before re-installing I confirmed that when I was rotating the engine the indented piece at the bottom of the cylinder was rotating as well. It was, so no issue there. I then re-mounted the SSI Unit and it was seated properly. Then, as I rotated the engine, I saw the disc rotating as well. At the point the disc stopped I noted the bottom of the SSI unit popped up slightly. So, after re-seating it properly I then tightened the pinch clamp to keep the unit from popping up. I set the engine at TDC, got the disc to trigger the red light, then rotated the engine two revolutions and the light was back on. So, the timing was correct according to the manual.

Good news is I got her running last night for the first time in about a month. Bad news is she would not start without connecting the relay to the new coil pack (instructions said run it for one minute disconnected.) So I connected the relay and she fired right up. Idled perfect. Drove her for about ten minutes and she had a tendency to back fire a bit when either slowing down, or powering through a turn. So, she is now running better than she did before the upgrade; but the backfiring is a new problem. I'm sure that is something fairly simple and I will investigate that. Input is welcome. Before she totally died, i.e. would not start or run, she would run OK at very low RPM's but as you gave it power she would sputter and die. The Petronix was worn out and the magnets not staying in place. A bit frustrating in traffic :D Now she runs very strong, just backfires a bit.

As for the fan belt.... you guys are right, it is too loose. So, while I have the dog house off I will jump in and either tighten or change the belt. I'll run a search on how to do that as I haven't had a need to do it until now.

And I want everyone to know that Rick with PINZSSI.com is a true professional. He has gone overboard to try and assist me with the install. Awesome customer service!!! I appreciate the help he's provided.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:00 am
by Haf-e
Glad to hear it was a somewhat simple problem. Great to have the SSI units available to the Pinz community with support.

There are a number of possible causes of backfiring - I would start with a full carb adjustment to eliminate those issues - set the balance, check the float level and make sure they are tight to the base. Then check the exhaust system for leaks.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:30 am
by edzz
Take care ageist over tightening the belt, follow the books specification. It’s a suspicion / theory of mine that the fan is intended to be able to slip a little when making an overly deep water crossing. My theory is that some of the fraged fans that have been seen over the years may have been caused by having a fan belt so tight that the fan could not slip when ingesting a large gulp of water, causing excessive stress on the old and somewhat brittle fan blades. Glad this part of the project is coming together for you and it provides good information for others. I remember spending many hours soaking my distributor shaft and tapping with a wooden dowel and hammer to unfreeze my distributor when I went to perform my first tune-up.
Best wishes in the New Year

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 1:43 pm
by John L
Thanks Ed. You too. It was amazing to me that just a thin layer of oily gook that had accumulated over the years could cause such a problem. After the cylinder walls and shaft were cleaned thoroughly the unit went in and came out much more smoothly. It still is tight; but very manageable now. Cheers and thanks to all for the input.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:38 pm
by Jimm391730
And an over tight belt strains the alternator bearings. Alternators are expensive! My personal preference is to have the belt as loose as possible while still able to spin the alternator to get proper output from it. I also have to put pressure on the belt to turn the engine with a wrench on the alternator; I do this so rarely that that it is not a big problem.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:19 am
by John L
Jimm thanks for the input. I was going to tackle that this weekend, but I may leave it alone. I have not been having any problems with the alternator doing it's job; so I may opt not to tighten it at this time.

I wanted to give an update on the backfiring in the event it gives someone else an idea of what to look for... I thought the timing may have been off slightly on the SSI as the engine was backfiring a bit. Not horrible, but definitely an issue. So I took the top off of the SSI, turned on the ignition to power the unit, and brought the engine to TDC and the red light came on. :D So the timing is spot on. I then started the engine and was looking and listening for a possible source. As I grabbed the top of the air intake and rocked the carbs I noticed the engine speed up when shifted to the passenger side and slow down when pulled the other way. I put a good light on it and found the problem... the rear carb has play between the bottom and middle section. So the good news is several fold: timing was good on the SSI, I diagnosed the problem, AND it's an easy fix. Tomorrow I'll pull the carb, clean her up a bit while I have her out, flip her over and tighten her up. This should solve the problems. I had this issue once before with the front carb so it must be a fairly common event.

Thanks again for all the input and I hope everyone has a great weekend,

John

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:15 pm
by audiocontr
Check your vacuum port plug. My truck was running lousy as i put it away in the fall. I opened it up to find that the vacuum port plug was completely cracked and brittle. Looks like it doesnt like the heat.

$3 repair

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 6:53 pm
by audiocontr
Does this unit constantly pull a small draw at all times? My #2 battery is now showing up as "bad" after an extended winter rest. I may install a relay to open the circuit until ignition turns on.

Do standard automotive relays work at 24 volts?

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:01 pm
by pinzinator
No, the PinzSSI unit does not draw any amperage if the engine is not turning or the key is off. If you do leave the key (not running) on the coils do not draw current, and no harm is done to the electronics, either.

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:14 pm
by audiocontr
pinzinator wrote:No, the PinzSSI unit does not draw any amperage if the engine is not turning or the key is off. If you do leave the key (not running) on the coils do not draw current, and no harm is done to the electronics, either.
Well... awesome! Thanks!

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 12:23 am
by Jimm391730
Try charging each battery overnight with a 12V normal car charger (do one the first night, and the other the second night).

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:01 am
by audiocontr
Yup, did so. Front battery charged, rear came up as 'bad' after several attempts. I noticed a lot of build up around its terminals when I opened the door.

I may use the front on my huffy and buy two new for the pinz

Re: Pinzi SSI

Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 2:06 pm
by Jack Russell Racing
Got my PinzSSI kit today. Insane fast shipping, great packaging, and solid installation guide. Now, I just need to find some time and cooler temperatures to spend a few hours wrenching. :) Thanks!