The Spark Curve reported by the Standard Engine Analyzer starts high, then drops down, then increases again. Is this possible?
The standard Engine Analyzer tries to make the spark curve somewhat automatic. It gives the engine as much spark as the program thinks the engine wants, but not so much as to let the engine detonate (spark knock) for the given conditions (intake air temp, humidity, fuel octane, CR, etc.) The EA Pro is not so automatic, but does give you much more freedom to try different things with spark advance. In the actual engine, spark advance curves have been developed from what a simple centrifugal advance could do in an “old fashioned” distributor: start at the “initial advance”, then at some RPM start advancing to a higher “full advance”. This approximately follows what most engines “want”. Most spark requirements increase gradually with RPM. However, if your engine has a big cam, for example, it may produce poor low RPM torque (poor combustion due to poor mixture) and may benefit from more advance until the engine gets “up on tune”, where spare requirements then fall, then pick up gradually
Related Questions
- The Spark Curve reported by the Standard Engine Analyzer starts high, then drops down, then increases again. Is this possible?
- Why does the Engine Analyzer and the Engine Analyzer Pro give different results for detonation (spark knock)?
- Can I use a standard spark plug if my vehicle manufacturer recommends a high performance plug?
