Happy Heinze coil user: new observations you may want to know

[Darren J Wallace]

Good Morning all!

For some time, I've been using my rebuilt Heinze coils in my early '13 Canadian touring. I used to set them up using my Regan Strobo-spark unit with an adapter I made to accommodate the Heinze coils with no modifications to the Strobospark. They worked great1

I decided a while back to talk to Mike Kossor when he was getting ready to offer A Heinze coil version for sale of his ECCT. After much friendly conversation, I bought the unit, and was VERY pleased with it AND Mike's attention to detail with following up with me after the sale. When I set up my coils with the ECCT, it made a considerably HUGE improvement in how my car ran all around. More power, smoother running, I couldn't be happier!

Unfortunately for me, my car wouldn't idle really low though afterwards. I did the magneto check with the ECCT and sure enough, I have a weak mag. Crap....
I was bummed out, but knowing I have to pull the engine at some point sometime soon (to correct out a later oil pan and some improvements), it didn't bother me. I went back for the time being to using the Strobo-spark settings as it did allow me to run my car really smooth and, at a good low idle with the amp draw set in the coils to 1.0.

That was last year....

So this weekend, I had the car out for the second time of the season, and I noticed I was fighting a bit to start it, and it was running a little rough. So I got thinking:

Before I check calibration on the coils with the Strobo-spark, what if I set them up on the ECCT again, but this time instead of using the 0 degree timing setting which would indicate "excellent" on the ECCT gage, I set them all up for -2 degrees, but make all four coils the SAME.

I put them back in the car, and holy moly, I was back to having the motor running like a champion! Beyond easy starting, smooth as butter performance at very low idle, accelerates like a cut cat, and just plain wants to go!

Now I'm a provincially licensed tool and die machinist/millwright, but I only know enough about electrical stuff to do 90% of all things to code, and enough to make me dangerous. LOL!

So now that you've heard my little story and you have Heinze coils, this is something else to know if your mag is a little weak. I would enjoy hearing from Mike K. and anyone else who would like to chime in with comments!

I was sold on the ECCT after buying it for sure. I'm glad I tried this as it worked a treat! Don't quite understand the deep theory other than that the coils must be all exactly the same, giving the best results that Mike has become known for!

[TXGOAT2]

Any T engine will run better with synchronized coils.

It makes sense that adjusting coils so as to draw a little less current would make starting easier with a weak magneto, as well as improving low speed operation. Setting the plug gap a little on the tight side and making sure the plugs are clean and have sharp, square electrodes would probably further help.

[Moxie26]

Darren ... Bragging on your results only comes from personal experience. BRAVO !!! .... I've been rebuilding coils for at least 15 years using a hand cranked coil tester. Early on I had good results using that tester only to be notified by some that their engines were not firing correctly. Turned out that whoever was manufacturing the coil points at that time was using insufficient quality metal especially on the upper bridge cushion spring. After a Time the cushion spring metal actually wore into the limiting rivet causing the rivet to make a larger diameter hole....... The current run of KW coil points are far Superior and the limiting rivet has been initially set a lot better..... And now I use the ECCT system to properly set and balance KW style coils.