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Reviving Classics - DIY Fuel Injection Systems Transform Vintage Cars

Integrating modern electronic fuel injection (EFI) systems into vintage cars has become increasingly accessible due to technological advancements. Equipped with self-tuning capabilities, these systems eliminate the need for complex tuning procedures traditionally done with laptops and engine dynamometers, making it easier for DIY mechanics to install EFI systems. Companies like Perma-Tune have developed engine-specific synchronization distributors that eliminate the need for mounting crankshaft and camshaft sensors directly on the engine, simplifying the installation process even further.

Self-tuning EFI systems, such as those offered by FAST, Holley, and MSD, provide a plug-and-play solution that emulates the traditional carburetor setup. These systems are designed to bolt directly onto existing engine configurations with minimal modifications, including components like throttle bodies, fuel rails, and injectors, simplifying the switch from carburetors to EFI and improving throttle response and fuel efficiency. Perma-Tune’s synchronization distributors enhance installation by providing precise crankshaft and camshaft position signals, which crankshaft-mounted sensor wheels lack; these wheels often cause signal distortion due to wobbling.

Perma-Tune synchronization distributors maintain the original look of the engine compartment by providing spark distribution through a traditional distributor cap and rotor. Combining self-tuning EFI systems with synchronization distributors is a major advancement, making modern fuel injection technology accessible to vintage car enthusiasts and preserving the classic appeal while enhancing performance and reliability.

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Enhancing Vintage Porsches with Smartphone-Enabled Distributors

Perma-Tune, a company specializing in ignition systems for classic vehicles, has introduced a new line of distributors for air-cooled Porsche models. These advanced distributors integrate modern technology while preserving the original appearance, offering a unique solution for vintage car enthusiasts seeking both authenticity and performance.

The core innovation in these distributors lies in their digital electronics, which replace many traditional mechanical components. The only moving part is the rotor, with all timing functions managed digitally. This approach reduces wear and increases the reliability of the distributor over time. The system's digital design also allows for more precise control over engine timing, a critical factor in maximizing the performance and longevity of vintage Porsche engines.

Smartphone Integration for Real-Time Engine Tuning

A key feature of the Perma-Tune distributors is their ability to connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Users can download a free app that enables them to adjust engine timing settings in real time, even while driving. This connectivity provides a high level of convenience, allowing for immediate and fine-tuned adjustments based on driving conditions, such as changes in fuel formulation, terrain or weather.

The smartphone app offers a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to both professional mechanics and Porsche owners alike. By offering control over a wide range of parameters, the system supports optimization for various performance enhancements, including specialized cams and headers. This flexibility ensures that the distributor can be tailored to individual driving preferences and the specific characteristics of the car’s engine.

Enhance your vehicle's security with the cutting-edge smartphone app, giving you the power to instantly disable your engine's ignition system right from your phone. Keep control and peace of mind at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere.

Optimizing Performance While Maintaining Authenticity

With these new distributors, Perma-Tune provides an innovative approach to upgrading vintage Porsche models. By blending original design elements with advanced technology, they enable classic car owners to achieve modern performance standards without sacrificing the authenticity of their vehicles.

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Restoring the Porsche 911SC: Simplifying Ignition System Upgrades

Restoring the ignition system of a classic Porsche 911SC has been streamlined with the availability of the Perma-Tune 911SC623 kit. Designed for the 3.0-liter engine models, this kit addresses many of the challenges associated with finding compatible ignition components for older vehicles. The Perma-Tune solution provides a full set of components necessary for an effective restoration, including a module, coil, distributor wiring harness, distributor, cap, and rotor.

Complete Kit for Easy Installation

The Perma-Tune 911SC623 kit simplifies the installation process by offering a plug-and-play wiring harness and hardware that fits directly into the existing setup. This ease of installation eliminates the need for modifications or custom fitting, often a concern when dealing with vintage cars. The components are designed to align seamlessly with the original equipment, helping to maintain the integrity and aesthetic of the Porsche 911SC while ensuring operational efficiency.

Modern Functionality with Classic Appeal

A key feature of the Perma-Tune 911SC623 kit is its ability to combine modern electronics with a period-correct appearance. The parts are designed to mirror the original components, crucial for those aiming to meet concourse-level standards. At the same time, the modern electronics integrated into the components offer enhanced reliability and performance, which can be especially valuable for owners who plan to drive their vehicles regularly.

Enhancing the Restoration Experience

The Perma-Tune 911SC623 ignition restoration kit offers a comprehensive solution for enthusiasts and restorers of the Porsche 911SC. By providing all the necessary components in one package and ensuring compatibility with the original design, the kit removes much of the guesswork and effort traditionally associated with restoring classic car ignition systems, enabling a smoother and more reliable restoration process.

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Perma-Tune Introduces Ignition Upgrade for Porsche 944 Turbo

Porsche 944 Turbo owners eager to boost their vehicle's performance now have an exceptional new aftermarket option from Perma-Tune. Their latest release is a performance ignition upgrade kit tailored specifically for the turbocharged 944 Turbo.

Although the Porsche 944 Turbo’s electronic fuel injection and traditional inductive ignition system have been dependable, the heightened demands of turbocharged engines often surpass the capabilities of stock ignition components. Perma-Tune’s kit addresses this need by delivering a more robust spark, enhancing engine torque across the entire RPM range.

The upgrade kit features a high-performance ignition coil, a dedicated wiring harness, and an advanced ignition module with a no-drill mounting bracket designed exclusively for the 944 Turbo. With the original ignition coil no longer readily available, this kit offers an excellent replacement solution. Designed for hassle-free installation, it requires no permanent modifications to your vehicle and there are no wires to cut and splice, ensuring a seamless performance enhancement.

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A New Flame - How Transient Plasma Ignition Works

Internal combustion engines, the workhorses of transportation, are undergoing a technological evolution. Non thermal plasma ignition, also known as transient plasma ignition (TPI) is a novel approach that aims to improve engine efficiency and potentially reduce emissions. It provides an alternative to the continuous spark of traditional systems, opting for a more precise method.

TPI relies on ultra-short, high-power electrical pulses measured in nanoseconds (billionths of a second). These pulses create a unique state of matter called plasma, where gas atoms lose electrons. This transient plasma acts differently than a spark. Instead of simply heating the fuel-air mixture, it triggers a chain reaction of chemical processes through highly energetic electrons.

The difference between TPI and traditional, thermal ignition systems, lies in the extremely short duration of the pulse. The electrons, much lighter than heavier ions in the plasma, rapidly gain energy, while the heavier ions remain relatively stationary, preventing excessive heat generation in the plasma.

The key benefit of TPI is its non-thermal approach. By precisely controlling the ignition with short pulses, TPI could enable much leaner burning, potentially leading to improved engine efficiency. This precise control allows researchers to explore advanced combustion strategies for further optimization.

While still in need of further research and refinement, TPI presents a promising alternative system for internal combustion engines.

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Nanosecond Discharge Plasma Ignition: A Leaner Future for Engines?

Traditional spark plugs ignite fuel mixtures in engines by generating a spark, which creates a small pocket of high-temperature, ignited fuel known as a flame kernel. The flame kernel then initiates the chain reaction of combustion within the engine's combustion chamber. However, there are limitations to this system.

Lean-Burn Challenges

Lean-burn engines operate with a mixture containing less fuel and more air. This improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions, but it can be challenging to ignite consistently. Spark plugs often struggle to create a large enough flame kernel to reliably ignite a lean mixture, leading to incomplete combustion and reduced engine performance.

A Better Means of Ignition

Researchers at the US Air Force have been exploring the potential of nanosecond discharge plasma ignition as a solution for lean-burn engines. Plasma ignition uses an electrical discharge to transform the fuel/air mixture between two electrodes inside the combustion chamber from a gas (the third state of matter) to a plasma (the fourth state of matter). Unlike a spark plug, plasma ignition produces a large flame kernel, potentially leading to more consistent and complete combustion in lean fuel mixtures.

The Air Force Study Findings

The US Air Force Research Laboratory investigated the use of nanosecond discharge plasma ignition in a single-cylinder research engine. The study found that the system successfully ignited lean fuel mixtures, even at equivalence ratios (a measure of the air-fuel ratio) as lean as 0.6. This is significantly leaner than what can be reliably ignited with traditional spark plugs.

The study also showed that the engine could maintain stable operation and achieve performance comparable to stoichiometric (ideal) conditions when using the plasma ignition system with lean mixtures. This suggests that plasma ignition has the potential to improve engine efficiency and reduce emissions without sacrificing power output.

It is important to note that this is an area of ongoing research, and further development is needed of the plasma electrodes before nanosecond discharge plasma ignition can be widely implemented in commercial engines. The long-term durability and cost-effectiveness of the technology also need to be evaluated.

Overall, the Air Force study provides promising initial results for the use of nanosecond discharge plasma ignition in enabling engines to operate efficiently with lean fuel mixtures. However, more research is required to determine the technology's feasibility for real-world applications.

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Common Signs Associated with Faulty Ignition Coils

Perma-Tune is dedicated to implementing advanced ignition technology in vintage European cars. The goal is to incorporate the latest technologies in older cars to maximize performance and service life. The products offered include bespoke ignition components, including the Perma-Tune black ignition coil.

Ignition coils in a car convert low Voltage from a car battery into higher Voltages to ignite the fuel and start an engine. However, faulty ignition coils can cause the following complications when they begin to malfunction.

Poor Acceleration and Jerking

Engines with faulty ignition coils are often unable to accelerate as required, taking longer to attain the desired speeds and sometimes jerking during acceleration. In addition, bad ignition coils cause unused fuel to be ignited in the exhaust system, which causes loud backfires.

Bad Fuel Economy

Bad ignition coils can affect fuel economy since they deny spark plugs the much-needed power, causing the system to use more fuel, leading to higher fuel consumption.

Backfiring

Ignition coil failure can lead to an engine backfire which happens when unused fuel gets out of the combustion chamber and, instead, ignites within the exhaust pipes due to heat and pressure. A loud bang, black smoke from the exhaust pipe, and a strong gas smell are commonly associated with engine backfires.

Ignition Module Failures

High performance vintage European cars use an ignition module to increase Voltage to the coil primary circuit which the coil uses to then increase the Voltage at the spark plug. Higher spark plug Voltage is required to ignite the fuel air mixture in high performance engines that have high compression ratios. Faulty ignition coils can allow the high Voltage that should go to the spark plug to instead short internally to the low Voltage windings of the coil that are connected to the ignition module. In this case the spark plug high Voltage will destroy the ignition module. Replacing the module without replacing the coil will doom the new module to the same fate as the ignition module it replaces. Perma-Tune uses a matched coil and module design to maximize performance and reliability.