Help with Kameari distributor

[DeLorean]

Hello,

 

I'm looking to learn a little more about the Kameari distributor as I've recently installed one on my L24. I'm running Mikunis (40s) with headers and exhaust but stock cam and internals. I understand that the distributor adjusts itself, but I'm having trouble figuring out how base timing is set and what the best value would be. 

 

Right now I can't get it past 28, that appears to be fully advanced, and when driving the car it feels sluggish and spits/sputters a lot below 3k. Once it's over that range, it moves pretty well. Is this just the behavior of this unit and it's working as expected?

 

Apologies if I come across as a dummy, I'm definitely learning a lot as I'm going. All the paperwork I can find for the setup is in Japanese, so if anyone here has some experience they can share, I would be most grateful.

[NewZed]

Base timing is set at idle speed.  Centrifugal advance adds timing as RPM increase, typically about 20 degrees.  So if you set base at 28, you'll have 48 at about 2500 RPM (typical max advance), which is too much.  Add vacuum advance on top and you could have up to 66 degrees advance at high RPM, low throttle opening cruising.  Which would be ridiculous.

 

Base timing should be set to about 10 degrees, normally, if vacuum advance i used.  If it's not then about 20 is typical, depending on total centrifugal advance.  This is common to all distributors, not just the Kameari.

 

You can characterize what you have completely with a dial-back timing light, or some tricks.  You haven't really described what have very well though.  28 degrees under what conditions?  Idle, with vacuum hose, high RPM?

[DeLorean]

Good call, I'm at 28 at idle. The distributor does not have a vacuum hose. As far as I can tell, the Kameari unit automatically switches to somewhere between 35-38 above 4000 RPMs. This is according to the little printed information I can find (and in Japanese.)

 

Edit: link to PDF from Kameari site.

 

http://www.kameariengineworks.co.jp/L6-racingdyisubihaisen-2.pdf

Edited July 29, 2016 by DeLorean

[NewZed]

That would be the end of advancement, not a switch.  Sloping upward from the base setting as RPM increase.  4000 RPM seems high for the L6, most of them are done by 2500.

 

Since you have a timing light you should just characterize what's happening.  Set the base to some low number, then rev the engine until it stops advancing.  Note the timing and the RPM.  If you don't have a dial back light you can set timing to zero for a short while and rev the engine until advancement stops.  Then you'll have the centrifugal advance amount, which you can use to set base timing.

 

Here's an example of a timing curve.  It's in distributor RPM, not crankshaft so you need to double the numbers to use them at the crankshaft.  So advance starts at 1000 RPM (500), and stops at 2400 (1200), with a total of 20 degrees (10), for the first curve.  So, if you set your base to zero with that distributor, to characterize it, it would stop advancing at 20 degrees on the timing mark, at 2400 RPM.  

 

I'm not sure which distributor goes with which carb setup (there were several combinations in 1972), but there are other curves in the FSM.  Read Engine Electrical and Engine Tuneup if you want to see the possibilities.  They have high centrifugal advance for low base timing, and low centrifugal for high base timing.  Generally, they limit total to the low 30s. Most guys on this forum shoot for about 34 total.

[josh817]

I am surprised, yet at the same time I am not, that they wouldn't include english instructions after spending over $1000 on a distributor. Have you tried speaking to RHDJapan folks or ZCCJDM? I want to say one of them had a rep here on this site many moons ago. I don't know if this type of setup would even have a mechanical advance on it. Perhaps you didn't install the dizzy/oil drive on the right tooth? With this being a programmed curve I'm not sure how it can be off other than the meshing of the gears at the crank.

 

I myself had a problem with a standard distributor because unlike the 32/36 DGV Weber on the other car which has a vacuum port right at the throttle plate, the Weber DCOE's didn't. There was a vacuum port on the manifold which I suppose would work with a vacuum retard distributor since it always sees vacuum until you start opening up the throttle. What I wound up doing is plugging the manifold vacuum and running a higher than usual idle advance because the mechanical alone wasn't enough to get it from 10-12 to 36ish. Consequently the idle was always around 1200RPM even with the idle adjustment backed all the way out, just like NewZed described.

 

http://www.rhdjapan.com/kameari-l-type-race-distributor-ignition-control-kit-with-spindle-gear.html

 

http://www.zccjdm.com/catalog.php/azcarbum/dt/pd858354/KAMEARI__LASER_RACE_DISTRIBUTOR__IGNITION_KIT_

 

http://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech-discussion-forum/306382-timing-3-1-kameari-ignition.html

Edited July 30, 2016 by josh817

[Gareth. J.]

Why don't you email Mori san at Kameari?

 

 

I've done that with the Kameari items I have purchased. He's very willing to help 

[DeLorean]

Thanks for the advice, is Mori san's email on the Kameari JP site? I noticed the US site is no longer up.

 

I had the car at the shop for a series of items, the distributor being one so I'm not sure if the spindle gear was properly installed. That will be one of the first things I check.

[clear2me]

Hello

 

Yes

 

These Mori email

 

kame.mori@nifty.com

 

Good luck

[LarsFeld]

Hi, i use the same kameari on my L 24 race car, in the papers its says 35-38 degrees @ 4000 rpm, and thats the Way to adjust it, have a ignition gun that Can adjust the degrees, and rew up to 4000rpm and set the ignition to 35- 38 degrees, but have in mind that it is a very High settings, and depending on the fuel you have acess to it Can be to High, i set my car to 32-34 degrees, running on Shell V power (Europe Denmark), i guess you have a diffrent Ron scale in the US. Lars.