EDIS Revisited?

[Danny Joe]

I was reading the EDIS thread and was wondering if anybody was making and selling a kit with the crank trigger wheel and the distributor plug? I would like to use this system sometime in the future, but I don't have the tools and equipment to do the above-mentioned parts. I don't want to have my ride down for any length of time if I can avoid it. Nobody has posted on that thread in more than 2 years, is it time to reopen the discussion?

[caraholic4life]

Recently I purchased a couple of Seth Emerson's new distributors, I think I'll stick with them for now.

Here is a cut and paste from another place. Food for thought as an alternative to the edis.

"New all-electronic distributor for Corvair engines – Ready to run!
Features:
Specifically designed to fit the Corvair motor
OEM style construction and appearance, replacement parts widely available
Comes complete with distributor cap and new drive gear
High Energy electronics, using a magnetic trigger, self-contained inside the distributor
Plug and play, no external box to mount, hook up three wires
Tested in road racing, autocross and street use
Unit requires 12 volts at coil terminal, resistance bypass wires are available
Clears Corvair top shroud sheet metal
Adjustable mechanical advance, both rate and limit, included
Uses aftermarket accessories for GM distributors
Three distributor cap options, stock style or red/black HEI style
Uses GM WeatherPack style connectors, with a quick-disconnect for easy removal
Must use 12 Volt coil or high-output aftermarket coils. Not OEM coil.
Vacuum advance block-off kit is included for racing applications
A variety of replacement ignition wire sets are available, special pricing if purchased with distributor
Cautions:
Early 140HP secondary throttle bell crank interferes with cap – late 140 bell crank can be substituted
Currently no pressure retard unit is available. A turbo-charged engine will require external boost control of timing. Ask about options. OEM pressure retard unit from Corvair does not fit.
Clears high-mounted Air Conditioning compressors. May not clear smog pumps (A.I.R.)
Distributor options. (Prices with distributor purchase)
Choice of Black or Red pin-style cap (no cost)
HEI style 8mm wire set to match pin style cap - $32 (Any of 8 colors)
Option of Black OEM style cap - $18
Optimized Connection Harness (shortened) - $8 exchange
12 Volt power coil feed wire (61-64 or 65-69) - $8
OEM late 140HP right-side secondary linkage offset bellcrank (used) $15
Shipping in the USA is $18

Order from:
Silicone Wire Systems
3462 Kirkwood Dr.
San Jose, CA 95117

E-mail for more info: sethracer@aol.com"

[Danny Joe]

Thanks Seth, I had seen something about that earlier. I have been weighing the relative merits of the various HEIs over the last couple of months, and the EDIS system is ahead at this time
I have been reading Miniman's posts about the EDIS, and i really like the idea of no distributor, no rotary button or cap to wear and/or need repair/replacement. He also made a good point about the movement of the disributor being enough to change timing by +/- 3 degrees. Also the programmability of the Megajolt to have perfect timing for optimum power throughout the RPM range.

[miniman82]

Currently no pressure retard unit is available. A turbo-charged engine will require external boost control of timing. Ask about options. OEM pressure retard unit from Corvair does not fit.

The above is the best reason why you should get EDIS, even if they offered a pressure retard I wouldn't buy one because my own testing indicates they are unreliable. They never seem to give the same retard, even at the same boost pressure. OP, here's what I would do if I were in your shoes:

Go on Ebay and find an EDIS 6 kit with the coil pack, wires, module, crank sensor and connectors- buy it. Buy a Megajolt from Autosport Labs, and the distributor plug from American Pi (Ray Sedman). You're on your own for the trigger disc, I would buy a 36-1 wheel and take the pulley and disc to a machine shop to see if they can put the two together in a way that works for you. Just remember that the sensor must lead the missing tooth by 60* (each tooth is 10*) in the direction of crank rotation, and if you have a harmonic balancer you cannot interfere with the outside ring by having the disc rub against it. You should mount the disc to the inner part of the balancer, not the outer!

Follow my guide and the EDIS/MJ documentation to wire it all up on your car, then you can download my base tune to get you started:

http://www.autosportlabs.org/viewtopic. ... highlight=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(you will need a login to download files)

Hope this helps.

[Danny Joe]

THanks, Miniman! The pressure retard was the other reason I had overlooked! That will definitely get me going. I may have to go to a salvage yard, as there aren't any complete sets on Ebay at present.

[miniman82]

Look for a mid 90's Ford V-6 with a coil pack, but beware there are 2 flavors:

The first will have the EDIS-6 module mounted on either the fender or firewall which is the one you can take everything from, the second are EEC-V equipped which incorporated the functions of the EDIS module into the ECM. Those engines you will only be able to harvest the crank sensor, trigger disc, coil pack, wires and misc connectors. Some parts houses sell the brand new EDIS module for real cheap, so if all you have to choose from is EEC-V stuff you can always buy a new module. I guess if you really wanted all new stuff, Rock Auto would be the best thing.

All of this assumes you're OK with the price going way up for having to pay for all the parts vice doing it yourself...

I'm a tightwad, which is why I built everything from scratch. The crank adapter isn't all that hard to make, you just need a round chunk of 1/4" aluminum that's large enough on the O.D. to mount the trigger disc. All you do is make a pair of holes in it that match up with the harmonic balancer removal tool bolt holes, put spacers under it so it doesn't rub, then put the trigger disc right on top of that. Like I said, a machine shop could help you out in a pinch. I even put a large hole in the middle of mine so the balancer socket will pass through and put another pair of removal tool holes in the adapter plate so you can pull the balancer without having to remove the trigger disc stuff. It all works just like stock still.

[Danny Joe]

Thanks for the additional info, Miniman. I'll have to start collecting the things I'm going to need for this. Luckily I just changed my harmonic balancer so I have the old one to mock up the ring spacing with. Also I copied the drawings that cc_devilbiss had on his blog, they give good measurements for that, also the bracket for holding the sensor.

[miniman82]

It's easier than you think, and the results are well worth it- especially with a turbo.

[notched]

No complaints with my EDIS set up here. Hardest thing for me was getting the Megajolt to communicate with the laptop via the USB to DB9 adapter. I tried 3 different types and finally realized it was a Windows 8 issue.
I found an older Dell lap top with a DB9 serial plug and Windows 7 for under $150 and was able to communicate right away.
The only people who bash or bad mouth the Megajolt/EDIS conversion are the narrow minded people who have not tried it or do not have the know how to make it work. On my turbo I have seen incredible gains in drivability and performance that would not have been possible with a distributor with mechanical advance and factory style boost retard mechanisms.
With the stock set up I used to have problems with the plugs fouling on hot restarts. It would take a minute or so of driving to get it to smooth out. Since the conversion I have never had the fouling problem.

[miniman82]

Part of that issue is the distributor's fault for having way too much base timing for a hot start, so either it won't catch or it'll kick back on the starter and break the nose cone. The other half of the problem is the choke mechanism resetting before it really should, I.E. the engine is still hot but the carb choke partially closes when it should still be fully open. That's probably why your plugs were fouling. I found around 14* base timing to be about optimal, adding a few more degrees after it moves into a higher load bin on the timing map makes it more stable as well. Adding an electric fuel pump cures the fuel being boiled out of the float chamber due to turbo heat soak, then the engine starts to act like something far more modern than it is. It's really nice.

[Danny Joe]

I saw on American-Pi's website that they have an electronic choke conversion. Anybody with any experience/opinions?

[notched]

I have not had any heat soak or vapor lock problems with my YH as I made a phenolic spacer to go between the carb and the turbo.
I still run a mechanical fuel pump to which I adjusted the pressure to 2 psi.
I also run the stock thermostatic choke and have been able to adjust it to suit my needs. When warmed up I can reach through the window and have it start without touching the gas pedal. I know others have their issues with the YH choke, but I was able to figure out the best setting to suit what I needed. I wouldn't go replacing it unless it is a problem.

[Scott V]

I saw on American-Pi's website that they have an electronic choke conversion. Anybody with any experience/opinions?

works great.

if your choke is working like it should & its all adjusted right.........then the stock choke works good also. problem is some stock chokes are worn out & dont work like they should so the electronic choke conversion is the way to go.

-Scott V.

[miniman82]

The one from Clark's works good too, but the point is moot for me anymore since I have a 45DCOE. I trust it will be very cold hearted.

[DAVECS1]

Could get Seth's box and run an ignition box like the Grid from MSD. That way you can do boost referenced timing and what not, not a whole lot of fabrication, and can be configured to limp home in the event of a failure.

[notched]

Dave,
Whats a whole lot of fabrication? You make a spacer and index the trigger wheel on the damper and mount the crank VR sensor. Not difficult and no more wiring involved than say an MSD box. The EDIS/Megajolt is certainly cheaper than buying the new distributor, a high power coil and an ignition box that allows electronic adjustment. Plus the EDIS doesn't suffer from spark scatter that happens with the small Corvair distributor cap.
Also, the Megajolt incorporates the Ford ignition module that allows limp home mode should the MJ box crap out.