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Cosworth wasted spark

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Old 30-09-2018, 09:00 AM
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cossie330
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Default Cosworth wasted spark

Hi guys, I’m considering upgrading to this as my 4x4 saff is suffering from bad misfires and cutting out when warm. Is this a worthwhile thing to do or is it best to persist with the old set up. I’ve changed the group A coil for new, new plugs, coil pack rewire, rotor arm and distributor cap new and new leads.

Cheers Jason
Old 30-09-2018, 09:45 AM
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Caddyshack
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Defo worth doing. I went coil pack and ecu with new loom and it transformed the car and no more misfires.
Old 30-09-2018, 10:11 AM
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cossie330
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I was thinking possibly new loom and ecu also
Old 30-09-2018, 01:17 PM
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qed296
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I'd ask have you had it in with a good tuning company for a full set up/map and diagnostic session??

I had issues with poor starting and kick back from non starts, poor idol etc etc.

Did all the above to still be stuck with issues.

After a day at NMS it's now faultless, all issues resolved and very interesting to see what was at fault.
Old 30-09-2018, 03:47 PM
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cossie330
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I’ve just look at the distributor and the phase sensor and connector for it are full of oil so I’m assuming the seal has gone and letting oil into the distributor which is not helping I guess
Old 30-09-2018, 03:55 PM
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qed296
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That was one of my issue's...PS was knackered.

I think they need a gap setting aswell.
Old 30-09-2018, 09:40 PM
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When you consider that the original engine wiring looms are 30 years old they do break down and intermittent miss fires can quite often be down to this.A new loom and wasted spark ignition is a very worthwhile modification.I have fitted an L8 ecu to my 2wd Saff with a wasted spark baby board to run my Siemens 83lb injectors.
Old 30-09-2018, 10:02 PM
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cossie330
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Ive just got to decide to get a new distributor or go wasted spark, must admit its very tempting to spend the extra on wasted spark
Old 01-10-2018, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by cossie330
Ive just got to decide to get a new distributor or go wasted spark, must admit its very tempting to spend the extra on wasted spark
You will not regret it if you upgrade to wasted spark/new loom.
Old 01-10-2018, 06:07 PM
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costina
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Originally Posted by cossynut2
When you consider that the original engine wiring looms are 30 years old they do break down and intermittent miss fires can quite often be down to this.A new loom and wasted spark ignition is a very worthwhile modification.I have fitted an L8 ecu to my 2wd Saff with a wasted spark baby board to run my Siemens 83lb injectors.
Same as above. And I'm on a std loom.
Remember voltages play a big part so check charging and upgrade aswell.

A well set up car will perform well also bear in mind most chips are not correct for the spec it's not just down to injectors it's everything Inc correct spec of turbo housing size etc.
live map is always the best route to go if funds allow.
Old 01-10-2018, 06:13 PM
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That was contributing factor to mine, stage 3 set-up but the chip was running a standard map.
Old 02-10-2018, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by costina
Same as above. And I'm on a std loom.
Remember voltages play a big part so check charging and upgrade aswell.

A well set up car will perform well also bear in mind most chips are not correct for the spec it's not just down to injectors it's everything Inc correct spec of turbo housing size etc.
live map is always the best route to go if funds allow.
‘I think this is very sound advice. Cossies were pretty good when they left the factory, they have just aged but I don’t think I would want a car running a distributor any more when there are inexpensive modern options to improve them. I was put off with my MG metro though which seemed to always need new points and timing up.
Old 03-10-2018, 01:35 PM
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Yes wasted spark and coilpack without a doubt. A new loom will also help massively. Expensive to do it all but very worthwhile in my opinion.

CheeRS. Lee.
Old 03-10-2018, 03:42 PM
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i would be changing the ecu while youre at it too and will probably work out cheaper anyway if you add all the bits up
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Old 03-10-2018, 03:52 PM
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Originally Posted by R4N SS
i would be changing the ecu while youre at it too and will probably work out cheaper anyway if you add all the bits up
I certainly prefer that option and easy to tweak later if you change anything about the car. The only problem with ECU is picking a tuner that you want to use and then go with what they want / think is best.

I went Vipec on mine. I think Emtron is Mark Shead favourite now.
Old 03-10-2018, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by R4N SS
i would be changing the ecu while youre at it too and will probably work out cheaper anyway if you add all the bits up
definitely, that’s why I sold the L8 I bought as it was working out about the same to go for an aftermarket setup which is mad
Old 03-10-2018, 07:58 PM
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cossie330
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Thanks for the replies guys, which ecu etc have people opted for and roughly prices involved?
Old 05-10-2018, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by R4N SS
i would be changing the ecu while youre at it too and will probably work out cheaper anyway if you add all the bits up
Very true Ran, you've got to weigh it all up and ask yourself do you want to stick with the factory original ecu or go to modern ecus like Omex, Emtron, Link etc etc. Then as mentioned you need to choose a mapper and go with their ideas. It's a total headache making this decision of what to do and who to choose etc. So many options out there to explore.

CheeRS. Lee.
Old 05-10-2018, 10:22 PM
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Originally Posted by 1374lee
Very true Ran, you've got to weigh it all up and ask yourself do you want to stick with the factory original ecu or go to modern ecus like Omex, Emtron, Link etc etc. Then as mentioned you need to choose a mapper and go with their ideas. It's a total headache making this decision of what to do and who to choose etc. So many options out there to explore.

CheeRS. Lee.
I stuck with swapping over to the L8 ECU on my 2wd Saff as the Siemens 83 lb injectors are low impedence and needed the baby board fitted by MSD to run them.I know a lot of people are using high impedence injectors which need a more modern ECU.
Old 06-10-2018, 07:25 AM
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I was running L6 with wasted spark on mine but still had no end of problems , spoke to my tuner and he recommended a link Ecu so swapped over to that and must say it’s the best thing I have done on the car , now closed loop running high and low boost switch with pretty much every safety feature built/mapped in to it you could imagine , I’m running 1000cc id’s and it still went straight through emissions test on mot .
I think upgrading to a new modern Ecu is a must , it has totally transformed my car to something that is almost modern to drive .
Old 06-10-2018, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Acac
I was running L6 with wasted spark on mine but still had no end of problems , spoke to my tuner and he recommended a link Ecu so swapped over to that and must say it’s the best thing I have done on the car , now closed loop running high and low boost switch with pretty much every safety feature built/mapped in to it you could imagine , I’m running 1000cc id’s and it still went straight through emissions test on mot .
I think upgrading to a new modern Ecu is a must , it has totally transformed my car to something that is almost modern to drive .
I have'nt had any problems with mine so far but it would be interesting to drive a Saff with a more modern ECU set up to see the difference.
Old 06-10-2018, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by cossynut2
I have'nt had any problems with mine so far but it would be interesting to drive a Saff with a more modern ECU set up to see the difference.
I agree be good to see the difference for sure.

Originally Posted by cossynut2
I stuck with swapping over to the L8 ECU on my 2wd Saff as the Siemens 83 lb injectors are low impedence and needed the baby board fitted by MSD to run them.I know a lot of people are using high impedence injectors which need a more modern ECU.
I went to a P8 ecu with new loom, 55lb Siemens injectors etc, it was very smooth and wasted spark, Stu live mapped mine at MSD.

Originally Posted by Acac
I was running L6 with wasted spark on mine but still had no end of problems , spoke to my tuner and he recommended a link Ecu so swapped over to that and must say it’s the best thing I have done on the car , now closed loop running high and low boost switch with pretty much every safety feature built/mapped in to it you could imagine , I’m running 1000cc id’s and it still went straight through emissions test on mot .
I think upgrading to a new modern Ecu is a must , it has totally transformed my car to something that is almost modern to drive .

Sounds very good, I can't imagine how a new modern ecu set up would feel in an old Cossie. Lots of owners have done this and seem to be happy. Obviously the modern ecus have a far faster processor and far more features than the old Weber Marelli series of ecus. Depends how many of the additional features you require for you own personal set up I guess.

CheeRS.Lee.

Sounds very good, I can't imagine how a new modern ecu set up would feel in an old Cossie. Lots of owners have done this and seem to be happy. Obviously the modern ecus have a far faster processor and far more features than the old Weber Marelli series of ecus. Depends how many of the additional features you require for you own personal set up I guess.

CheeRS.Lee.

Last edited by 1374lee; 06-10-2018 at 02:43 PM.
Old 06-10-2018, 10:12 PM
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I find with mine its pretty smooth, you can potter along slowly if you want to, but drop down a gear plant your foot and all hell breaks loose.Never failed an MOT and just passed again with no advisories.The one thing that lets down my 2wd Saff is the T5 gearbox. I have got the hydraulic clutch conversion but compared to a modern car the gear change is still not smooth. When I get back into my daily Renault Laguna 2.0 the gear change feels so easy and light it takes me a couple of minutes to get used to it again!!
Old 07-10-2018, 09:18 AM
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I prefer performance cars to have tight gearboxes, doesn’t fill me with confidence when the gearstick feels like it’s connected to plastic
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