When we got our van last year, it came with a 123 Ignition distributor. Just out of interest I managed to contort myself around the engine bay to see what advance curve it was set to. Turns out to be ‘B’. The engine runs fine, and had been set up by a respected mechanic, so I’ve no reason to change it, but I’m curious to know why he chose setting B? The information on the 123 Ignition website isn't that helpful. It’s a 1776 with twin carbs. When he was imported (into Switzerland), due to the engine not being original, it needed to have a kind of super MoT, including testing the power output. So I know he tops out at 55 HP on a rolling road, which was fortunate, as it could only pass if it was a maximum of 10% above the original spec. Was this luck, or would it have been influenced by the choice or setting on the distributor? There were a few other ‘lucky passes’ so I suspect the mechanic knew what he was doing…
there's usually a little booklet that comes with the pack - available here on line too: https://123ignition.com/manuals/123manual_SWITCH4.pdf View attachment 78462
The lucky result from the rolling road is one of the reasons I'm wondering about the setting. Could I expect a difference if I switched it to '0' - one fits all?
...take your pick depending on what wng8ne or distributor you want to mimic.. snotty is on 2 I think..
VW claimed 60bhp at the flywheel for a 1600; probably less than 50 bhp at the wheels, you have 10% more bhp from 10% more capacity – sounds about right to me.
Another 123 thread, in case anything in there can help with your curve https://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/ignition-123-bulk-buy-vw-jim-facebook.88125/
I've no idea why he set it to B. But if it works, it works (which most settings will). Lucky for you at the test. If the 123 is one of the later ones where they moved the rotary switch to the side (rather than the bottom, which is a bit stupid), you could try changing it -- won't do any harm. VW seemed to change their distributor type once a week. I've no idea why. Presumably, they were tweaking the advance curve. For years, common aftermarket dissys were the Mexican '034, which is a kind of generic one and works just fine. The curve's probably equivalent to 0 on the 123. As others have said, I would expect more power with twin carbs and a 1776. Was it 55hp at the engine or the wheels?
I would guess that's 55bhp at the wheels which would sound about right allowing for transmission losses.
Thanks for the comments so far. The power output report says 62 PS at the motor estimated from just under 55 at the wheels at 4480 rpm. With 119 Nm torque at 2900 rpm. Reading around, the general consensus seems to be to keep the advance under 32 degrees, otherwise you risk overheating. Am I reading the above chart right that the B setting has a 32.5 degree advance?
As a general rule the same engine will like 32 max in a car and 30 max in a bus. Another general rule for max is as little as possible without loosing power. In other words aim lower and see if it drives as well. If it does, try lower still. Definitely worth trying 30 and if that's ok, try 29.
