Fw: DiRT: Why is Magnum's ign coil up front? (Duke 3, UNC 0)

[Jim Yeagley]

Thought this might be a good question for this list...
-----Original Message-----
From: Henry LaViers <hl1 at ACPUB.DUKE.EDU>
To: dirt at moab.off-road.com <dirt at moab.off-road.com>
Date: Sunday, March 07, 1999 2:26 PM
Subject: DiRT: Why is Magnum's ign coil up front? (Duke 3, UNC 0)


> Got to thinking while checking the oil this morning:
>
>Why is the ignition coil on the Magnum engines all the way at the front of
>the engine when the distributor is at the back?
>
>It makes the low voltage primary wires and high voltage coil wire extra
>long - and by running the length of the passenger side engine bank - may
>create the crossfire problem with the other plug wires.
>
>The coil is mounted to the engine - which may give it a good ground - but
>shakes it with every revolution of the crank.
>
>Having the coil there puts it near the breeze from the radiator fan, but it
>is getting hot air since it is getting wht has passed through the radiator.
>
>It is even on the wrong side of the engine if they were trying to keep it -
>and it's EMI producing wires - away from the PCM computer.
>
>I know the speed of light is fast, but I wonder if re-locating the coil to
>near the distributor would "advance" the timing just a bit - since the
>coil's inductance would not have to 'charge' the parasitic capacitance of a
>long wire prior to each plug firing.
>
>My father has the theory that the distributor is at the back - in a hard to
>work on place- to protect it from water splashed through the radiator when
>fording streams - part of the Dodge 'military' heritage.
>
>Any ideas on why the ignition coil is up front ?
>
>-Hank
>
>Duke just beat UNC for the third time this season !
>Hank's three favorite teams:
>Duke, Kentucky, anyteam playing UNC.
>
>
>
>
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