More Distributor thoughts - long and nerdy

[Wolff]

>
> I still can't figure out one thing. (Okay, there's MANY things I can't
figure out) When
> putting the new distributor in my engine, the window for correct placement
was very small.
> I got no spark at all if I was + or - 2° off of the 'correct' location.
Some of that is
> probably due to slop in my TB and chain. But it seems that if the slop in
an engine got
> really bad, the ECU wouldn't get the signals from distributor and crank
close enough to
> fire the coil at all.
>

You see that effect because the ECU does compare the distributer signal to
the crank signal, but only during starting. After that, the ditributer is on
it's own. The ECU runs off the crank signal once it determines where the cam
is. That's why it takes a few revolutions for the turbo Audis to start. My
4kq for example fires up after the first compresion stroke. (Read that as
instantly).
HTH,
Wolff