OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines VC160 fitting electronic ignition

Hi all,
I am fitting an electronic ignition to my VC160 and it won't kick over now.
I have posted 2 pics to see if someone can see what i've done wrong.
Advice would be appreciated. The 3rd wire goes out to a kill switch as this motor is used on my VictaProject GoKart http://www.victaproject.blogspot.com.au/



I have used the old point bracket to mount things but perhaps the module etc needs to be outside the housing/flywheel ?

thanks in advance...

I have an ATOM electronic ignition module.
It was on one of the 4 xSuper 24's I use on my block.
This machine for what ever reason (loose belt) was ripping the cord out of my hands, it really hurts the 4th or 5th time.
I got so ..., I wont swear,... lets just say I removed the engine and put another one on.

Anyway, I was trying to fit electronic ignition to an old victa 160cc engine G3 carby, last & this weekend with no success, I even tried the atom today.
I ended up going back to points, saw a nice thick blue spark, put it all back together and it started first pull.

So I will run with that.

I am like you, would prefer to have electronic ignition if I can.

I got a Blue Atom and it is now working. It is wired up the same as yours but my module is outside the flywheel which is what they suggest. They also say blue to earth but mine only worked (correct timing) with white to earth. It still sparked but was ATDC instead of B4TDC.

I've used the Mighty Atom blue befre too, with very good results, I'm actually intending to swap out the module on the powertorque I use for my yard with one, as I have noticed an improvement in the past using them.

Ive used the blue atoms a few times one on a vc 160 was terrible to start so i went with points again . had one on my victa consul 125cc same issue .
one of my super 24's had one when i bought it started and ran well however improved running when i replaced it with a power torque module . i think the secret it to get the timing right. bastard things really. not to mention if you don't have points set right on a super 24 they wont start at all.
interesting to hear about other experiences though .
Ive heard of those atoms making 2 strokes run backwards too.
cheers tomo

The only variables the ignition module controls, are spark timing and spark intensity. If you are getting a decent spark with a module you are testing but the engine does not run as well as with another module, the test module is giving you the wrong ignition timing. If the engine is capable of running backwards more or less steadily, the ignition timing is heavily retarded (probably firing at TDC or later, when running forward). There have been 2 stroke engines that were designed to be able to run backwards, usually to provide a cheap reverse for a motor vehicle. The system just retarded the ignition and cranked them backwards. An important issue is that when an engine rotates backwards the gudgeon pin offset is the reverse of what it should be, so wear patterns on pistons will be alarming and the engine won't last long. Way back when British car pistons used to have T-slots in the minor thrust face to permit closer fits and less piston slap, if you put them in backwards the piston broke very quickly, due to excessive side thrust on the T slot. The lesson is, don't run a 2 stroke backwards for any length of time unless you have changed the geometry to give you an offset between gudgeon pin and crankshaft axis that is in the right direction. Sometimes the offset is all in the piston, but other times the crankshaft is offset in the crankcase.

ive recently been told that to fit the (power torque) module to full crank you need to make the holes bigger on the coil plate and reduce the air gap.... seems to work quiet well

This is a great tip, it is something I will remember and try at some point.
Part of my trade is magnetism and I know that the air gap in the magnetic circuit has high reluctance, which is similiar to high resistance in an electrical circuit. So this makes sense to me.

Sorry to add more detail:
Less of an air gap would result in less reluctance in the magnetic circuit through the armature or iron core. Less reluctance means a greater flux density in the iron core, so more flux or magnetic lines of force cutting the magnetos primary coil, so primary coil would produce a larger magnetic field, when the electronic module opens (in my mind it is just an electronic switch) the now larger primary field, due to the smaller air gap collapses across the secondary winding this would induce a higher voltage than before resulting in a stronger arc across the plugs gap.
You need 3 ingredients present to induce a voltage.1.Conductors 2. Magnetic field. 3. relative movement.