AQ145a-pertronix install and timing-rpm question

Hello
Ive been picking away at my aq145 since i got it, cleaning exhaust manifolds, doing some painting ,rethreaded the ridiculous greaser in the FWC and replaced it with grease fitting on 18"hose etc, yesterday I removed the points and installed a pertronix electronic ignitor. I must say right off that this made a huge difference in the start warm up cycle, before, I had to pump the throttle to keep it running until it warmed up,were talking 5 or so minutes and 6 or seven starts, then it would run fine on its own...now it starts right away and although i still have to give it a little extra gas at first, it runs on its own at idle after about 15 seconds- 1 start. Anyone that is thinking of doing this upgrade, I say do it, best 100 bucks I have spent so far! It should be noted, that first start after install, it would not start- I had to advance the timing a considerable amount before it would fire up. Leading to my question: I have put a timing light on it and set the timing at 8 deg base, Since Ive been reading this forum so much, it has been driven into my head the importance of timing advance (Ricardo) and I now need to check it at 4200 rpm- Do I do this on the water under load? 4200 seems a little high speed with no load to me.How do you guys do it? I dont have any help so I would have to set the throttle and go back to the engine and put the light on it, then back up to the throttle to decrease rpm.

Also what do you guys think of this.....I could have sworn that the engine called for 10w-30 in the specs, but I later discovered that it calls for 10w-40, so I in fact put the wrong oil in it, its full synthetic so kinda spendy, so I was thinking of grabbing some lucas oil additive and throwing it in there to stiffen it up a bit...any thought on this or should I change it to something thicker?

One more question: how many pumps of grease into the flywheel cover? Any way of telling if your "there" or not or is it just a good guess?


thanks all.

Make sure you don't leave the key on if the engine isn't running - you'll toast the Pertronics module.

You can check max timing on the water it is easier if the water is smooth. You dont want to go over 36 degrees BTDC at 4200 rpms. I had just the opposite reaction my aq131 cold starts better with the points. If the motor is still fresh run with the 10W30 as long as the oil pressure stays good. I also found setting the idle air needle rich helps on cold starts and gives you a clean hole shot as well. It it hesitates when you goose it add 1/8 turn rich until it jumps up out of the hole. Then just leave it alone. Keep an eye on the ignition coil if it gets hot after a few minutes just add a ballast resister to coil pos. Make sure the power to the ignition module is running on battery voltage, low voltage will burn up the module fairly quick also.

I changed my 1981 Volvo 145 AVQ twins over to Pertronix years ago. Best thing I ever did! So my question is the timing should still be factory specs?

I also installed a Pertronix many years ago - I have not checked my timing in at least 3-4 years and my boat still runs great. Probably time again to check it but I suspect it will be fine.

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87point2psi said:

Hello
Ive been picking away at my aq145 since i got it, cleaning exhaust manifolds, doing some painting ,rethreaded the ridiculous greaser in the FWC and replaced it with grease fitting on 18"hose etc,
Good call!

yesterday I removed the points and installed a pertronix electronic ignitor. I must say right off that this made a huge difference in the start warm up cycle, before, I had to pump the throttle to keep it running until it warmed up,were talking 5 or so minutes and 6 or seven starts, then it would run fine on its own...now it starts right away and although i still have to give it a little extra gas at first, it runs on its own at idle after about 15 seconds- 1 start. Anyone that is thinking of doing this upgrade, I say do it, best 100 bucks I have spent so far! It should be noted, that first start after install, it would not start- I had to advance the timing a considerable amount before it would fire up.
Leading to my question: I have put a timing light on it and set the timing at 8 deg base,
1..... Since Ive been reading this forum so much, it has been driven into my head the importance of timing advance (Ricardo)
2..... and I now need to check it at 4200 rpm-
3..... Do I do this on the water under load? 4200 seems a little high speed with no load to me.
4..... How do you guys do it? I dont have any help so I would have to set the throttle and go back to the engine and put the light on it, then back up to the throttle to decrease rpm.

1..... Yes, very important that it be correct! Ignition timing has the last word in the placement of LPCP at the torque RPM.

2..... See your Volvo Penta OEM service manual for the correct specs.

3..... OK..... load or no load, a mechanically advancing ignition system curve will remain the same.
I would NOT suggest that anyone check the Progressive and/or TA while out on the water...... that would be just too dangerous to have your head in the engine bay while someone else is operating your boat!
Short bursts of engine speed will not harm anything while the garden hose and water muffs are being used to supply cooling water !!!!!! For any shop who does check the Progressive and TA, that is how it's done. (any warnings that you may read are "disclaimers" only!)

4..... this is done with your timing marks very clean and visable.
Connect the strobe light up, start engine and look at BASE/Initial advance!
Increase RPM as you watch the numbers advance.
Jot these numbers down in graph form as you slowly go from BASE advance to the RPM at which you no longer see any advancing.
Compare these numbers to your OEM specs.
Keep in mind that a 2* or 3* change to BASE is a 2* or 3* change to the P and TA.


Also what do you guys think of this..... I could have sworn that the engine called for 10w-30 in the specs, but I later discovered that it calls for 10w-40, so I in fact put the wrong oil in it, its full synthetic so kinda spendy, so I was thinking of grabbing some lucas oil additive and throwing it in there to stiffen it up a bit...any thought on this or should I change it to something thicker?
Your call on that.

One more question: how many pumps of grease into the flywheel cover? Any way of telling if your "there" or not or is it just a good guess?
Great question, and it can only be answered correctly if we know that the PDS grease cavity was properly Pre-Filled during the last PDS bearing change.
If so........ normally three to four pumps of "Like" grease with the Engine at idle speed is enough.

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mpt said:

I changed my 1981 Volvo 145 AVQ twins over to Pertronix years ago. Best thing I ever did! So my question is the timing should still be factory specs?
Yes.... use the factory specs!
The Engine will not know which ignition triggering system is being used.

Keep in mind that when removing the old Kettering System (contact points) and replacing with an Electronic triggering system (such as the Pertronix Hall Effect), the BASE advance much be Re-Set.

Click to expand...

.

BASE advance must be reset??

mpt said:

BASE advance must be reset??

Click to expand...

Do you mean after installing the Pertronix? Yes. You should be able to hit full advance timing by 2500RPMs. It's easy enough to set both base and check advanced while running the engine in the driveway with a strobe light. Disconnect the throttle cable, makes the job easier. As Ricardo says clean and make the timing marks visible. I use white paint with a black mark in the timing notch on the crank wheel.

And yes the electronic ignition system is awesome, I use the Hot-Spark but the same idea. Easier starting, smoother idle, never worry about moisture inside the dizzy cap.

This thread is from September 2016.

mpt said:

I changed my 1981 Volvo 145 AVQ twins over to Pertronix years ago. Best thing I ever did!
So my question is...... the timing should still be factory specs?

Click to expand...

Yes, absolutely.
Nothing changes other than the type of ignition triggering!

mpt said:

BASE advance must be reset??

Click to expand...

Yes. The new triggering system will never align or index exactly the same as the kettering system (contact points) did.

Not only check/re-set BASE/Initial advance, but also check the Progressive advance and the Total Advance at the OEM specifided RPM.

These use the mechanical advancing system that can become compromised by rust and/or corrosion. If the advancing system will not offer the correct curve/TA, then the flyweight system needs attention! (make certain that it's working)


If compromised (and un-noticed), we could set BASE, and yet not make the correct TA.
If we set BASE while the flyweight system is sticking, and later if the flyweight system was to begin working correctly, we could end up throwing far too much advance at the engine.

Always check the Progressive and the TA.

pugetsounder said:

................. You should be able to hit full advance timing by 2500 RPM.

Click to expand...

All due respect..... that is incorrect!

Full-In advance @ 2,500 RPM is a recipe for Detonation.
( I am not aware of any specs that would suggest that this marine engine is designed for Full-In advance @ a low 2,500 RPM! )

Please see your Volvo Penta OEM service manual for the advance curve and the TA specs!
( Not Seloc..... and Not Clymers! )

I'm still a little confused about this "BASE" settings for timing advance. For what I do know is after I installed the Pertronix many years ago, I set the timing @8 degrees according to my Seloc manual. It seems like both twin 4 cyl BB145's start and run good. The application for the twin engines is just for pushing a 32' Bayliner with a displacement hull down the Columbia river. I run the motors to a cruising speed @3000 rpm which gives me the best efficient speed around 10 to 12 knots depending on wind, current, upriver, down river, etc. The slow 1981 3270 Explorer does not get up on plane at all since I understand it's because of it's design of that particular hull and how it's under powered. I can invest in a factory OEM Volvo manual and read what it tells me to do for timing, and also I can do the graph comparison as you stated above (Ricardo). When I get all this figured out, I will go along and try the twin carb sync on the Solex side drafts.

Hi, im just planning to switch to Pertronix on my AQ145. The question is now, Ignitor or Ignitor II? Ignitor III seems to be for 8 cyl i guess?

This thread is from September 2016!

best to start a new thread!

Reading reviews, I went ignitor 1 rather than 2. There seem to be greater than 0 complaints about the 2 whereas nobody every complains about the 1. I actually bought both of them but decided to install the 1 and return the 2.

note that they use different coils if you go with a coil also.

good luck!