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p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:52 am
by kitcar
I got an old DTA p8pro on an alfa busso v6 engine in a kitcar. ecu was Installed in 2002. Car allways ran ok. Ive put it back to live after 3 years standing (no battery attached).

Issue now is the following:
Theres a good battery.
nothing has changed regarding mapping and engine setup or connectors.
there is no spark when cranking.
There is Just 1 spark when you stop cranking.
RPM shows around 200rpm all the time with very few cranking errors in realtime display
There is no cam sensor, never had one. Only imput is tps (well calibrated) temperatures and cranksensor (60-2 wheel) . I got 1 coil per cilinder and no twinspark
Running the coil/injector test shows everything works as should, so the coils give spark and injectors work. Wiring for that should not be the problem. I suspect its an internal issue in the ecu or maybe the cranksensor

Question:
Is this a familiar situation to anybody. what would be a solution? DTAwin doesnt have the oscilloscope for the cranksensor so I cant supply a graph of that.
Is there other software than DTAWIN which I can use for the p8pro?
Is the p8pro main connector the same as the newer versions in case I would decide to upgrade to a later DTA version ? If so can I easily use /convert the mapfile of the p8pro in a later DTA version

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:53 am
by Rob Stevens
only DTAwin
You need to use the test injectors and coils function to try and find the fault

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:25 am
by kitcar
i did run the coils injector test (fuelpump off ofcourse). It tests in steps of 1000rpm till max rpm, than repeats. During the test the coils do spark as should and injectors work.

the only suspectable issue could be the crank sensor but it does give the rpm to the dta and tacho and when the car was parked 3 years ago it was fully functional. Or could the p8pro have lost whatever data due to having had no power for 3 years. I do see all the mapping and settings are correctly stored as it was. nothing changed, enough battery, no broken fuses

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 12:10 pm
by stevieturbo
kitcar wrote: RPM shows around 200rpm all the time
Presumably you do not mean it shows 200rpm all the time, as it should only display an rpm reading if the crank is actually turning.

So does the rpm reading seem sensible when not turning, and when cranking ?

If the coil/inj test shows all those aspects work, then...well, they work.

Go through all settings and see if they make sense. An ecu should not lose it's settings, but I guess anything is possible over very extended periods. But if you've gone through them, ensured mapping is all good and sensible and you have F4'd it' into the ecu...it should work really.

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:05 pm
by kitcar
i mean during cranking the rpm in the testscreen shows around 200rpm, ofcourse not steady but around that figure and no there is no spark during cranking. Just at the moment I stop cranking theres 1 spark.

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:51 pm
by Rob Stevens
That's very odd, have a very close look at the settings associated with sequential / cop coils, something may have changed. I'm not sure that you should have cop selected?

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:54 pm
by stevieturbo
kitcar wrote:I got an old DTA p8pro on an alfa busso v6 engine in a kitcar. ecu was Installed in 2002. Car allways ran ok. Ive put it back to live after 3 years standing (no battery attached).

Issue now is the following:
Theres a good battery.
nothing has changed regarding mapping and engine setup or connectors.
there is no spark when cranking.
There is Just 1 spark when you stop cranking.
RPM shows around 200rpm all the time with very few cranking errors in realtime display
There is no cam sensor, never had one. Only imput is tps (well calibrated) temperatures and cranksensor (60-2 wheel) . I got 1 coil per cilinder and no twinspark
Running the coil/injector test shows everything works as should, so the coils give spark and injectors work. Wiring for that should not be the problem. I suspect its an internal issue in the ecu or maybe the cranksensor

Question:
Is this a familiar situation to anybody. what would be a solution? DTAwin doesnt have the oscilloscope for the cranksensor so I cant supply a graph of that.
Is there other software than DTAWIN which I can use for the p8pro?
Is the p8pro main connector the same as the newer versions in case I would decide to upgrade to a later DTA version ? If so can I easily use /convert the mapfile of the p8pro in a later DTA version
As Rob says, you cannot* run 1 coil per plug without a cam sensor, without twin spark.

And very unlikely the ecu is faulty, and very unlikely the crank sensor is faulty given you say you have a good stable rpm reading and few if any crank trigger errors.

So exactly what coil or coils are you using, and how are they wired etc ?

* not entirely true...but almost. Need more info first

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 5:41 pm
by kitcar
Yes its always run without camsensor on 1 coil per plug. Its not a twinspart engine.
Heres my general settings
PSX_20200924_004022.jpg

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:37 am
by Rob Stevens
I think twin spark needs checking?

Re: p8pro no spark issue

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:42 am
by SMR
Yep, I'm with Rob on this - If you're running wasted spark (as you don't have a cam sensor fitted), "Twin spark" needs to be ticked.