DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

If you do want the unit back, arranging shipping is easy - you just go to the Fedex site and arrange a pick-up. The labels etc will be e-mailed to Clewett/Electromotive or whoever the unit is being collected from. You pay this end, so there's no reason for them to bill you for postage.

You won't pay any duty when it arrives as you returned the unit for repair - duty has already been paid once. You just need to provide proof if/when asked by Fedex that it has already been in the UK (invoice, shipping note, whatever) and make it clear on paperwork that this is a unit returned after repair.

I need it all back asap and as simply as possible.
Electro only use FedEx so they may as well do it all.
The quicker I'm away from them and Clewett the better as far as I'm concerned.

If this package fails then I'll chase for money back, Not Fit for Purpose. via VISA.

Plan B?
2 good options in the making.

Graham, you were unlucky, Clewett was the “off the peg” option, but there’s always a bonus in being able to drive down the road and meet the supplier in person. Hey Ho, 20/20 Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Hope it works out for you

September 2021...
I asked around a for a twin spark ignitiononly system, preferably dead simple.
And reasonably priced.

Only Clewett had such a system, around £1500 and tailored for my 3.2.
Long standing in the industry known to me by their association with PMO carbs.
All seemed to stack up well.
Others were a £1000 more and would need careful fabrication, i.e. The 60-2 wheel etc.

March 2022...
I know better now, but others have had good results, but not me.
Costs so far must be around £2000 and time lost about 4 weeks. I still have nothing that works.
Frustration levels very high.

I hope this thread will alert people to these companies and how tricky it can be.

Everything marked 'made in the USA' has been difficult in my case, my experience.

Interesting day on the Lola today.

Ran the XDi box's grounds direct to the battery (helps kill some noise)
The crank sensor is removed and the loom modified for the Hall sensor that's coming.

Emailed the starter motor supplier, Brise, yesterday and they have replied. Not a known problem but they want to know how I get on ( )
A suggestion is to add a dedicated earth cable from the starter to the battery ground direct.

I have been through the entire installation.
First was to machine a small tool turned to push directly on the female terminals in the 23 way connector.
No terminals push back (ie when you push the 23 way connector into the XDi box).
All wires in the right pin location ticked-off in the manual, so all good.
The jumper lead added for the Hall sensor coming (linking pins 4 & 5 together) in the 23 way plug.

All power leads (3) belled through from the +ve battery terminal to the XDi box and the two coil packs.
All grounds tested good.

The closest the crank sensor cable is to any of the system on the engine is 10".
Inevitably, the lot all come intimate at the 23 pin plug.

Electromotive have not given me a FedEx tracker ( ) so have no idea if it is on it's way or gone to the moon.
Clewett has stopped answering emails.....

Emeralds ECU people enthusiastic, Megasquirt Dealer very energetic! DTA still there waiting.

I really cannot see where there is a flaw in the installation.
End of next week might be interesting.

Unexpectedly, FedEx arrived this afternoon out of the blue.
Thus i have the Xdi back and the new Hall sensor.

Got the 'conversion' wires all in and tidy and switched it all on.

The light on the unit starts solid Green. Tick
The light alternates red/green while cranking the engine over. Tick
The light goes back to solid Green when I stop. Tick

Doesn't start or fart or pop, but that will be for another day this week.

This is a major move forward, never seen this before.
But, it has not started.

The Diagnostic sheet says this condition will occure if there is no power to the coil packs. although i belled it all through a few days ago I will see what volts are geting to the coil packs. simple test.

I have a Neutral feeling atm.

IT RUNS!

Checked all the wires, all the volts, all the pin-outs and most importantly swore at it.
Turned it all on. Pumped the carbs as usual and splutter and in an instant flashed into life.
Sound amazing.

Ran it for about 5 mins @ 2500 ish and blipped occasionally, oil pressure normal etc, no nasty mechanical noises etc.

XDi has a solid green on switch-on, red/green on cranking, solid green on switch off. Left it for a few mins while Mrs Hillclimber stood and was mighty relieved, and it restarted like before (always was a a good hot starter).

Switched off and linked the time light to #1 cylinder and re-started, 2650 rpm tick over, advance needs a tweak, but will leave it to Ben at BHP to dial it in.

So, I have a running 1,000,000 bhp @8000 red line Lola hillclimb car.

Might get to within 6 seconds of that Mini now.

Will take a video when at BHP and post it. Day booked for 20 April, 2 days before Prescott.

Please may I say a very big thank you to everyone on here for the help, guidance and encouragement through possibly the hardest, most frustrating thing I've ever done.



Graham.

Excellent news!

TFFT!!!!

Nicely done! Painful, but that will be forgotten first time that light goes green

Brilliant! I think Gary71 sums it up well....

Good - glad it's sorted ! Problem ? - wrong sensor ? (bill them for your time !! ?)

Glad it’s sorted but I don’t believe the sensor story.

The input circuits for hall and VR sensors are a different design. If the box doesn’t have a way to configure the input type then it must be built for a particular sensor type. That’s how we build our 3 pin (points) and 6 pin (VR) CDI boxes. Different components needed for each sensor type.

My conclusion is you got sent the wrong box or wrong sensor. Either way, it would be the kit vendor who would have to pick up the bill as they sent the wrong parts.

look forward to hearing it on the video . The high compression does give it a different sound

Things to ponder:
1
I should have looked at this aspect of the build in far greater detail, but that is shaped by hindsight too.
The Clewett/XDi package looked the cleanest proper fit and reasonably priced. For my current expenditure I could have gone all UK and have change over.
2
Dealing with the USA companies has been so hard. Never again. I have lost so much time and money.
It has also affected my health. I have damaged my lower back and right shoulder mauling the engine over and over and over on the stand. Looking at a bill of £240 to get straight again.
3
In all this the wiring has been blamed, all done by me; this is too close, this is all wrong, you have the wires in the wrong places and more.
I ripped my initial installation out and started all over again as a result.
Made no difference, just cost time and money....
4
This XDi design i feel is overly sensitive to EMI and as a result I have spaced the parts as far from each other as the car layout will allow.
Made no difference.
5
The crank sensor was blamed because I had high emi parts too close to it and the system might work with a Hall sensor.
The XDi unit was returned to electromotive for test and a new Hall sensor. Cost me £380 and another week.
Sent it back because Clewett told me I had damaged the XDi due to this proximity.
6
Through every step of this silly drama I have never changed the pin positions etc as i was sure they were right, 3 DDK'rs checked them too.

The XDi came back after an unknown test and proclaimed "trouble-free".
I rather think it should have been "it is now trouble-free"
Still, I got $16 off the sensor price, $16 off a $3000 cost, 46 hours and 6 weeks, and a cancelled day practice at the hill climb track before the season kicks off.
7
I too feel the sensor change did nothing. The XDi I feel was repaired and now with nothing but it and sensor changed/repaired it suddenly works.
I really can't be arsed to convert it back to VR sensor to prove the point...but
Might change my mind though as if the VR works it puts the whole lot down to a faulty XDi which of course would be my fault.

Richard Clewett does not answer my emails anymore.
8
Wife is happy today!
9
I have a strange need to make a 12 plug/twin spark distributor based on my old hall effect 2.7 distributor. a good friend had a big Colchester lathe and knows how to use it. My round bed lathe is too small to machine the body.
Summer project and something for later on when the season closes.

James, it sure does sound different!