ProMag 44 Timing Vs Point Mags Timing

Have you ever wondered why timing with a ProMag 44 is different than timing with a Mallory points type magneto? Well, I did so I contacted MSD and talked with Joe Pando and Mike Sharp and this is basically what they told me. I thought it to be interesting enough to pass it on to all you guys.

All magnetos have an inherent characteristic of retarding timing as the ignition load on the magneto increases. This retarding of the ignition is due to the inability to build and collapse the inductive field in the coil at a rate that will keep up with the load of the motor. The amount the magneto is behind or retarded equates to about four degrees total at high load conditions. If a standard magneto such as the Mallory points type is timed at 36* at idle the ignition will be retarded to around 32* during high load conditions. This means if you really wanted 32* under load one had to learn to set the points magneto at idle on 36*. Racers learned to live with that and they just knew where to set them to make the best power.

The points style magnetos under no load conditions such as idle can produce voltage at a fairly fast rate but when put under extreme loads the rise time of the voltage into the coil slows way down. The ProMag 44 has a much faster rise time for the voltage going to the coil so the collapse of the field in the coil also occurs at a faster rate. When under load this results in the spark being initiated at a much faster rate than the points magnetos. This faster build up of the spark results in the spark being able to jump the sparkplug gap faster when the cylinder pressure is higher due to extreme loading. This in turn initiates the flame front in the cylinder at a faster rate so the burn rate of the fuel in the cylinder occurs at a faster rate and less advance timing is required.

The MSD ProMag 44 magneto generator still has this characteristic retarding of the ignition as the load increases but MSD coupled it with the Electronic Points Box which contains a magneto timing compensation circuit to eliminate the retard. Automatic compensation is accomplished by the Points Box initially applying retard to the timing at idle and as ignition load is increased the timing is applied back as ignition advance at a rate equal to the amount being retarded. This automatic compensation offsets the ignition timing change by the magneto so the timing remains at one setting in all conditions. If you want 32* at high load conditions you could now set the ProMag 44 at 32* at idle and it would remain where set throughout the entire load range.

This ProMag 44 compensation feature and the improved characteristics of voltage rise time in the coil is why we now set the timing at idle at a lesser amount of approximately 4* on ProMag 44 equipped motors than we did before on the motors with the points magnetos. If you had the ability to observe the timing of the two type of magnetos under load you would find that the ignition timing on a points magneto is actually the same as a ProMag 44. It is only at low RPM during no load conditions that the timing is different between these two type magnetos.

 

If I understood everything correctly it is not RPM but cylinder pressure from load. The more load the more cylinder pressure and this cylinder pressure makes it harder for the spark to jump the plug gap. This results in the high voltage having to wait and to build up to a higher level to jump the gap and this is the delay or retard that occurs in magnetos. This delay results in a delay of the building and collapsing of the field in the coil. The MSD Points Box circuitry detects this change and compensates for it. Magnetos do also increase voltage output due to RPM so that does help a lot.

 

No I don't believe I said that. That would not be so.