AAU mechical fun faluts fixes.

Today I leaned all I want to know about the Automatic Advance Unit in both ways, good and bad. Pazion brain box is ready to ship for a replacement to test but now I do not want it any more and never did to begin with in Trixie.

Put the eyeball & finger fiddle to both my AAU's to find:

a. one back plate with wimpy tack weld 90' sheet metal posts, 2nd robust by stamp bending the back plate material so about impossible to bend or give.

b. one the posts the weight swing on 50% loose as a goose hole that lays eggs, 2nd firmly square planted.

c. one set of spring posts with worn deeper grooves, 2nd in plate metal bend were not.

d. one spring set slightly longer slighter weaker than 2nd set so were slack before weight fully returned.

f. one cam center was sticky fit over shaft, 2nd was pretty slick.

g. one set of weight holes wallowed to allow 10' life angle off base flat, 2nd merely 5'.

h. both weigh sets had post wear notching at their most advanced position but one from New Orleans not nearly as much. Wes and I concluded the least notched was the city bike not staying in full advance cruise as long as the other set. Chain saw file took the highlights off the city slicker weight slots.

Made an AAU up with the best items and spent 4 more hr reconverting wiring to points from electronic. Couple more hours diddling gap then AAU then static time, then re set AAU with more centered contact breakers, then re set gap and reset static timing with a test light wink on. Started but still a point spread that could not be optimal corrected with breaker or back plate slots so re-diddled the AAU placement and more of the above to finally get 1st kick starts, if tickled and low cracked throttle. Diddled Amals for nice idle which she now returns to in reasonable time all by her self and offers normal engine drag convenience.
Time light showz both breakers on the 28's mark and steady to read, ahhh.

Put my Macaw on handle bars, started up in shirtless heat, he didn't flinch so eased out over the dried mud beds, pasture lumps and Gravelly sharp turn and climb up to house then let him off, dressed my self for the Red Sausage surprises and lit out with Wesley to our village 20 miles away...

Kings River crossing was about 6 ft under fast water a month ago.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2853780 ... 1179IcUspO


We split at Kingston but I carried on to show another cool old cycle fart then turned tail as factory headlight don't stop spotlighted deer in their tracks nor reveal much on low but these convey my current mood on future with a fine fettered pleasantly smooth spunky senior factory Combat Commando...

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2049551 ... 1179jrKDjv


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2918121 ... 1179mXOAGl


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2903770 ... 1179oxeyaU


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2037096 ... 1179IoKcSj

Nice to see more guys working to get the AA units work properly.

Additionally to what You have done you can also use a bushing to support the shaft and make it more solid.
Another mod is to re-shape the cam to change the way the contact breakers open.
These two mods have been successfully used for many years in the lands of the vikings
If I could learn how to post photos I could actually show the bits.

Cheers,
Per

First post at the top of main page tells how to post pictures. It's easy once you get set up.

I'd like to get mine working better, only big issue with mine is the outer cam and inner shaft is loose, you can see in the picture, the one spring is pulling the bottom towards the spring and you can see the gap at the top away from the spring. If I could get some one to bush it for me, I'm sure it would work fine. Other thing is to harden the holes where the stops bang on it, you can see some wear there. Each of my springs pull the cam to fully retarded on their own, but it's real easy to advance it. Notice I keep it real greased up with distributor cam lubricant, similar to RIG only thicker.



Dave
69S

Hi Dave
Were are your weights?
TomC in Ohio

DogT said:

First post at the top of main page tells how to post pictures. It's easy once you get set up.

I'd like to get mine working better, only big issue with mine is the outer cam and inner shaft is loose, you can see in the picture, the one spring is pulling the bottom towards the spring and you can see the gap at the top away from the spring. If I could get some one to bush it for me, I'm sure it would work fine. Other thing is to harden the holes where the stops bang on it, you can see some wear there. Each of my springs pull the cam to fully retarded on their own, but it's real easy to advance it. Notice I keep it real greased up with distributor cam lubricant, similar to RIG only thicker.

Dave
69S

Click to expand...

Here



Dave
69S

Gosh Per and Dave, your post were both exciting and depressng to learn more features to fix on AAU. I'll refer back to this in time to try to keep Trixie true as can be to the factory issue. I think the points may start a bit easier than the Boyers I've had. Off to work on a Trixie primary ATF leak, so can try to ride 1st time to work in 3 yr on her.

Finally figured out how to post a picture

Here is my AAU with the 2 modifications, bushing and new cam profile.
Provide a solid ignition setting, no charging problems, first kick start, stable idle and smooth at low rpm.
Excellent with re-sleeved Amals.





Regards,

Per

Per, did you do the bush yourself? I suppose I could get someone to do it for me, but machine work around here costs your youngest daughter. What is the profile of the cam? What's the reasoning behind that? Is the bushing attached to the cam or the shaft?

Dave
69S

Yeah, what Dave asks I do too. Very cool Per, thanx some more. Trixie is back to 1st kick firing if I give enough tickle. Trixie is giving lean symptoms across whole throttle so will bump up float level and go from there.

I'm going to start a look out for good cheap transistor relay triggers so breakers last forever and only the mechanicals must be renewed time to time. Pazion is too pricey for what's needed. Pointers accepted.

Michael Strakey of British Toys that has renewed two Norton heads for me is interested to apply his knowledge to AAU's and requesting scraps to work with.

Here's another blip on what can be done in addition to above gems.

On 6/6/2011 8:33 PM, John Laing wrote:
> Well, back in the day, as they say, when Boyers were one third the cost of a
> Commando, CR Axtell's parts inspector and hard chrome guy did a new one for
> me and I never had to replace it again, it went at least another 5000 miles
> before I sold the bike. He explained that they had to do a special set up
> for the chroming to get it to "flash" inside the slots. They also polished,
> vapor blasted, and shot peened the inside of the bob weights' slots before
> applying the hard chrome.

Click to expand...

Steve, I was looking at these units, only $20, but you need one for each point.
http://www.apogeekits.com/electronic_ignition.htm
They may be worth a try at that price, they don't look to large to hide either. I looked into making them, but engineering solid state circuits is not my expertise and it would end up being trial and error, not that I couldn't do it, $20 is just way easier than buying lots of parts from Mouser or Digi-Key for experiments.

They're not CDI units either, so they shouldn't ruin the HT wires. I had a CDI unit in a 70's Dodge van once and after a couple hundred miles, the fireworks inside the engine bay was stunning. I'm not sure it worked any better anyhow, it did save the points.

Dave
69S

Hi Hobot
Take a look at this site.
http://home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb ... oints.html
TomC in Ohio

Thanx Dave, may be issue to hide them but they look cool so might just hang em under coil pack for interesting item in to cover the wire clutter. i try to make them art work and nil strain coiled arrangement. For the money even two would be work wondering if a mis fire was contact cruding up, again.

Hi Dave
I have one of these kits that I have not assembled yet. For motorcycle use there needs to be some weather proofing. Maybe I will use it on my Honda Super 90 were I can put it inside the frame.
TomC in Ohio

DogT said:

Steve, I was looking at these units, only $20, but you need one for each point.
http://www.apogeekits.com/electronic_ignition.htm
They may be worth a try at that price, they don't look to large to hide either. I looked into making them, but engineering solid state circuits is not my expertise and it would end up being trial and error, not that I couldn't do it, $20 is just way easier than buying lots of parts from Mouser or Digi-Key for experiments.

They're not CDI units either, so they shouldn't ruin the HT wires. I had a CDI unit in a 70's Dodge van once and after a couple hundred miles, the fireworks inside the engine bay was stunning. I'm not sure it worked any better anyhow, it did save the points.

Dave
69S

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Hi Hobot & Dave
With either the Kit or using the HEI module one unit and a twin lead coil could be used.
TomC in Ohio

Wells DR100 Control Module
For $13 that may be the ticket if they are still available. Just mount them on a piece of AL for a heat sink. I'll check with Autozone tomorrow.

Dave
69S

Hi Dave
I am not sure about the Wells DR100 but a replacement GM HEI Control Module was about $22 at Autozone and AdvanceAuto. I picked up two nos ones for $10 at a local automotive swap meet. I hope to have this set up up and running on my CB350 Twin soon. Nothing on my Commando will be up and running soon.
TomC in Ohio

DogT said:

Wells DR100 Control Module
For $13 that may be the ticket if they are still available. Just mount them on a piece of AL for a heat sink. I'll check with Autozone tomorrow.

Dave
69S

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Neat I found article on the install
http://home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb ... oints.html

Why would anyone with a Norton have a CB350? I had a CB450 as my first bike out of the Army and got rid of it as fast as I could. It felt like I was going to fall off at any given moment, there was just no balance to it.

Just kidding, but I didn't like the way the Honda handled at all.

Dave
69S

Hi DogT
Did you check the swing arm bushings? Did you replace the OEM tires? I rode a CB450 for most of the seventies. I went through a pile of TT100s.
The CB 350 Twin is my main transportation this time of year. Some how I doubt that my Commando will ever be my main transportation. The CB350 eats miles. The Commando eats dollars!
TomC in Ohio

DogT said:

Why would anyone with a Norton have a CB350? I had a CB450 as my first bike out of the Army and got rid of it as fast as I could. It felt like I was going to fall off at any given moment, there was just no balance to it.

Just kidding, but I didn't like the way the Honda handled at all.

Dave
69S

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