Tech Support

Poor earth / ground is a common cause of ignition problems. Ensure battery negative cable runs direct from battery negative terminal to the engine block as one continuous cable, whether the battery is mounted in the front or rear of the vehicle. This is the only way to guarantee proper earth / ground to the engine.

Earth wires from ICE ignition controls and boosters should also run direct to engine block via the shortest path possible, thereby ensuring a direct link to earth / ground.

Please follow the recommendations below when choosing the appropriate gear for your application.

SG Iron Gears – Used with regular cast iron flat tappet camshafts whether using hydraulic or mechanical lifters only.

SI Bronze Gears – Used with steel roller camshafts whether using hydraulic or mechanical lifters only.

Treated Steel Gears – Used with cast roller camshafts whether using hydraulic or mechanical lifters only.

Please note, some cam manufacturers suggest that their cast roller cams “will work with most cast iron distributor gears”. However, we have not found this to be the case, irrespective of the brand of cast iron gear. As per recommendation above, a steel gear is the recommended choice.

Further, never use a steel gear with a steel roller camshaft. Always use the SI Bronze option, as it is always preferable to have the distributor gear as the sacrificial item.

Any further questions can be directed to our staff members.

In most cases, a high volume oil pump is not necessary. The majority of applications only require a standard oil pump.

This is not to say a high volume pump can never be used. However, careful attention has to be paid to bearing clearances, oil viscosity, oil temperature and any modifications to the oil circuit.

Using a high volume oil pump always leads to aggravated distributor gear wear. In all cases, using a high volume oil pump will void warranty on the relevant distributor gear – no exceptions.

ICE Ignition control modules are NOT waterproof. Make sure the ignition module (modules) are located away from any contact with water, dirt or dust. ICE provide long wiring harnesses to allow the electronics to be mounted in a protected area inside the vehicle cabin, such as under the dash or in the glove compartment.

Never mount the coil inside the vehicle cabin and especially not near the ICE control modules. Control modules should be inside the vehicle cabin and the coil in the engine compartment. This allows the firewall to act as a shield against electrical noise. The powerful spark produced by the ICE system also creates more electrical noise, and if the coil is near the control modules, this will lead to problems.

Plug gaps depend on a variety of factors, so the following information is only intended as a guide.

For modified naturally aspirated applications, plug gaps will generally be between .025″ to .035″. In some cases, the ideal plug gap will be outside this range. In all cases, it is always safer to start with a smaller plug gap and work towards a larger plug gap.

For all modified supercharged applications, whether blown, nitrous or turbocharged, plug gaps will generally be between .015″ to .025″. In some cases, the ideal plug gap will be outside this range. In all cases, it is always safer to start with a smaller plug gap and work towards a larger plug gap.

If you require any clarification, please call or email our tech support service.

The ICE Ford distributor uses a .490″ diameter shaft. Can I use this in my early Cleveland?

The ICE Ford distributor can be used in any model Cleveland engine.

The factory distributor utilizes a single bush in the top of the distributor housing, and the block is effectively the second (lower) bush. The ICE distributor features a high temperature Nachi / Honda roller bearing in the top of the distributor housing and an extra bush in the bottom of the distributor housing, thus not relying on the block for support.

The reason for this is twofold. First, all second hand Cleveland engines will have wear in the block where the distributor shaft locates, thus not providing proper support for the distributor shaft. The ICE distributor overcomes this problem by virtue of its design. Secondly, the ICE Ford distributor can be transferred from a late Cleveland to an early Cleveland without any modifications.

The answer to this depends on many factors. However, to keep it simple, we can use camshaft duration @ .050″ as our guide.

Therefore, the following is recommended:

190 – 210 degrees @ .050″ = initial timing of 12 – 16 degrees BTDC

210 – 230 degrees @ .050″ = initial timing of 16 – 20 degrees BTDC

230 – 250 degrees @ .050″ = initial timing of 20 – 24 degrees BTDC

250 – 270 degrees @ .050″ = initial timing of 24 – 28 degrees BTDC

270 + degrees @ .050″ = locked timing

Of course, other factors like compression ratio, type of fuel, intake system, torque converter and diff ratio to name a few, play a part, so must be considered as part of the overall combination. The guide above does not preclude having more or less initial timing for a particualr camshaft size, but gives a starting point for tuning.

As a minimum, you should have alternator voltage (13.8 – 14.8 volts) at the coil positive, to ensure the system operates properly.

However, these systems work best with 16 volts at the coil positive, which can be achieved by using a booster (Part No: 2316). This will ensure maximum ignition output at all times, even if the voltage feed into the booster drops to 10 volts.

When using ICE Ignition systems, resistor plugs should not be used.

Put simply, resistor plugs have approximately 5000 ohms of resistance built into each plug. This is purely for reducing RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).

However, it also reduces the energy available to jump the gap in the chamber and increases the probability of cross firing – refer answer below. Even when using higher quality spark plugs with exotic materials for centre electrodes (which increases the energy available at the gap), if they are of the resistor variety, this will offset any gain made by the superior electrode.

This situation becomes more critical when using LPG and in high performance engines, especially engines using alcohol based fuels such as E85, which invariably have higher cylinder pressures.

A large distributor cap is not always necessary with 7 Amp systems. They are however, highly recommended when using a 10 Amp system. At the same time, if room allows, it can never hurt to use a large distributor cap with a 7 Amp system.

The theory of using large distributor caps, is that it will be harder for the spark to cross fire within the cap, due to the larger distance between the towers. Whilst in isolation, this is true, we must look at what is causing any cross firing to occur. In virtually every situation, there will be a massive resistance in the spark plug wire and / or spark plug (more common when using resistor plugs – refer answer above).

The solution to the problem is to rectify any faulty spark plug wires / spark plugs. By using a large distributor cap and retaining the faulty spark plug wire / spark plug, the problem is only being masked, with the actual fault remaining uncorrected.

7000E 7 Amp Street Series EFI Module Wiring Diagram
7000R 7 Amp Street Series EFI Module Wiring Diagram
7043E 7 Amp 3 Step Street / Race EFI Module Wiring Diagram
7043L 7 Amp 3 Step Street / Race Wiring Diagram
7043R 7 Amp 3 Step Street / Race EFI Module Wiring Diagram
7640MV 7 Amp Street Series Wiring Diagram
7642BR 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Boost Control Wiring Diagram
7642MC 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Wiring Diagram
7642NR 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Nitrous Control Wiring Diagram
7840MV 7 Amp Street Series Wiring Diagram
7842BR 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Boost Control Wiring Diagram
7842MC 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Wiring Diagram
7842NR 7 Amp 2 Step Street / Race Nitrous Control Wiring Diagram
ICE Plug Wire Fitting Tips