Colortune Explainations

[Mike]

Here's a post about the COLORTUNE equipment available for your Zcar. This was sent to our 240z mailing list.

Eric,

It would be easy to say, ' whatsa matter U, can't you read English?', BUT we Americans do not speak the King's English and haven't a chance at figuring out some of the British expressions. Don't panic.

In a nutshell, the Colortune kit will fit your car.

Colortune page from ipdusa.com If you will go to the ipdusa.com hyperlink, you will see a picture of all the parts to the kit. The small spark-plug shaped piece has the same threads as the plug holes on your Z. The six-sided hex pattern on the "spark plug" is 14 mm. The black stovepipe hat looking piece is the "spanner adapter collar" you fit over the top of the Colortune plug and then you may use a standard 13/16 spark plug wrench (spanner) to snug the Colortune down. Don't worry about breaking the plastic, as it is a snug fit with the 13/16 socket AND, more importantly, you don't need to power torque the plugs. Most cars have plug torque values around the 10-18 lb-ft.range.

l

Forget about the adapter. You will not need it for your Z. If you have a motorcycle, too, ask the IPD boys about the adapters when you call. I don't speak motorcycle, and I don't anything about them.

Good luck to you. You will like the Colortune. It is not as precise as an exhaust gas analyzer, but it is also only about one-third the price of a cheap (and I don't mean inexpensive) gas analyzer. Let your Z club members all chip in for an analyzer, or just sweet talk the motor vehicle inspector into letting you adjust the mixture with your Colortune in and his pipe stuck up your exhaust. Then you will know the precise color with the best burn.

Bob Sloan

Orange Park, FL

1963 Sunbeam Alpine owner

The two sites currently have the same price, but IPD may not be raising their price like your site shows come 1 Aug. Do me a favor and mention my name if any of you club members deal with IPD. I have purchased bits from them for over 28 years now! It is a first rate operation.

[Doehring]

Hi all,

if you measure anything at the end of the exhaust you may have a good result in total but one carb may be too lean and the other too fat, but in the average it's fine.It's like putting your toe in very hot water and your hands on ice, your " central region" feels fine (that's statistics). If you have 3 Webers or similar the problem will increase.

My solution: I work with 2 colourtunes (for better comparison) and

a Synchrotester.

At first I synchronise my 3 carbs and then I work on cylinder by cylinder with the colourtunes.

The result is quite good but not final because the idleing engine is fattening during that proceedure

and high revs are not allowed by colourtune to get the plugs free.

So when I finished the 1st procedure I drive the car for a while and do the whole procedure again and drive the car once more.After that drive I do the finetuning by looking at each spark and their colour

indicating too fat or too lean. With the result I'm happy. The procedure takes time but makes fun at the same time when you feel the result when driving.

Rolf

[carguyinok]

If you have a ColorTune, you simply install it in place of one of the plugs, then adjust the carburetor that feeds that cylinder (the front carburetor for 1 & 2, the rear for 3 & 4). The ColorTune will let you see the color of the flame. White flashes mean too lean; yellow flame means too rich. Blue (like a Bunsen burner) is correct, and blue with a faint orangish tinge is the best for power.