reasons for crane xr700 failure ....

[LDubber]

hey guys,

the ol '02 had been starting and running allright untill all of a sudden recently . I didnt have much of a chance to drive it alot, only weekly or so , and had to get it registerd, so it sat a little .

the battery had gotten a little week, and I had to recharge it and crank it alot , but it would start OK , fairly consistent , and had good spark , untill just recently , it wouldnt start at all . Looks like no spark .

it appears the crane ignition box has crapped out . No red led light at all , and power is there . I have it wired in with a ballast resistor , and black coil, hopefully wired correctly , BUT why would it have failed ?

I removed any relay that may have been in the circuit , if there was one.

the coil shows 12 volt on one side and ~7 on the other.

It started and ran fine and good for months (2-3) on this setup .

then one day , no start. no light on the crane box .

What coulda happened?

[skinnyd]

http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/90002000a.pdf

Sonds like you may need to open the distributor and adjust the trigger wheel, maybe?

Do you see the Red LED flashing while turning the motor over?

[Mike87]

Before Crane bought the rights, Allison produced the same ignition. I went through 4 of them before going back to points. They failed without notice, for no reason. Each time it was a surprise. Allison always replaced or fixed it. The last time it quit, they repaired it and now it sits on a shelf in my garage.

The thing they kept telling me was that heat was killing the transistor, but it was in a place where it got fresh air, so I don' know.

[Emyers]

Where is this red LED you guys are referring to. Have been running the XR700 on my 02 since 1993 with no issues and have never seen an LED other than the bit inside the dizzy.

Earl

[RandyMolson]

Sonds like you may need to open the distributor and adjust the trigger wheel, maybe?

Since it has been sitting, make sure a bug hasn't put an egg sack across the optics.

Where is this red LED you guys are referring to.

The newer ones in black cases have an led in the side of the case that blinks in time with the spark signal. That is the only functional difference with the new ones, as far as I know.

[skinnyd]

Yes, the new ones have a telltale LED that makes it much easier to position the optics upon installation, it then flashes every time an opening in the wheel passes through the optic.

[LDubber]

hey thanks for the replies

yeah , its very interesting . the box looks fairly durable and heat / weather resistant , from the looks of it anyway . I do have it mounted on the firewall , passenger side, where it would get hot , but I never ran it all that much . I am sure it sat in some extreme temps here in FL, but it doesnt look like such junk .

I have already checked the distributer, and pick up , and wheel , and they look good , no problems...

the distributer cap looked suspect at first , even though it was new, it seemed to have a lot of burn looking wear on the pin in the middle. But it looks OK , and should be making contact .

what I am getting at with that is , Could there be some kind of voltage issue going on ?

too much voltage to the crane box ? or something ...

If I need to replace it I dont want to burn up another

all ideas are appreciated

thanks

[Arshloch]

Moisture is a killer too. If you havent run it for awhile, that might be the culprit.

Also some resourceful guys run fans similar to computer fans to help with cooling.

[LDubber]

they repaired it and now it sits on a shelf in my garage.

You still have it ? what model , which one is it ?

Do you wanna sell it to me ?

I think I will be looking for a replacement....

thanks

[RandyMolson]

what I am getting at with that is , Could there be some kind of voltage issue going on ?

too much voltage to the crane box ? or something ...

Heat or moisure are more likely. Since the boxes appear to be encased in epoxy, I assume it is more vulnerable to heat. I have my box mounted on the right sidewall, but as forward as the wires will stretch.

You should add a heat shield to your exhaust manifold if you don't have one already.

Some people put mount the box in the air plenum to keep it coolest. I used to have mine there but moved it into the bay when I installed fresh drain valves in the plenum.

[LDubber]

OK , I can imagine excessive heat and/or moisture taking its toll and some how the thing burning out . well it still seems unlikely from the use it had been through , in its short life. But looks like I will be replacing , as it appears to be connected to 12 volts and has no red led, and no spark .

So what about its proper voltage....

Could someone please explain to me what voltage and when, should this crane box be getting . I may end up calling Crane and asking them too , and asking about returning this one ...

But before I slap another one in there and burn up another 100 buck sparker I am gonna have to verify my wiring .

How do you guys( who have a crane or similar IGN box, and a black or red coil) have it wired .

How is it recommended to be wired ?

arrghhh, its giving me a headache already , heheh

of course I will be searching for other info that is on the forum also , but it be huge help if someone had a similar set up and could verify how the wiring works with the crane ignition.

I have the back coil, and a resistor block. I was convinced I wired it correctly to begin with ...even after removing the old wiring , and resistor wire , and who knows what else ....heheh

she started and ran good , beside a little carb tuning all looked well .

should I go with a matched coil( blue one)....or is the black one and resistor still a better idea??

Anyone know of how these wires are supposed to go ?

I mean full volts to where/ when ?

and resistor volts to where when ?

I know , I know the crane wiring instructions. they seem a little vague.

shoot I thought I had good idea of what was going on but I know I will be confusing myself ....

It cant be that complicated right , theres only like 3 wires

Anyone one running a similar setup? Whats the best way to wire it

????

Mr Molson?

thankS

[RandyMolson]

Anyone know of how these wires are supposed to go ?

I mean full volts to where/ when ?

and resistor volts to where when ?

I have an XR3000, which has a different voltage requirement than the XR700. So my arrangement is not the same as yours needs to be.

Regardless, it seems to me that Fig 19 on Page 10 of the Crane Installation Manual applies to a typical 2002 ignition system. I have mine wired exactly as shown in Fig 19 (http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/90002000a.pdf).

In my case, the resistor is deleted/jumpered from my "Run" circuit (because I have a Crane XR3000 which requires no resistor, and my coil is a Crane coil that needs no resistor). Also, I deleted the "Start" circuit (black&red wire from starter), which is unnecessary because I have no resistor.

The ballast resistance notes on Pages 12-13 of the manual apply to you. The manual states that XR700s will overheat without a ballast resistor. The specified resistance limit for external ballast is 1.2 – 1.9 ohms. You might want to check to see if your ballast meets that spec. Also, you can do the “Quick Test” on Page 12 to see if your ballast is properly wired. All of that applies to a typical 2002 when an XR700 is used.

Since the XR700 has a stated spec for resistance range, it would seem to me that the XR700 could be susceptible to under- and over-voltage. As it is, there can be a bit of a range in operating voltage depending on the rpms and accessory loads. For that reason, I was not entirely comfortable with putting resistors in the ignition system, that’s a reason why I went with the XR3000 and a Crane coil.

[LDubber]

be.

Regardless, it seems to me that Fig 19 on Page 10 of the Crane Installation Manual applies to a typical 2002 ignition system. I have mine wired exactly as shown in Fig 19 (http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/90002000a.pdf).

In my case, the resistor is deleted/jumpered from my "Run" circuit (because I have a Crane XR3000 which requires no resistor, and my coil is a Crane coil that needs no resistor).

If I had only known about that combo when getting this coil ...

but yeah all that is good info , and will actually help me out alot

Thanks man

I will look into it , and double check these wires , I think they may be ok but I ll have to make sure .

thanks