Thread: 94 sofdash power upgrades

About the only way you'll make an otherwise sound 3.9 perform better is to fiddle with the ignition timing. In order of cost:

1. Advance the stock dissy to 10 degrees BTDC at idle.

2. Replace the dissy with a suitably regraphed performance dissy, e.g. Scorcher.

3. Replace the dissy with coil packs and programmable ignition.

Exhaust mods do stuff all to performance, only increase ear ache on trips.

Bee Utey is too modest to suggest an interim step...

If you have any doubts or suspicions that your current spark is'ntbright enough, then replace your Lucas ignition module with the Bosch BIM 024. Some re-wiring is required, and replacing the coil with a better one does'nt hurt either.

You'll be advised to replace (if needed...) the distributor cap with 'genuine' rather than cheap oriental knock-offs, and a better rotor arm is good too.

AFAIR, it's all buried in here somewere :-
Lucas ignition amplifier replacement by Bosch 024

Thanks heaps for that bee utey, and thanks for the earlier thread. I think this will be the next lil project I undertake... As far as camwork in these 3.9's would you say it's worth doing??? If so what else would need to be done??? Cheers

AFAIK, and from advice by a LR mechanic, doing the cam requires either engine-out, doing in-situ but at cost of your air-con gas plus removing everything in front of the engine.
Quite do-able if you planned to replace the 134a rubbish with *any* hydrocarbon refrigerant.
Yes, I'm biased, and no, not interested in arguing the merits seeing as it's been done here and elsewhere. - Hydrocarbon-based wins on performance, safety, enviromental load and co$t.

Suffice to say that a H/c gas takes a little less power (and therefore fuel) from our ancient, gas-guzzling gutless wonders.

Whether yours/mine is worn sufficiently to warrant worrying about, needs to be determined by Someone Who Knows.

Probably the best guide would be fuel useage. Both around suburbs and freeway running. Besides, as everyone will tell you, it's a heavy 4WD... - so you can't expect too much.

James in Gosnells,
The Lady Sarah, - '95 Classic Vogue SE with working air suspension and Cruise Control...

Originally Posted by 94 softdash

Thanks heaps for that bee utey, and thanks for the earlier thread. I think this will be the next lil project I undertake... As far as camwork in these 3.9's would you say it's worth doing??? If so what else would need to be done??? Cheers

Depends how worn your currrent cam is.