I am running a haltech e8 and was wondering what was a good way to hook it up so it can retard my timing for knock? I have seen a controller before but cant seem to find it again. Any help would be great.

 

it cant do knock on the E8 mate

 

You're probably thinking of J&S Safeguard.

 

There was someone that had a write-up about using the 0-5V output from a knock unit to manipulate the trim function of the Haltech to retard timing when knock was present. Do a search on here and you should find some info.

That said, IMO, trying to run the rotary near the knock threshold and relying on a sensor/retard device is a poor idea. A good build and good calibration of the ECU is your best defense against scrapping an engine.

 

The problem is knowing how much margin an engine has to the knock threshold. Exactly how do you characterize this? O2 or EGT readings are valuable, but you're still making assumptions about the fuel octane rating. I would claim that while calibrating a knock sensor may be challenging, it's better than guessing without one.

Of course I'm in the minority, since by now, most people have determined that a J&S isn't worth it and scrapped the idea.

 

OK thanks guys for the in put. I was just looking for a last resort fail safe.

 

I like the idea of knock monitoring and even control, for me because I don't have access to race gas in my area, and will need to rely on 91 octane pump gas + AI. A bad batch of gas (small towns don't go through a ton of super...), AI failure, or other failures can happen without trying to push the envelope, and whether or not a J&S box or something like it will save an engine or not, I don't know, but I think it's worth a try.