Approval Details

Valid E.O.

Validity

This Executive Order approved the specified parts on on September 22, 1975.
As of Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 this Executive Order has not been overturned or superceeded.

Approved Parts

Part NumberModels
92001974 and older, EXCEPT vehicles with OE electronic ignition

This Executive Order may be listed as:
  • C.A.R.B.E.O. D-56
  • Executive Order 56 / D56
  • ARB # D-56
  • Executive Order No: D-56
  • C.A.R.B. No. D-56
  • Resolution D-56
For Free CARB Executive Order Status verification, email an image of the device Executive Order label as well as the Year/Make/Model and Test Group # of the vehicle to [email protected]

Download: Executive Order D-56 PDF

D-56 Document:


CARB_D-56

                           State of California
                           AIR RESOURCES BOARD

                          EXECUTIVE ORDER D—56
               Relating to Exemptions under Section 27156
                         of the Vehicle Code

                     EDELBROCK—HADLEY CORPORATION
                  "THERMALSPARK 9200" IGNITION SYSTEM

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Air Resources Board by Section
27156 of the Vehiclte:Code;. and
Pursuant to the authority vested in the undersigned by Section 39023 of
the Health and Safety Code;
IT IS ORDERED AND RESOLVED: That the installation of "Thermalspark 9200"
electronic ignition devices manufactured and marketed by Edelbrock—Hadley
Corporation of 4771 Arrow Highway, Montclair, California 91763 has been
found to not reduce the effectiveness of required motor vehicle pollution
control devices, and therefore, is exempt from the prohibitions of
Section 27156 of the Vehicle Code for 1974 and older model—year vehicles
with 12 volt battery, standard ignition coil and negative ground.. This
exemption does not include those vehicles originally equipped with breaker—
less or electronic ignition system.

The electronic circuit of the device consists of transistors, resistors,
capacitors and diodes enclosed in an aluminum housing and designed to pro—
vide transistor switching of the primary circuit of a conventional ignition
system.

This Executive Order is valid provided that installation instructions
for this device w1ill not recommend tuning the vehicle to specifications
different than those listed by the vehicle manufacturer.

Changes made to the design or operating conditions of the device, as,
exempted by the Air Resources Board, that adversely affectthe per—
formance of the vehicle‘s pollution control system shall finvalidate
this Executive Order.

Marketing of this device using an fdentification other than. that shown
in this Executive Order or marketing of this device for an application
other than those listed in this Executive Order shall be prohibited unless
prior approval is obtained from the Air Resources Board.

This Executive Order does not constitute any opinion as to the effect
that the use of this device may have on any warranty either expressed or ©
vimp]ied by the vehicle manufacturer.


 EDELBROCK—HADLEY CORPORATION                      EXECUTIVE ORDER D—56



~ THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CERTIFICATION, ACCREDITATION,
  APPROVAL, OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF ENDORSEMENT BY THE AIR RESOURCES BOARD OF
  ANY CLAIMS OF THE APPLICANT CONCERNING ANTI—POLLUTION BENEFITS OR ANY
  ALLEGED BENEFITS OF THE "THERMALSPARK 9200" DEVICE.

  No clatm of any kind, such as "Approved by Air Resources Board" may be made
— with respect to the action taken herein in any advertising or other oral
 or written communication.

  Section 17500 of the Business and Professions Code makes unlawful, untrue
 or misleading advertising, and Section 17534 makes violation punishable as
  a misdemeanor.

  Sections 39130 and 39184 of the Health and Safety Code provide as follows:

       "39130. No person shall install, sell, offer for sale, or advertise,
       or, except in an application to the board for certification of a
       device, represent, any device as a motor vehicle pollution control
       device unless that device has been certified by the board.     No
       person shall sell, offer for sale, advertise, or represent any motor
       vehicle‘polluttion control device as a certified device which, in
       fact, is not a certified device.    Any violattion of this section is
       a misdemeanor."

       "39184. ‘(a) No person shall install, sell, offer for sale, or adver—
       tise, or, except in an application to the board for accreditation of a
       device, represent, any device as a motor vehicle pollution control
       device for use on any used motor vehicle unless that device has been
       accredited by the board, No person shall sell, offer for sale, adver—
       tise, or represent any motor vehicle pollution control device as an
       accredited device which, in fact, is not an accredited device. Any
       violation of this subdivision is a misdemeanor."                    §
 Any apparent violation of the conditions of this Executive Order will be
 submitted to the Attorney General of California for such action as he deems
 advisable.                                                                  '


 Executed atSitramento, California, this L4>/ day of September, 1975.


                                          WILLIAM H. LEWIS, JR.
                                          Executive Officer


                           State of California
                           AIR RESOURCES BOARD

                             August 5, 1975

                              Staff Report

        Evaluation of Ediebrock Hadley Corporation "Thermalspark
          9200" Electronic Ignition System for Compliance with
           the Requirements of Section 27156 of the California
                           Motor Vehicle Code


      Introduction

      Edlebrock Hadley Corporation of 4771 Arrow Highway, Montclair,

      Californié 91763 has submitted an application requesting an. exemption

      frém Section 27156 of the California Vehicle Code for the "Thermal—

      spark 9200" electronic ignition system.    Vehicle Code Section 27156

      prohibits the sale, advertisement and installation of any device

      or mechanism which adversely affect performance of the emission

      control system.   This vehicle code section also authorizes the Air

      Resources Board to exempt devices from this prohibition if a finding

      shows the device does not reduce the effectiveness of the emission

      control system.   The apblicant is requesting the exemption be granted

      for 1974and older model year vehicles.


I1.   System Description and Function

      The "Thermaispark — 9200" system is an aftermarket device which is
      installed into the engine‘s ignition system (Ref. Exhibit A —
      Installation Instruction).   The electronic circuitry of the device

      consists of transistors, diodes and resistors enclosed in a     metallic

      housing {ref. Exhibit B — Device Schematic).


    According to the applicant the purpose of this device is to increase

     point life by reducing high current flow across the points.            High

    current flow can cause electrical arcing which deteriorates the

     points rapidly.      Installation of this devicé diverts the main portion

     of the current through the device‘s transistors.         The main feature

     of this ignition system device is to fire the spark plugs by a more

     effective mefhod of terminating current flow to the ignition coil.

    Current cut—off.is achie?ed by an SCR transistor upon receiving a

     low level signal from the points.     A signal to the coil primary

     is Qenerated each time the points open.         Faster current cut—off is

    achieved by the use of the transistorized circuit.


III. System Evaluation      ‘

    The abp]icant submitted hot 7—mode emission data on five vehicles to

     support the application.      Data generated by the applicant are summarized

     below.
                                       Hot 7—Mode Exhaust Emissions — gms/mi

    _1970 Ford (390 CID)                    HC           CO         NOx

          Baseline                           3.01         62.89     2.53
        . Thermalspark                       3.11         65.63     2.06

     1973 Ford (360 CID)
          Baseline                   C       P48          11.20°    2.08
          Thermalspark                       2.19         10.96
                                                                   t
                                                                   o
                                                                   —
                                                                   «




     1975 Camaro (350 CID)

          Baseline                           3.91 _       24.30     0.18
         ©Thermalspark                       3.62         16.18     0.01

     1970 Chrysler (440 CID)
          Baseline                           6. 05        68.49     4.13
          Thermalspark                       5.67         74.80     3.90

   . 1974 Chevrolet (400 CID)
         —Baseline                           1.80         24.54     0.75
          Therma?lspark                      1.99        24. 90     0. 80


These data on the 1970 Ford and 1970 Chrysler indicate excessively

high CO —values and are not representative of the general vehicle

population.   The 1970 standard for CO based on cold 7 mode tests

is 23 grams/mile.    It is widely accepted that a hot 7 mode test will

result in lower CO emissions.    Average ARB surveillance data for 1974

model—year véhié]es {ref. Quarterly Progress Report No. 38) had HC, CO

and NOx values of 1.99, 15.86 and 1.84 grams/hile based on a vehicle

population of 208.    This would also indicate the HC emissions of the

1975 Camaro are significantly higher than the norm and the NOx uq@e]ievab]y

low.   Therefore thé data generated from the 1975 Camaro also appears

not    representative of the typical vehicle population.   The 1973 Ford and

1974 Che?ro]ét test resulits are Within normal variability and not nec—

essarily ihdicative of adverse affect on the performance of the emission

control system.


The applicant submitted emission data to show the ef?ects of the.

"Thermalspark 9200" device with the Carter and Dana NOx devices.     No

apparent'compatibi1ity problems exist with the two NOX devices and the

"Thermalspark 9200" device.


Confirmatory emission tests were performed at the Air Resources

Board Vehicle Test and Laboratory Facility at El Monte on the

applicant‘s: 1974 Chevrolet.    Results of the hot start CVS—1972 tests

are shown in the following table:


                                  Hot CVS—1972 Exhaust Emissions — gmg/mi                          Fuel
                                         O                                                        Economy
                                   hC                 co              NOx          6o,            mpg
 Baseline      _                   1.18                21.1           1.540 0      937.4           9. 11
 Thermalspark                      0.93                18.0           1. 48        896.2           9.57


These results indicate the installation of this device did                                 not cause

 an increase in exhaust emissions.


 In addition, the staff conducted ignition simulator tests comparing

 the electrical performance of the stock ignition system with thé

 "Thermalspark" ignition device.                      The following table summarizes these

 test results on the Chrysler 8 cylinder distributor no. 656390:


                   Centrifugal Advance — engine degrees

      Engine                                  Baseline *                          Device
     _RPM_                                    e
        600                   .                   0           .                       0
       1000 _             .                       2                                   3
       1600 .                                    19                           '      19
       2000 _                                   21                                e
      2400 —                                    23 ©              ‘                22
       3000           _                   C     25                                   24


                                Electrical Measurements


Variables .                                    Baseline                            Device

Engine RPM    _                    200            600       3000           200              600       3000
Primary Voltage        '            (6)           14 (14) o4 (14))         (6)              14 (14)   14 (14)
Secondary'Voltagé                   (19)          2e (2s) _ 20 (20)       (18)              20 (22)   18 (18)
 Available (KY)

Secondary Voltage                   {(117)        16 (11)      12 (11)     {(11)            14 (11)   13 (1) .
 Required (KV)

Rise Time (Micro—seconds)           (45)          60 (40)      40 (40)     {70)             B0 (50)   60 (50)

Spark Duration                     {1100)       1100 (1400)   1100 (1300) (900)         900 (1200) 800 (1100)
 (micro—seconds)

Spark Energy                       (14.2)       26.5 (18.1)   27.0 (23.5) (10.3)       19.8 (14.5) 17.2 (16.6)
 (mitli—joules)

(   ) second unit retest data


      Installing this device shows a 25 to 36% decrease in spark energy.       This

      decrease is judged to be a significant degradation of the ignition system.

      However, no adverse effects on emission occurred in the limited ARB tests

      which were performed on engines which had been properly maintained and
      tuned just prior to the test.   The measured degradation in electrical

      system critical parameters is believed to be capable of causing an

      increase in exhaust emissions of certain vehicles due to cold start
      misfires, ignition system conditions,ylean a%r fuel mixturés, engine

      loading, etc.   <The staff fintends to conduct further ignition system
      studies to determine minimum standards of performance for ignition

      systems designed fo replace the original OEM system to determine.the

      effect on vehicle emissions.

IV.   Conclusion and Recommendation

      Based on the applicant‘s data and the data generated by the Air Resources

      Board tests,'the staff is of the opinion, at this time, that the

      installation of the "Thermaispark 9200" device will nothave an adverse
      effect on emissions of properly maintained engines.    Therefore, the

      staff recommends Edlebrock—Hadley Corporation be granted an exemption
      for the "Thermaispark 9200" electronic ignition system pending the

      positive identification of emissions related effects of degraded

      ignition systems and engine conditions.


                             "x?MM"o fnstaMation~Instruation 1/23/75
                          EbELBROCK INSTRUCTION SHEET .

                                 — THERMALSPARK
qlis system is designed to work with any car, truck or recreational
 vehicle with 4, G6, or 8 cylinder      (4 cycle)   engines using point type
 ignitiens, with negative grourd electrical system.

 CAUTION:      Do not use wihh any magnetic or photo cell pointlesé type:
 ignitions.
 This unit will not interfere with the operation of most electric tachs.
 In most cases if the tach wire connects to the — or negative side of
 the coil, the tach will function.                                '

 INCTMLTATION:

 1.    Install Thermalspark unit at a convenient location so the wiring
       barness will reach the coil.  This is approximately 36" to 40".
       we suggest the firewall or the fender—well parel as a good location.
 CAUTION:      Do not mount close to the exhaust system or expose to water
 C             splash from pavement.      *
 2.    VWith location determined, hold unit in place and mark the four
       mounting holes.   Mount with plug~in side down as arrow indicates.
               Before drilling holes make sure there are no wires or hoses
               behind where you are going to drill.     Use a #28 drill and
               mount with screws furnished in kit.
.‘1ILLB TUNE:
 3..   If there is any indication of bad plugs}; cracked or hargened
       ignition wire or badly pitted points,. they should be replaced
       if needed.   For maxlmum efficiency you should gap the plugs
       at .045.



WIRING:
 4.    This unit is for 12 volt negative ground systems only as shown in the
       stock installation drawing.
 5.    Using the Thermalspark drawing the following connections should be
       made:                                                 .

       A.    Disconnect the distributor lead from the coil and install insulator
            tab and white wire to — or negative side of coil. (Using long
            machine screw,   nut and washer furnished connect distributor wire
            and yellow wire to other end of insulator tab as shown.
            SPECIAL NOTE — FORD ONLY:  Most Fords use a slip—on type conne¢tion
            for the coil.  Special machine screws in this kit are long so
            yellcw wire may be installed on insulator ‘and tlghtened, you may
 +          then push your stock distributor wire on remaining threads for a
‘           good connection.  Install screw with threads up.

       B.    Connect black wire to gocd ground such as coil bracket hold—down
            bolt


                     Comnect red wire to + or positive side of coil.                                          SPECIALNOTE —
     f        a    — Fosd OHIX¥:~ because of the pus—on type conncctionfor a single
.              .     wire,ametal tab is furnished to make positive type connections.
                     Remove wire from + side of coil, install metal tab to + or
                     igxu ion side of coil using nut and washer furnished.  Conncect
                     red wire to other end of metal tab uclng long machine serow,
                     nut and wasker furnished ard tighen push stock iqnition wire
                     on rcnuaining threads of long mechine serew for ignition  _
                     connsction.. Check to be sure metal tab does not touch air
                     cleaner.                                                         >

    5.        Plug the harness into the Thermelupark unit.                                        The harness will only
              plug in one way so do not use force.                                        There are two square edges
              and two angled. edges on the coupler, align these with the matching
              edges on the unit.>  The engine is now ready for operation.

    6.        If for any reason you may want to go to the stock ignition systeim
              we furnish a plug for this purpose in the kit. Unplug harness
              from unit and insert plug in harness. The engine will now be on
             ‘the: stock system. If you hmve any problgms contact your dealer
              or Edelbrock at once.


              theuL)Jl plugs, a goundlng of the spark can occur if the boots are
              dirty or coated with oil or road film.. We advise cleaning them
             «with WD—40 or a sultable subber cle:.nr\g                                      solvent to éliminate the
‘        »    problem.

    8,        If on any foreign built vehicles, ‘you should have a problem with
              the tach we suggest you contact Edelbrock for assistance with your
              particular vehicle.                                                 .               o.




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Document Created: 2005-09-01 12:41:44
Document Modified: 2005-09-01 12:41:44

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