from what your saying & where your from I'am guessing there's oil cooler on her either ,sounds like she just over heated & I would check the voes first might have just gave out in the heat , you said it hit 122 , you can 10 - 20 degrees to that in your engine , get the comp test down as well & has it used any more the normal oil ?

 

@jasper last weekend I took it about 170 miles. Took about 4 hours with not wanting to push it. But the difference is, mine doesn't lose power at all. Even on a warm 85+ degree day it doesn't lose power or get worse. It's just always pings loud when I roll on hard.

And it doesn't blow any oil. In fact it hardly leaks any of it either.

@cowboy no oil cooler. And I'm almost certain it got too hot. It was normally run most of its life in the Pacific Northwest and has probably never seen 120+ temperatures before. But if it's running sold now, besides the ping, I couldn't have done that much damage?

And as far as oil consumption, it doesn't use any to speak of. I've never had to add any. So it's solid.

So the only things I can think of is to check the compression and the VOES.

But does anyone have a definitive answer as to if the ultima ignition bypasses the VOES or is it still needed?

 

But does anyone have a definitive answer as to if the ultima ignition bypasses the VOES or is it still needed?
I don't anything about then I'am still running the stock one on my 94

 

Did you find an issue?

 

I think you are misinformed about this VOES bypass. The VOES is needed. There is no bypass mode. If you wired your VOES switch to the violet wire on the Ultima ignition module and set switch #1 to OFF your VOES is active. Switch #1 being set to off puts the system in normal operation in regards to the VOES and turn OFF the retard mode that is used for nitrous or turbo applications. This would be the correct configuration. This is how it works, there is a tube connected to the VOES and the intake manifold to sense manifold vacuum. The violet wire is connected to the VOES and the VOES is connected to ground. When your engine is under light load the manifold vacuum is high and the VOES grounds the violet wire telling the ignition module to go to a higher ignition advance curve. When you open the throttle and your engine is under a high load the manifold vacuum drops. The VOES senses this drop in vacuum and opens the circuit between the violet wire and ground. This tell the ignition module to reset to a lower ignition advance curve - reduces timing under load and eliminates pinging. When you reach a steady cursing speed you reduce your throttle that inturn rises manifold vacuum and the VOES again grounds the violet wire telling the ignition module to go back to the higher ignition advance curve - higher timing and allows for better fuel mileage and better throttle response.

The only way to bypass or disable the VOES is not to have it connected to the violet wire at all.

The Ultima ignition module has a green LED light that will tell you the state of your VOES. When the violet wire is grounded the green LED light will be on. Start the engine and let it idle, the manifold vacuum will be high so the VOES should ground the violet wire and the green LED light should be on. Crack the throttle wide open, the manifold vacuum will fall and the VOES should open so there will be no ground on the violet wire and the green LED light should go off.

Test for the VOES - depending on the model VOES you have it should ground above 3 1/2 to 5 inches of vacuum. Disconnect the violet wire from the Ultima ignition. Put an ohm meter across the VOES. With engine at idle the vacuum will be high and the VOES should have continuity. Open the throttle and the vacuum will drop so the VOES should open so there will be no continuity. You can also get a cheap hand held vacuum pump from Harbor Freight. This will allow you to put vacuum on the VOES and see exactly were it opens or closes.
The VOES is adjustable. Here is a link to a great article that explains it's function and adjustments in detail.
http://www.wildwestcycle.com/f_voes.html

Here is a link to Ultima ignition instructions
http://www.ultimaproducts.com/53-644_Ignition.pdf

You may find that you cooked the VOES and it is not functioning. That would not allow your timing to retard on acceleration (high engine load) and cause pinging.

If you find that you need to replaces the VOES because it is not retarding timing the new VOES may allow you to use one of the more aggressive advance curves since it will be retarding timing properly on hard acceleration - high engine loads. You said your at advance curve #4 now, the least aggressive advance curve.

Hope this helps.

 

Then, too, if the VOES is still present, physically, and the diaphragm is perforated, you WILL have a vacuum leak, which will make your engine run lean.

 

You guys are awesome for helping. Thats why this forum as always been my first place to look for information, and has taught me a lot about how my bike works. My father always told me when I was young that if it something you can do yourself, then learn how to do it.

Allenz & UncleG - That was probably the best explanation of the VOES system coupled with the Ultima that I could have hoped for! And with that information I can tell you this:
The green light has never lit up. The VOES is connected per the instructions and everything else works. After I went 1 step colder plugs and retarded the timing slightly, I have eliminated 90% of the ping. Its only under heavy load during cruising when I need to accelerate from a low RPM. But like I said, the red light on the Ultima flashes while idling when it encounters a pickup I'm guessing, but the green VOES light is off both at idle and WOT. I figured because it was because I had it switched "OFF" with the 1st toggle switch.

So I guess my next step is to pull that VOES and check it with the vacuum pump from Harbor Freight. (I had it in my hand yesterday and decided that I wouldn't need it yet... dammit)

But let me ask you this... if it turns out the VOES is alright... is there anything carb related that would cause this pinging as well? Like I said, I have plenty of power, good colored plugs, no hesitation or backfiring, and it starts and idles pretty smooth. I was told that the accelerator pump had a diaphragm that could go bad and be an issue as well. Not giving the full dose of fuel when its needed.. something that is only apparent on a WOT burst. Does that theory hold water?

Once again, thank you for the help and descriptions. I'll test that next, probably tomorrow because I have to sit in front of my editing computer for the next 5-6 hours.

 

I have a question. With 10:1 pistons, what grade of gas do you use? I have 10:1 pistons and there literally is no pump gas mine will run on without pinging. I have to use 93 octane with a booster.

 

The accelerator pump could be an issue, but it's fairly easy to check. The VOES is pretty reliable, but if yours is original, it's getting on in years, and I can attest that they don't last forever.

 

@Gunslingertom - I run the best I can find which is usually either 91 or 93 and have tried adding an octane boost. But this thing ran great and never pinged before my trip, so that isnt the case I dont think. The guy who had it before me used to run 91 through it for years and never had the problem. I found a pump with some 107 octane last week and tried a gallon of that. The power was ridiculous, but the ping was still there.
And by the way, I love the look of your '90 Ultra. Thats my next step to remove all the hardware from the rear of the bike. How difficult was that and do you still use the tour pack at all?

@Uncle G - I've recently realized that although the internals of the Evo may be only 20K miles young, the rest of her is 23 years and 70k miles old. So it is very possible that things are just starting to wear out. I'm hoping that it is just the VOES. Shouldn't be hard to replace. Where would you recommend getting one if it is bad? Stealership or 3rd party?