23 replies to this topic

[chazzybaby]

oh! so the two cheapish ones i have just ordered from MOSS are going to die very soon as well? or is it that thing that i've got a spare so it will be fine. i shouldn't have said that should I?

if these fail i will be visiting the distributor doctor and getting those high quality ones

[Wright&Wright]

Convert the lot.

I bought the Britpart electronic points conversion. It did away with the points and condenser and now it runs much smoother. Seriously worth looking at, I think it cost me about £15 too.

[chazzybaby]

what do the electronic ignitions connect to? i might convert it is looking more and more friendly to me at the moment. mind i'm also considering 7port injection.

[dklawson]

what do the electronic ignitions connect to?

In their simplest form, a system like the Aldon Ignitor or Britparts kit runs a power wire to coil (+) to get 12V, a second wire goes to coil (-) in place of the stock white/black wire, and the distributor breaker plate is an earth connection. You remove the points, install the module on the breaker plate, and fit a target ring to the distributor shaft. That's pretty much it except for re-setting the ignition timing.

Ballast ignition systems are only slightly more complicated.

[chazzybaby]

that's it? wow right next paycheck here we come!

[finch661]

if you have a ballast ignition and want to swap to the britpart or the poitntless based ignition system, you will need to put a 12V feed for the coil. had to do this with my mg midget

[dklawson]

if you have a ballast ignition and want to swap to the britpart or the poitntless based ignition system, you will need to put a 12V feed for the coil. had to do this with my mg midget

Not entirely true.

If you have a ballast ignition system, you WILL have a ballast coil and you cannot simply run 12V to it. It will draw too much current. If you run a 12V supply to coil (+) you also have to have a "standard" 12V coil, not a ballast coil.

The less expensive way to handle a ballast ignition system is to change the connection point for the "red" wire on the aftermarket ignition module. With a "standard" ignition system, that red wire normally goes to coil (+). When you have a ballast ignition system you cannot connect the red wire to coil (+) because that point operates at less than 12V (not enough voltage to run the ignition module). Therefore, with a ballast ignition system you connect the ignition module's red wire to a point where there is a switched (full) 12V supply. Most people on this board seem to make this connection directly to the fuse box. The coil wires are not changed and the module's black wire still goes to coil (-).

[chazzybaby]

i have 12V coil system and not balasted will i still need to run a 12V feed?

[dklawson]

IF you have...
1) a 12V supply to coil (+) and
2) if you have a "standard" 3 Ohm coil,
then you can connect the red power wire from the ignition module to coil (+). (You do not need to make a special 12v connection).

HOWEVER, pay attention to the actual set up and make voltage measurements to determine what you really have. Remove the dizzy cap, put a coin between the points, switch on the ignition, and measure the voltage between coil (+) and earth. If you measure 12V, you have a standard ignition system. If you measure 6-9V, you have a ballast ignition system (regardless of what coil you have installed).

You MUST have the points closed to make this measurement. Putting the coin between the points insures that the points are "closed".

If the points are open or you do NOT put the coin between the points, you will always measure 12V on coil (+) and this can be very misleading.