electronic Ignition failure

[alan.gilbert_6384]

Hi All,

Just thought i would share my latest problem.  So with the nice weather, me and wife were out in the spitfire, car warmed up and running good.  After about 10/15 miles engine just dies tacho goes to 0 etc, then it cuts back in for a very short while, then does it again.  At first I thought coil (HT), logic being it gets warm and maybe starts to breakdown, swapped it for the spare in the boot, short run later, made no difference.  So the only other thing is the electronic ignition by Power spark.  Now this unit brought in 2020, had only done approx 500 miles, so I was sceptical at first, but changed it for the spare in the boot (yes as a classic car owner I have followed the advise and got spare car in the boot ;).  All fixed and thoroughly tested with the spare.  Got in touch with power spark to see if they wanted the unit back to investigate etc, but no they can't be bothered, just said it was out of warranty and to throw it away.  I will defiantly not be buying another one of their products.  Will god back to good old points, I hate electronics

[NonMember]

20 minutes ago, alan.gilbert_6384 said:

After about 10/15 miles engine just dies tacho goes to 0 etc, then it cuts back in for a very short while, then does it again.  At first I thought coil (HT), logic being

Wrong logic. There's a BIG clue here - "tacho goes to 0" - that's a sure sign it's a low-tension problem, not HT. As, indeed, you found.

[johny]

Strange but does happen however are you sure you didnt have a poor connection or disturbed something else in the dizzy when changing the unit? Wouldnt be the first time thats happened and I certainly wouldnt throw the old one away just yet in case the problem reappears😁

Just a thought: you have still got the earth wire attached to the dizzy backplate? There was a case where someone removed points AND earth wire thinking it wasnt necessary with this electronic ignition. It might work but not very well...

[alan.gilbert_6384]

Hi I did a full ABA test, defiantly the unit, all connections secure.

[johny]

Yes there were a lot of failures when they first came on the market but now some seem to last years and miles while others dont!

[Pete Lewis]

on any HT system  it is worth checking the coil is correct polarity ie  neg to the dizzy   pos to the white ign feed ( on a neg earth car)

when reversed you get the it goes stops wait a while  kick the wheels and off you go till it repeats

Pete

 

[Peter Truman]

I fitted one to daughters Spit around 15 years ago (Delco) still going strong initially she carried points etc in case, but now there is a spare Accuspark with rotor and coil in the space behind the battery.

Thought it wise to get a spare as Delco distributor Accuspark units not as easy to get & just in case they went out of business!

Similary the Vitesse has a spare but that’s a long story which involves a Sprints incorrectly advertised unit?

[Nick Jones]

Worth considering whether your alternator voltage regulator is doing its job. The old Lucas ACR series alternators, or rather the more recent lookalikes from various sources can have rather poor voltage control. The EI units don’t like high voltage spikes. I’ve noted that while people have multiple failures, others have no problems over high mileages/many years.   I suspect there is a reason for this.

Certainly I logged some pretty shocking spikes when hunting glitches in the early days of my EFI - over 20v at times.

Nick

[johny]

Interesting idea, Im still running the original dynamo and no problems with my Accuspark...

[sulzerman]

I fitted a acccuspark unit to my spitfire, worked well for a few years, then car started to misfire. Replaced with points and condensor and all was well. I haven't bothered with electronic ignition again, I don't think they are worth the bother when I only cover 2000 miles a year! 

Had a complete failure with a pertronix unit on my 2500 saloon only lasted about 18 months, now on points and condensor.

[Chris A]

10 hours ago, johny said:

Interesting idea, Im still running the original dynamo and no problems with my Accuspark...

My 13/60 is also dynamo and Accuspark, since Feb 2015, I'm happy with it.

[AlanT]

I’m of the same view that points are fine. I’ve driven masses of miles in many cars with points. As long as they are regularly checked then all is well.

It’s not as if access is tricky on our cars! 

[Pete Lewis]

in the end most ordinary  elect units are just a electronic triggered switch how thats achieved is what varies a lot 

the biggest saving is not having to check the points gap , yes electronic switching is more accurate than mechanicals 

but very few  can offset the good to the cost differences

its all down to preferences 

points have worked well for 50 years and now often plagued by crap replacements 

most have come across dodgey rotors and junk condensers and caps that dont fit ...aftermarket junk rip offs.

ive used points for years aldon for years and luminition units never a problem with any of the three

Pete