Electronic Ignition

[Jagman42]

I am sure this has been covered over the past few years but there seems to be much confusion over which is the best and MOST reliable electronic ignition to fit to the E Type Series 2.
Electronics have improved greatly in the auto industry so would appreciate any input/ advice from long term users as to which they have found to be the best and what if any problems they may have had in the past. I am not too worried about total authenticity to be "original" but want something that will last whilst on tour!
Thanks in advance.

[cactusman]

not directly series 2 but I have had a Lumenition in my MGB for 25 years....no points.....never missed a beat in a quarter of a century. I would guess about £200 now.
I have an Powerspark electronic points replacement in my series 1. Cost around £45...make sure you order the right one for your distributor. Been there four years and so far it has never missed a beat. It is a drop in replacement for points so I evem keep the points in the the spare wheel. It would take 20 mins to revert back.

[Tbob]

I have Pertronix electronic points installed in the stock distributor. Not a lot of miles on the E yet, but I have used Pertronix points in my other cars for 20 years with excellent performance and reliability. Inexpensive, too, when compared to other solutions - about $100.

[Nickleback]

I also have Pertronix in my S2 combined with a fully rebuilt dizzy by Distributor Doctor, not missed a beat in over a year / 1500 miles and I am very pleased with it.

[chrisfell]

I had lumenition in my car for several years. Utterly reliable. But it does need a new or reconditioned dizzie underneath to provide the centrifugal advance and vacuum advance functions.

Rather than a new standard dizzie (mine was worn and damaged and had the wrong weights), I bought an early 123 dizzie. Reliable as the lumenition. Just fit and forget.

Actually, scrub the forget bit, my engine leaks oil everywhere and the dizzie does get mucky, so I have to give it a wipe every so often.

And I can't stop myself from checking the timing at least once a year.

I keep the 123 dizzie set to the lowest of the 16 settings as the engine is in its original state of tune.

[64etype]

I'm using the Crane/Allison 700 system. Optical trigger with remote electronic box. It's not as "drop in" simple as a Pertronix, but it lends itself to hidden cutoff switches to easily and reliably disable the ignition. Disable switches on points or a module design like Pertronix are easy to defeat with a single jumper wire to the battery. I mounted the electronic module in the cabin where it's relatively cool. Wire run is virtually invisible. The system has been around for a long time and seems to have a good reputation for reliability. About $100 in the US.

[mgcjag]

Just put a cutout switch in the fuel pump circuit......not easy to bypass that

[64etype]

My car currently has both fuel and ignition cutoffs. A compact road wheel boot/lock is in the works.

[JagWaugh]

The first thing you have to do is take your distributor to someone who has a distributor tester and find out if the mechanical part of the distributor is working correctly. If your dizzy is toast, then you need to either replace it with a new distributor, a complete drop in replacement like the 123, or send it to distributordoctor.com and have it rebuilt.

If the mechanics are within spec then you can just fit a points replacement unit (there are many). If the mechanism is toast then you need to address that.

I am sure this has been covered over the past few years but there seems to be much confusion over which is the best and MOST reliable electronic ignition to fit to the E Type Series 2.
Electronics have improved greatly in the auto industry so would appreciate any input/ advice from long term users as to which they have found to be the best and what if any problems they may have had in the past. I am not too worried about total authenticity to be "original" but want something that will last whilst on tour!
Thanks in advance.

[Nickleback]

It's not as "drop in" simple as a Pertronix, but it lends itself to hidden cutoff switches to easily and reliably disable the ignition. Disable switches on points or a module design like Pertronix are easy to defeat with a single jumper wire to the battery. I mounted the electronic module in the cabin where it's relatively cool. Wire run is virtually invisible.

Err no, not true.
You can run a Pertonix with a full electronic imobiliser with electric cut-off (not Fuel) no problem
However you have lots of choice, do your homework and make a confortable decision which suits you & your requirements.

[64etype]

How is your electronic switch functionally different than a manual toggle switch (speaking only in regard to the power to the distributer)?

[Nickleback]

How is the electronic switch functionally different than a manual toggle switch (speaking only in regard to the power to the distributer)?

You have PM with answer for security reasons

[cactusman]

I would advise that the minutiae of security systems people install are not discussed openly on here. Obviously anyone can visit and anyone can register.....which is as it should be...

Don't forget though there is the possibility, however slight that may be, that a wrong one could register....

[AshM]

Jumping on the back of the original question in this stream. I have already taken the decision and have purchased the 123 system.

Anyone have any hints or tips on its installation, wiring, etc.. I note that one post referenced setting the curve at the lowest setting whilst I have heard others recommend a set at number 5 for a standard SII.

Any hints, tips, comments gratefully received as always.

cheers

[Mark Gordon]

It depends on which 123 dizzy you bought, the standard model or the 123 Tune. With the standard model, you have to remove the dizzy from the block to make adjustments to the advance curve while the 123 Tune allows you to make those adjustments from a USB connection to a laptop while the engine is running. Those adjustments can even be made by a passenger while the car is being driven.

Which curve will best suit you and your car depends on you and your car. The optimum advance curve will depend on your driving habits, the condition of your engine, lift of your cams, etc., etc. The only way to get to the optimum is to experiment which is much easier with the 123 Tune. That having been said, I have the standard model in my Series 1 with triple SU's. It was installed soon after a rebuild of the engine and head with factory Series II camshafts and 9:1, 0.020" (as I recall) oversized pistons. I went with the default curve, "0", and the car started and ran so well that I just left it where it was. That was 3 1/2 years ago and I haven't touched the distributor since. If I had the 123 Tune model, I probably would have messed around with different curves but I suspect that "0" is optimum for my setup.

Installing the 123 couldn't be easier. Much easier, in fact than adjusting at conventional points/condenser dizzy. Just follow the instructions in the manual and it should fire right up, first time, every time. Good luck.

[mgcjag]

Hi Ash....if you have read up about the 123 on this forum you will have noticed that some get them to work fine whilst others have problems....I fitted tne standard type with a friend to his ots....we just could not get the car to run properly..took it out put back the points dizzy and all ok.....at the same time i had one on my MGC that ran great

[Nickleback]

Jumping on the back of the original question in this stream. I have already taken the decision and have purchased the 123 system.

Anyone have any hints or tips on its installation, wiring, etc.. I note that one post referenced setting the curve at the lowest setting whilst I have heard others recommend a set at number 5 for a standard SII.

Any hints, tips, comments gratefully received as always.

cheers

That's the problem with the 123, too many choices, which one is right curve, which one is best ?
Be interested to find out which one you choose and will it be the best for your car ?

[AshM]

Thanks for feedback - I will let you know how I get on. Couple of other jobs underway too so it will be a few weeks before I am ready to fire it up.

But will definitely post my experiences.

Best
Ash

[politeperson]

I have fitted the 123-tune twice.

It literally took a few minutes and the cars have run perfectly since. On the button, very strong ignition voltages at the plugs.

I have never adjusted the advance curve, although I do intend to.

On a Series 2, we dispensed with the ballast resistor relay. It was unexpectedly complicated on a 1969 FHC from the US. On my car this was factory fitted on the bulkhead. This restored full voltage to the ignition system.

I have had no problems with the Rev counter either.

Worth changing the leads plugs and the coil at the same time.

If you read the fitting instructions that come with it, they are only half a page. It is that simple.

One of the cars had the dizzy drive fitted 180 degrees out. This could be a balls ache with a standard vacuum advance distributor. However, once this was realised, the 123 tune was rotated to suit and worked fine.
I put one in the other day so it is pretty fresh in my memory.

To fit it, you need to rotate the engine to 10 degrees tdc, as marked on the crank pulley, as visible from underneath.

Make sure the cams on number 6 (the front cylinder) are not rocking the valves. You will be firing on this cylinder. If the dizzy drive is in the correct position, the distributor arm should be pointing the the front cylinder.

Remove the old distributor. Insert the new one.

The wiring is simple as it only has three wires, I used the blue as an extra earth to the dizzy clamp bolt.

The 123 needs to be rotated clockwise in the XK application a couple of degrees until a little green light comes on. You also need to apply a little bit of pressure clockwise to the rotor arm to get rid of the slack.

That is it, is just needs clamping up. That did it for me.

You can fine tune it with a strobe. You can change the advance curve with a windows lap top or a mac.

The distributor cap and arm are standard Beru? units, so when they wear out they can be replaced by you local motor factor or anywhere in Europe.

The only problem I can see with it is that if your distributor drive is worn, the signal the engine sends will be erratic. If that is the case, the chances are the rest of your engine is pretty worn anyway.

[chrisfell]

Jumping on the back of the original question in this stream. I have already taken the decision and have purchased the 123 system.

Anyone have any hints or tips on its installation, wiring, etc.. I note that one post referenced setting the curve at the lowest setting whilst I have heard others recommend a set at number 5 for a standard SII.

Any hints, tips, comments gratefully received as always.

cheers

On my car's engine (un-modified 9:1) with the lowest setting and 9 degrees of static advance the 123 will pink on 95 octane under extreme loads at low revs, but not on 97 or higher. If I know I'm going to have to use 95 (for example if I'm touring the outer reaches of this still United Kingdom, or the softer nether regions of France where only 95 is available), I'll back the dizzie off to 8 or 7 degrees.



As long as the engine doesn't pink under load at low revs whatever curve is chosen will be OK. The old school way of testing this was to drive to a road with a slight incline and floor the throttle in top at 20 mph and then reduce the static advance until the engine stopped pinking. The Lucas dizzie helped with this as the fine tuning was handled by the knurled wheel adjuster. Such fine tuning of the static advance on my 123 usually requires several attempts, or a degree of luck. The current versions can be hooked to a laptop making changes to curves a lot easier. I imagine in the future I'd have a 123 linked to a Raspberry Pi in the glove box controlled by my iPhone, allowing me to change curves when I filled up, rather than when I know I'd loose access to Tescos 99 octane fuel.