Electronic ignition

[Molly123]

Hi All
I’ve just bought my first moggie and are exploring various upgrades. I’ve booked to have disc brakes fitted and the headlights changed to halogen ones. I’m considering electronic ignition fitted, but I’ve heard varying views on whether it’s worth the cost etc.
I’d be obliged for any opinions.
Many thanks
Seth

[philthehill]

I have Lumenition optronic ignition fitted to my Minor and have had no problems with the system. It is matched to the Lumenition coil.

Highly recommended.

Phil

[Molly123]

Thanks Phil
Seth

[KeithL]

I use the Pertronix electronic ignition in our 1098 Traveller and have had no issues. It will be matched to Flamethrower coil if I ever get round to changing it but it works fine with the standard coil so I haven't bothered too much.

[ManyMinors]

If, like me, you have no problem with the standard system anyway, you'll perhaps leave it alone
If you decide to go for electronic ignition, stick with one of the more expensive tried and tested systems. Not some cheap offering which could leave you stranded somewhere, because when electronics go wrong, you WILL be stranded.

[Molly123]

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.
Seth

[geoberni]

Hi All
I’ve just bought my first moggie and are exploring various upgrades. I’ve booked to have disc brakes fitted and the headlights changed to halogen ones.

Woha... have you considered the bigger picture? Is there actually a plan to what is needed and what priority??
Is your car a Dynamo or Alternator?
When I brought Basil, he had a Dynamo + Halogen headlights (fairly recently fitted thanks to whim of previous Owner) and I wasn't convinced as to the ability of the dynamo to cope.
I fitted an ammeter and found that with the headlights on, there was a small drain on the battery, no matter what the revs of the car.
So no good driving far with the lights on.

I've now changed Basil to LED headlamps, which are well within the capabilities of the system, unlike the halogens.

[Molly123]

I bought Molly only a few weeks ago and it was already fitted with an alternator. I collected from Exeter and drove back to London. It drove extremely well , except for the brakes which needed to be applied very early ,and with no play. She was fitted with a servo by the previous owner, so I decided to have discs fitted.

[geoberni]

I bought Molly only a few weeks ago and it was already fitted with an alternator. I collected from Exeter and drove back to London. It drove extremely well , except for the brakes which needed to be applied very early ,and with no play. She was fitted with a servo by the previous owner, so I decided to have discs fitted.

Fair enough

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[jagnut66]

Hi,
I drove Sally back from East Croydon with drums all round and was pleasantly surprised with how well they coped. You have to allow more distance and think ahead more but otherwise I didn't treat her different from any other car.
Now I am going through everything with a view to bringing her back into regular use, so I am completely renewing the braking system. This will make it simpler to change over to silicon fluid too, as you really want a completely 'clean' system before you fill up with this. So she now has Ford vented discs at the front.
However, having driven that distance with drums all round, I would be perfectly happy to drive a car with them fitted, they just need more frequent checks to make sure they are adjusted correctly, when in more regular use.
As an aside these will be hidden behind standard wheels, so the car will appear standard, unless you look closely.
As for the ignition system, well I was thinking of sticking with the standard points set up, as the original distributor worked perfectly happily all the way home and I am not adverse to this set up.
However, when I sold the 803 unit to another enthusiast on here, who wanted to retain an 803 engine in his car, I removed the starter motor but forgot about the distributor (Doh! ).
So I have now purchased this to fit on her:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morris-Minor ... 2749.l2649

NB: Morris Minors don't require the ballast resister, so that will be removed from the set up, this is only provided for cars that need one anyway.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[philthehill]

Note:
Not all coils work at 12V. Some work at lower voltages i.e. 9V and so need the ballast resister.

[Molly123]

Molly is still at the garage due to the present travelling restrictions, but the mechanic working on her has told me the rear brakes were completely seized. I bought her from an elderly chap, who hadn’t driven it for some time, so I imagine that is the cause.

[liammonty]

Molly is still at the garage due to the present travelling restrictions, but the mechanic working on her has told me the rear brakes were completely seized. I bought her from an elderly chap, who hadn’t driven it for some time, so I imagine that is the cause.

Absolutely- that sounds as though it was the cause. Unfortunately, people often spend large amounts upgrading from original because the original parts have been poorly maintained and aren’t working properly, but they don’t realise. Well maintained drum brakes on a standard Minor are actually pretty good, as is the standard ignition system! I’ve fitted electronic ignition systems to other classics in the past, and regretted it when it has later failed. A well maintained standard ignition system (fitted with quality points, condenser etc.) works as well as an aftermarket electronic kit, and in my experience is less likely to fail. Again, some folk think the original system is inferior in terms of starting etc. but it’s due to the points and timing not being correctly set and maintained.

[ampwhu]

I fitted accuspark to my saloon in 2010 and have driven everywhere in it. It still runs as good as the day it was fitted. I'd never go back to the old points system. Why would you.

[jagnut66]

I think many fit electronic and then carry a standard points distributor in the boot, as a 'get them home' option, just in case.....
Mind you I'd have to buy one now and then probably end up forking out to refurbish it to be sure.........
Best wishes,
Mike.

[liammonty]

I fitted accuspark to my saloon in 2010 and have driven everywhere in it. It still runs as good as the day it was fitted. I'd never go back to the old points system. Why would you.

As I clearly wrote, because I had trouble with my electronic system (Pertronix). Each to their own

[myoldjalopy]

My car was fitted with points and drum brakes back in 1955. It is still starting, running and stopping as it should with them 65 years later, so they can't be that bad! I am with 'liammonty' and 'manyminors' and have noted that there are many posts on here where some poor soul has fitted a seductive, fancy gizmo and then had problems. The suggestion that "many fit electronic and then carry a standard points distributor in the boot........just in case" speaks volumes. I'll wager that there are not many with points who carry an electronic ignition in the boot, just in case!

[jagnut66]

I'll wager that there are not many with points who carry an electronic ignition in the boot, just in case!

Someone should then, just to be different!

[oliver90owner]

Back in the ‘70s I made a capacitive discharge electronic ignition system (to a design in ETI - a hobby electronics magazine) that was very reliable. It coped to 6000+ rpm but needed a larger capacitor for better starting spark (low volts on the inverter side) which reduced the top end, so had some minor deficiencies. It still used the points for triggering the SCR, but at low current and low voltage worked OK. 2N3055 and BC108/9 transistor technology of the day.

I’ve still got the transformer designed for the system so may search it out and build a better inverter section, if I run out of things to do during the lock-down(I don’t expect I will, mind).

With that system I could easily swap back to the Kettering ignition, if required, but it was completely reliable all the time I used it (about five years, I think). Also, as I recall, an engine tacho could have been a simple ammeter in the supply side. I used an electric/electronic tacho back then so never needed to try out the ammeter option.

[kevin s]

I fitted (with some machining) the A+ electronic set up, works brilliantly, oem quality and a spare amplifier to carry around costs much the same as decent points/ condensor.