Electronic ignition - spares

[dp]

I have recently bought an early 948cc MG midget. A previous owner has fitted a contactless distributor from who know what, perhaps late Mini? Anyhow, while it is working just fine, what spares do people with such dizzys carry in case of breakdown given no there are no points?

Do distributor caps fail suddenly or with warning?

Thanks

[svenedin]

It still has a rotor arm even if it no longer has “points”. A spare rotor is a reasonable idea. Distributor caps sometimes develop cracks and eventually the carbon brushes wear out. A spare cap is not a bad idea. It’s overkill but I have a complete spare distributor

[panky]

If the dizzy has a black module attached to the side then it's probably off a 90's Mini. I still have the original one on my 91 Cooper and I've rarely had the cap off as when I do everything is clean and how it should be. The modules are available from Mini specialists if needed.
If it's the Accuspark/Powespark type then the internal modules have been known to fail (I've had two go) so A spare module is a good idea but at about £30 it's a bit expensive for a 'just in case'. Personally I carry the original dizzy in case of a breakdown.

[philipkearney]

I'll second svenedin's comment, a spare rotor arm is a good idea - especially if the car has a new one fitted. I have a 55 saloon with E/I fitted. Earlier in year, it ran rough and then cut out completely in the space of a mile. I tried everything to get it running and as a last resort, threw on an old rotor arm that was lying about and the car fired up instantly. There were no cracks or damage to the rotor but I can only assume it was somehow breaking down and not delivering the spark. In fairness, new components for standard ignition are poor also so I can't blame the fact the car had electronic ignition.

[Sleeper]

" In fairness, new components for standard ignition are poor also so I can't blame the fact the car had electronic ignition. "

May be you can , maybe the electronic ignition is creating too high a voltage ?

John ;-)

[myoldjalopy]

It all depend where you get stuff from - I've been running standard points set-up from Distributor Doctor for the last ten years or more and never had a single problem with his parts. Before that, I had periodic breakdowns - especially with rotor arms.

[geoberni]

I have a Cap and Leads in the boot, along with a Coil, Rotor Arm and Electronic Unit.
I only have the Electronic Unit because of breakdown issues where the RAC engineers blamed the existing Electronic Unit.
When we got home after the first breakdown the car started and I couldn't find a problem.
So I changed the Electronic Unit, keeping the old one, .....and we broke down again.
This time the car still wouldn't start when we got it home, so I was able to fault find it to an open circuit coil.
Confirmed as a broken Solder Joint inside when I opened it up.
That's why I have the spare Electronic Unit...

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Personally I would be prioritising getting the correct distributor for the engine, as the one from the Mini will be configured differently, ie different advance curve. The wrong distributor affects performance.

[dp]

This is the inside - does it look familiar to anyone? There is nothing outside the distributer.

Engine seems fine, apparently rebuilt unit. Nicer than a 1098 Minor somehow but doesn't like to rev - has all its power down low.

IMG_0712.jpg (35.77 KiB) Viewed 1483 times

IMG_0711.jpg (46.01 KiB) Viewed 1483 times

[geoberni]

Is the car Pos or Neg earth?
Can you read the number on the Distributor?
Chances are it's just a regular Dissy with the after-market unit fitted to it.

Looking at the height of the Unit, I suspect it might be a Powerspark
I note their Pos and Neg versions have different colour cables...
The body isn't the same colour but who knows...?
https://simonbbc.com/electronic-ignitio ... inder/25d/

The accuspark is Black, but I think isn't quite as tall.
http://accuspark.co.uk/kit_search.html#kit4
Accuspark also seem to use the same Red or White cable colour difference between Pos and Neg Earth versions.

[dp]

Positive earth.

Looks most like the PowerSpark.

I've always been a fan of the Vellemann kits (link below, no connection to me) because you could leave the standard condensor in place disconnected and if the Vellemann blew you could go back to standard with reasonable certainty the points would still be like new. And of course they're cheap if you can solder. But might be less hassle to just buy a backup Powerspark.

Thanks for all the answers



http://www.velleman.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p199.html

[kevin s]

Unless it is obviously misfiring I'd be suprised if it is the electronc part of the dizzy, I'd check the following:

Ignition timing
Is the dizzy advancing with rpm
Restrictions on the inlet or exhaust gas flow.
Is it getting full throttle.