I am thinking of putting in an electronic ignition in my 68 OTS. I have read on the form that the Pertronix unit is a good product. This Pertronix is readily available form XKS Unilimited/Moss. As the previous posts appear to be quite old, is there a new product out there that has come along recently that is better than the Pertronix?
SNG Barratt has units for sale that sell for more than $100 over the Pertronix at XKS. Also, is there any advantage in getting a unit that has programmable app to toy with the timing?
More on Electronic ignition , I was looking at a kit from Powerspark , in the text they say NOT to be used with Copper HT leads , but Silicone , is this true /
Or just a way to get you to buy there HT leads !
I’ve used the Pertronix in an old Volvo and my E with no problems other than frying the unit a couple of times when I forgot and left the ignition switched on without the engine running. I think that that’s its only Achilles heel. I am currently running the standard 123 Ignition distributor in my E and I love it. It cuts off the power to the coil if the engine isn’t turning for something like 2 seconds or so and doesn’t risk burning out the electronics in the dizzy. The big advantage over other systems is the 16 advance curves that you can dial in although you have to pull out the distributor to change the settings. The123 Tune model allows changes to the advance curves with the engine running via a laptop computer without removing the unit. The passenger can even make changes while the car is moving. The only disadvantage to the 123’s is their cost, about $470-510 depending on model. If you just want quick starting and smooth running in a street car and are willing to fiddle with settings as you would with a conventional P/C ignition system, you can’t go wrong with Pertronix.
Another vote for the Pertronix. Installed it and set the timing 8000 miles ago and haven’t touched it since. Get the dizzy rather than the module. With vacuum advance if you’ve installed SUs.
@MartinScherz installed that 123 in his E and we both agreed that it made a difference. It is easy to install and set, and I think it’s well worth the money. Built quality is decent and it doesn’t look out of place. For my age group (heh) they offer a Bluetooth version with anti-theft if you want that and more importantly one can set and switch between different ignition curves and advance presets while driving. For example, on a hot day with bad gas you could retard the timing a little or set a curve for lower octane, or you can adapt it to high altitude (maybe it does that too). It also has a limiter and I think will adapt to 6 or 12V, positive and negative earth. All the tuning can happen from the drivers seat, in real time, with an app! And it should be somewhere around $500, so, worth it I’d say. No affiliation either.
The one Martin put in is the one described, with preloaded curves and no Bluetooth. Absolutely worth the money. No more points setting, less roughness, and we agreed on more torque, or at least much more evenly so.
David
I have mentioned it before but will repeat… last year I decided to try an electronic alternative when one became available for less than 40 bucks:
My spares include a complete distributor so I installed the Hot Spark in that and put the unit on the engine for the last Oil Leak. Performed just fine, possibly made the idle steadier but mostly no difference.
I meant it to be a temporary test and planned to re-install the points unit and return the Hot Spark distributor to the boot but it works well enough that I have never bothered to do the swap (sort of forgot about it) so I now have about 4,000 miles on the Hot Spark.
Not sophisticated, no programming - just an inexpensive alternative to the Pertronix.
PS: I did not change the high tension leads so I am still using copper.
I second that recommendation. It ensures you aren’t putting an electronic ignition kit in a worn OEM
distributor. And if you want vacuum advance and have Strombergs it’s a very simple matter to install a vacuum nipple on the front carb. While you are at it pull the secondary butterflies off of the manifold and get a set of adjustable jets from Joe Curto.
The Pertronix is a fine unit if your dizzy and shaft are in good shape. The second version has great high end power but be aware that you might need to upgrade your wires. The unit will misfire like crazy if you don’t use suppression core wires.
Robert, in my opinion having the proper S-1 mechanical advance curve in your car is equally as important as eliminating points. Therefore get the entire distributor, one that emulates the early 4.2 cars.
David if you get a S-1 distributor do you need to hook up the vacuum advance also to get the benefits or does the mechanical advance in it alone help things out ? I do not think I am ready to do any irreversible mods to my car to tap into a vacuum source but would probably be happy to drop in an earlier distributor if it is easy to take back to original configuration.
I think the mechanical advance gets you most of the way there – for my S2 I tweaked the mechanical advance (different springs, trial & error) to get a curve closer to what was used on S1s (steeper).
Bob. Bear in mind that the electronic tachometer in a '68 is designed to work with points only. You might want to talk to Mike Eck about having it modified to work with an electronic ignition, before committing to any one system.
Hi Robert,
Just a couple of thoughts hoping that I’m not repeating what has already been said. Another option that works quite well is the electronic ignition set up from a later XJ6 (can still be found in the wreckers yard occasionally). The second point I would make is that your stock dizzy will have a 20 degree advance curve which is 40 degrees at the crank, this was done as a primitive attempt to control emissions. I would be looking at replacing the distributor with one of the newer units or consider modifying your dizzy by limiting the advance mechanism, you can build up the limiting arm and then file it down to get a more reasonable advance although your still left with an ‘odd’ advance curve. With that in mind I always set my timing @ 32-34* BTDC at 3500 RPM. YMMV
Cheers,
LLynn
Thank you all for your valuable input. I have one more question please.
I am going to purchase the Pertronix unit with vacuum advance because I have the triple SUs. My current distributor cap has the screw in leads and I have been told that the Pertronix will have the push in type.I see that buying a new set of leads from XKS Unlimited is expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions on what type of leads I should use as replacements and what the core should be, copper, silicone, etc?
I think you will be able to convert your screw ends to push ends using parts available at most auto parts stores. The ‘universal’ ignition wire kits they sell come with ends you crimp on and rubber caps as they are designed to let you cut & make up whatever lengths you need.
No idea of copper v silicone - as I mentioned I had no problem with keeping the copper wires with my Pertronix knock-off but that might not be quite the same as the real thing.
