Hi,
What is correct way to make a save connection of the ignition cable into the distributer cap?
I noticed that some of them failed in my case. But I don’t know what I did wrong?
Thanks,
Harrie
You have to solder de little round rings to the core of the cable.
I do not see those on the picture.
I see the core wires loose in there.
Example of those rings
Hi Peter Jan,
That is new to me. The existing cables doesn’t have this solder.
Do you have a picture that show this solder?
Thanks,
Harrie
Harrie,
You even don’t have to solder these connections.
The “old fashioned” spark plug cable consists of several copper “strands” that should be bend one by one in a different direction to cover the entire brass split washer. When you screw the black moulded nuts into the distributor cap, the brass split washer and copper strands will be “squeezed” onto the brass terminals within the cap.
Groeten,
Bob K.
1 Like
Hi Harrie,
Are you using copper cored spark plug wire? Do you have the brass/copper washers shown by Peter above?
Regards,
Clive.
Hi Bob,
What should be the expected resistance of each cable?
I think that the “old” cables itself are the root cause for the bad connection.
Can better order a new one.
Which cable set do you advise me?
Regards,
Harrie
Hi Clive,
I think copper. But the cables are old.
Harrie
Harrie,
The resistance of these copper cables should be close to zero. These should not be compared with modern high resistance or even carbon cables.
Buy some meters of black (7 mm) multi-strand ignition cable and discard the old ones. There still are various suppliers of this (universal) ignition cable or High Tension (HT) leads and it’s not expensive. SNG has the brass split washers in stock.
Don’t forget to replace the cable between the ignition coil and the (centre of the) distributor cap.
Bob K.
Hi Harrie,
I bought 7mm cable from e-bay - ordered the length I needed.
This YouTube video shows how connections are made: https://youtu.be/jQFfUahk-c4?si=AYotDX2MqSTykSi4.
I also soldered the wires to the washer once the wires were splayed out, although this is not suggested by any period guide.
Regards,
Clive.
Hi,
Still a problem with the ignition.
I ordered a new cable set (SNG SBS1010).
Today I place these on a new distributer cap. According the right procedure.
Measuring the resistance of each cable connection is zero (without sparking plug cap).
With sparking plug cap it is 10 KOhm.
But still I don’t see a spark coming from Cyl 4,5,6. Cyl 1,2,3 only sometimes.
Contact points and rotor are new.
Even no spark when I remove the sparking plug cap and connect the copper direct on the spark plug.
Any suggestion what is wrong in my case?
Thanks,
Harrie
It could be many things: power to the coil, bad connections, bad insulators, bad points, bad condenser, improper installation, bad rotor, bad cap. You need to go through the system step-by-step. You may think that you have tested everything but you really haven’t, because the ignition system still doesn’t work. Also, “New” does not mean the same as “Functional”.
Hi Harrie,
I feel your pain. I once ended up mounting coils, points, condenser, spark plug on a wooden board so I could establish exactly where the problem was. I even discarded a couple of plugs because of internal resistance.
As Mike says, methodically go through everything starting with the low voltage side. Make sure all connections are clean and bright - measure voltage to make sure all wires have good connections at the other end. Ensure your ground/earth connections are good. Next make sure your points have clean contacts and are gapped correctly. Condensers can go bad which can lead to weak spark. Connect a spark plug to the coil HT lead, then you can open the points manually to check for spark - no need to crank the engine. Measure the resistance of your low tension and high tension coils to ensure they are in spec.
You will get there, just eliminate causes one by one.
Regards,
Clive.
Hi Rob,
I saw later that these 10(exp) Ohm spark plug connectors are used for the XK150.
Does the original straight type have a resistance of 10k Ohm as well?
Regards,
Harrie
I have the same set on 2 of my cars, they work fine.
Both have a 123 ignition, and a lucas power ignition coil.
Hi Harrie…was this a good running car that started to have problems…or a rebuild/refurb that hasnt run yet…Steve
Hi Steve,
The engine was running. But after a while not very nice anymore.
Cables, distributer cap, contactpoints were old. So I decided to replace these, assuming that this is the root cause. But probably it is something else.
It must be something simple what I overlooked …
Harrie
Hi Peter Jan,
The differences between SBS1010 & SBS1010XK is only optical (according SNG).
Regards,
Harrie
Harrie,
Go step by step. Are you sure you have a spark from the ignition coil? Disconnect the centre cable from the cap and see whether you have a spark jumping from the core to e.g the block when starting. I assume you’ve used the same brass split washer at the top terminal of the coil for a good connection.
Bob
The original straight type has a resistance of zero. It has a screw running straight up through it from the round sleeve and screws into the wire.