Electronic ignition

[Mark]

The shop that put in my new 1776cc motor wants to put in electronic ignition with a more powerful coil.

Is this an upgrade for the car or an upsell by the mechanic?

[Al Greig]

I have been running a PerTronix electrotonic ignition and associated coil in my 1776 since I build it about 20 years ago.  Happy with performance, no regrets. Still carry set of ordinal points in car as backup.

[Mark]

Thanks for the positive information.
Ive only driven the car about 18-20 miles for far. I think the iflecis set too low. The engine stalls when I down shift at stop lights.

[Michael Ketcham]

folowing…but what is iflec (iflecis?) set too low?

[Mark]

Ifled is very common – just kidding. Its a bad typo for idle.

[edward ericson]

Procedure:

Step 1: Leave the car over night somewhere safe where you can work on it without moving it. You want the engine cold for this.

Step 2: pull the valve covers and check the tappets. Use the Bentley Manual procedure or the one found in Muir’s “Compleat Idiot” illustrated manual. Be careful to note whether your pushrods are the stock aluminum kind (.006) or the high-perf chromoly steel varietal (loose zero). Take your time, make the adjustments.

Step 3: Start the car, warm it up. Drive it around some. Get it up to normal operating temperature.

Step 4: Get an old school timing light, hook it up per the diagram on the box. Check the flash at idle and take note of it. Then rev the car to 3000 steady RPM and note the reading. You want to see 30-32 degrees before TDC; set it to that , like that, if you have a mechanical advance-only distributor such as the ubiquitous 009. (Running a vacuum advance disty will complicate this step. Go with Bentley or Muir on that).

Set idles last. You will find the idle speed may increase if you reduce timing at idle, and that’s often all that’s required.

Settling the idle depends on the carb(s). Any stock 1bb Solex (i.e. PICTx) carb will be in the manual. If you have two, it’s a little different, but not that hard.

I can’t impress on you (or your mechanics) enough the importance of making sure the valves are set and the timing is correct, in that order, first, before touching the carbs. Absolutely non-negotiable order of operations.

Good luck!

[James]

Problem is you have to get the idle more or less correct before you can run a dynamic timeing.  This is currently the problem I am having and it is complicated by the fact that there is a gas leak at either or both the carb and fuel pump.  Replacements are on order.  As of now I am not sure if you can do a static timeing on a 1970 and later engine.

[James]

Well got a new carb and fuel pump.  Installed, did static timing and it started almost immediately.  Did dynamic timing with a strobe and it was amazing that it started at all.  Must have been about 20 or more degrees BTC when it should have been 5 ATC after.  Carb hardly needed any adjustment.  Will now look at an electronic ignition but basically the current system seems to be working well.

[edward ericson]

glad it’s sorted.

[Author]

Posts