10 replies to this topic

[jime17]

Hi all. 1990 mayfair 998 auto.

59d distributor.

Had a misfiring issue under acceleration and changed condenser. Seemed ok for 3 weeks but started missing again. the new points and condenser were inter motor so I've bought a lucas condenser hoping it will last more than twenty five seconds.

My question is , i'm considering an electronic ignition kit, but assuming the lucas condenser is not made of cheese andactually works reliably, is there any merit in sticking with the old fashioned points system?

[Woreign]

Electronic points are maintenance free and a nice upgrade when they work. They may work for a long time, or they could die at anytime. And when they die, they stay dead! At least the conventional points are cheap and an extra set can be carried with you. A neighbor had converted to electronic points on his Mini. He knocked on my door late one evening in a panic because the car would not start (he was moving and needed the car running the next day for the shipping company). Anyway, checked all the wiring etc. I asked if he still had a good set of points/condensor, which he did. Reinstalled them and the engine started right up afterwards. I read somewhere that if the ignition is left on too long without the engine running that the electronic module can overheat and short out. This is probably what happened with my neighbor.

[dklawson]

The overheating problem mentioned by Woreign is definitely an issue with the Ignitor module used by Aldon. It is not as bad as it sounds though. The problem happens when you leave the ignition on with the engine not running. The factory has stated that the overheating takes about 5 minutes to occur. The solution is simple.... don't leave your ignition key in the run position if you are not running the engine.

There is not much to add to the above about reliability. You will find a lot of proponents here for the Britparts kit. It is cost effective and most report it as being very reliable. If you fit such a conversion, carry a new set of points and condenser with you in the car's boot. You can always switch back to points in an emergency.

[jime17]

Good point I guess. I imagine the electronic kits fail stone dead. Generally points and condenser makes engine run rough for a while first. Plus takes me back to my youth. Messing about with points.

[dklawson]

True, however, there is nothing inherently wrong with converting to electronic ignition either. A set of points and condenser don't take up much room in the boot and if you have them with you, you will be prepared and able to convert back quickly to get yourself home. Consider it the best of both worlds.

[jime17]

Thanks dklawson. You make a good point. I never leave the ignition on anyway. my dad always told me I could burn the coil out if the points were closed. even nowadays in modern cars I can't bring myself to leave the key in position 2 with engine not running. Just another of those little rules that disappears with the advances in technology.

[Barman]

Isn't the Britpart kit cheap enough to have a spare in the car...?

[tiger99]

The old-fashioned capacitor discharge ignition kits by Sparkrite used to replace the points by a magnetic sensor, and gave a much more impressive spark, very reliably. If it did fail (I got well over 150k miles out of one, on two Minis, and it was still going strong), all you needed to do was remove the sensor, fit the points and condenser in the usual way, and swap a couple of wires over.

Frankly, for reliability and ease of maintenance, I would never contemplate using points in this day and age, but I am concerned that some of the ignition modules currently on the market give very marginal enhancement to the spark, and are cheap, unreliable Chinese trash. You can sometimes find a Sparkrite on Ebay, and if they break, they are repairable.

[dklawson]

I have electronic ignitions in all of our old British cars except the Spitfire. I intentionally left points in that one so my son could limp home if he had to. I really don't want the call that tells me he is having the car towed to our house since he doesn't know how to fix the ignition.

[jime17]

I have electronic ignitions in all of our old British cars except the Spitfire. I intentionally left points in that one so my son could limp home if he had to. I really don't want the call that tells me he is having the car towed to our house since he doesn't know how to fix the ignition.

Isn't that what dads are for?

[Bungle]

when you can buy the vellman kit from maplins for not much more that £10 it's silly not to convert to electronic