42 replies to this topic

[Steve Tattersall]

Howdy all,

I'm trying to start a 1983 998cc Mini which has stood for years. I have a new coil, electronic dizzy and new HT leads. I'll check fuel of course but for now I'm just trying to get a spark and need to correctly wire in the coil.

The issue is I'm not sure what wire goes where. This is what I'm assuming so please correct me if I'm wrong:

Red wire from new electronic dizzy to +ve on coil.

Black wire from new electronic dizzy to -ve on coil.

A 12v live wire from the loom to the +ve on the coil.

I think there should be another wire to the -ve on the coil. There are a couple of wires, which do not seem to have a 12v supply, coming from the loom that are of the right length but don't know how to check what they're for. There's also a small black plastic box (about an inch square) which was attached to the coil bracket above the coil and has a wire which I guess also went to the -ve on the coil? What is that for? I can take a pic if it helps.

Thanks

 

  

[cal844]

Give the wiring a clean and itentify the wire colours. I believe your car should be non ballast ignition. So the following applies.


White to coil + (from car wiring loom)
White /black to coil - (from car wiring loom)
Then a live and earth from the dizzy.

The small box could be a condenser for points ignition, renew this too, you are correct it should go to coil -

If you have a pink/white and yellow/white at the coil the car would have been ballast resistor and has probably been converted.

If you are still unsure then with a few pictures we will be able to work out the wiring

Hope this helps

Cal

Edited by cal844, 04 January 2021 - 08:12 PM.

[PACINO]

Hi! If you are not sure how the coil fits, the first thing is that you read the assembly instructions. Then disconnect the battery. If you make a mistake joining the cables, you can burn out the electronic module of the dizzy.

Regards

[Steve Tattersall]

Great thanks both.

Yes it's a non ballast resistor model and I see no pink or yellow on any of the wires. I have cleaned them and they look mostly white with a black stripe. Don't think any are just white. There is a thick black wire though that carries 12v when the ignition is on. I can't detect any voltage in the white and black wires.

So I guess the condenser is redundant then as I have fitted electronic ignition?

Unfortunately the coil came without instructions. I've fitted a similar set up on a Spitfire with no issues so I'm not sure why I'm having issues with this one!

I'll have another look tomorrow hopefully with the new info and see where I get from there.

Cheers all.

[PACINO]

In my case, I repeat, in "my case", with a fully electronic dizzy, the wires go like this:
- Yellow cable that brings current from the battery after passing through the starter solenoid.
- Red wire, comes from the dizzy.

These 2 two wires to the positive terminal of the coil (+).

-Black wire, comes from the dizzy.
-Green cable. Tachometer.

* If your delco keeps the points, from here comes a cable that is the "pulses", and that goes to terminal negative of the coil.

Ideally, you should paste a photo of your dizzy and the coil to avoid mistakes.

Luis

[Dusky]

Give the wiring a clean and itentify the wire colours. I believe your car should be non ballast ignition. So the following applies.


White to coil + (from car wiring loom)
White /black to coil - (from car wiring loom)
Then a live and earth from the dizzy.

The small box could be a condenser for points ignition, renew this too, you are correct it should go to coil -

If you have a pink/white and yellow/white at the coil the car would have been ballast resistor and has probably been converted.

If you are still unsure then with a few pictures we will be able to work out the wiring

Hope this helps

Cal

That doesnt help as that isnt how a coil is wired.

[cal844]

Give the wiring a clean and itentify the wire colours. I believe your car should be non ballast ignition. So the following applies.


White to coil + (from car wiring loom)
White /black to coil - (from car wiring loom)
Then a live and earth from the dizzy.

The small box could be a condenser for points ignition, renew this too, you are correct it should go to coil -

If you have a pink/white and yellow/white at the coil the car would have been ballast resistor and has probably been converted.

If you are still unsure then with a few pictures we will be able to work out the wiring

Hope this helps

Cal

That doesnt help as that isnt how a coil is wired.

That's how my 3 cars are wired, wires from the loom on one side(pos and neg) and the wires (either just an earth or pos and earth) to the dizzy on the other.

[Dusky]

 

 

Give the wiring a clean and itentify the wire colours. I believe your car should be non ballast ignition. So the following applies.


White to coil + (from car wiring loom)
White /black to coil - (from car wiring loom)
Then a live and earth from the dizzy.

The small box could be a condenser for points ignition, renew this too, you are correct it should go to coil -

If you have a pink/white and yellow/white at the coil the car would have been ballast resistor and has probably been converted.

If you are still unsure then with a few pictures we will be able to work out the wiring

Hope this helps

Cal

That doesnt help as that isnt how a coil is wired.

That's how my 3 cars are wired, wires from the loom on one side(pos and neg) and the wires (either just an earth or pos and earth) to the dizzy on the other.

Its not an earth to the dizzy. The coil earths through the dizzy ( through condenser and points). That’s how good you know your car.

https://lh5.googleus...UWLFuyVvrl3Q16g
A simple and effective diagram.

Edited by Spider, 05 January 2021 - 06:32 PM.
Keep it nice please

[GraemeC]

So its not that he stated the wrong wires, just some of the terminology? Jeez - pedantry is alive and well!

 

So let's join in...

It is an earth connection for the coil but as it is primarily connected to the dizzy (given that it is an electronic type dizzy and the wire is probably potted into the unit) it would be commonly cited as coming from the dizzy. 

[cal844]

So its not that he stated the wrong wires, just some of the terminology? Jeez - pedantry is alive and well!

So let's join in...
It is an earth connection for the coil but as it is primarily connected to the dizzy (given that it is an electronic type dizzy and the wire is probably potted into the unit) it would be commonly cited as coming from the dizzy.

 

So what if the coil earths the dizzy or vice versa. The two are connected, regardless of which way the circuit goes.

By the way the diagram linked shows a red wire as ignition live

For what it's worth White/Black is how the coil and dizzy earths are in Haynes manuals and BL Workshop manuals

Edited by Spider, 05 January 2021 - 06:33 PM.
Tidied up

[GraemeC]

Its far from a 'simple and effective' diagram when the OP clearly states he's using electronic ignition.

 

Maybe you need to read more Dusky before exercising your keyboard warrior skills. Nothing you have added to this thread is useful.

[cal844]

Technically there are two as the electronic distributor earth is a separate link wire from the coil.

There is a white/blk (from car loom)

And a live and earth from the distributor to the coil which as you will find on the vast majority of NON points ignition IS necessary.

12v from 12v to dizzy.
Loom.

Earth from Earth from distributor.
Loom.


Is how my cars are wired for a 65D distributor BUT the wiring is exactly the same on any non points system. The only difference is if there's a rev counter which would have its own dedicated earth.


By the way when I view the edit back, my schematic above doesn't have spaces... Very weird?!

Edited by Spider, 05 January 2021 - 06:40 PM.
Cleaned up

[Spider]

Thread cleaned up.

 

Dusky and Cal - knock it off please. I'm being nice here and next time won't be so nice.


 

[Spider]

Coming back to the issue at hand;-

 

I'll just jump in here and say I feel the manufacturers of these great modules do make one serious error with them and that is by making the 'Coil' wire black. Strictly speaking for our cars, it should be a white with a black trace, though, any other colour than Black should be used. Black is normally an Earth wire and connecting this Wire to Earth will be sayonara on the Module.

 

 

The issue is I'm not sure what wire goes where. This is what I'm assuming so please correct me if I'm wrong:

Red wire from new electronic dizzy to +ve on coil.

Black wire from new electronic dizzy to -ve on coil.

A 12v live wire from the loom to the +ve on the coil.

I think there should be another wire to the -ve on the coil.

 

This is correct.

 

The 'live; wire from the loom, is in fact a Switched Live Wire and will be White.

The other wire you are thinking of that connects to the Coil is a Tacho Wire. These are usually White with a Black Trace.
 

 

[cal844]

Coming back to the issue at hand;-

I'll just jump in here and say I feel the manufacturers of these great modules do make one serious error with them and that is by making the 'Coil' wire black. Strictly speaking for our cars, it should be a white with a black trace, though, any other colour than Black should be used. Black is normally an Earth wire and connecting this Wire to Earth will be sayonara on the Module.

The issue is I'm not sure what wire goes where. This is what I'm assuming so please correct me if I'm wrong:
Red wire from new electronic dizzy to +ve on coil.
Black wire from new electronic dizzy to -ve on coil.
A 12v live wire from the loom to the +ve on the coil.
I think there should be another wire to the -ve on the coil.

This is correct.

The 'live; wire from the loom, is in fact a Switched Live Wire and will be White.

The other wire you are thinking of that connects to the Coil is a Tacho Wire. These are usually White with a Black Trace.

Yes that would be correct, however on a 65D distributor (has the black box module).

There is a 12v trigger and an earth to the module.

As per Haynes wiring diagram 15 to 18 all show as having White/Blk to the coil (from loom) and a white/Blk to the distributor(from coil)..