Since i bought my car three years ago my Mini (running an MG Metro 1275cc engine) has been running on the wrong distributor. I have been through coils, points allsorts and it is only now i have learnt i am on the wrong dizzy for the engine.
Does anybody know of a cooper s distributor for sale? Is this the distributor i should be running off?
Thanks in anticipation, BEN
Cooper S dizzy
Started by
beniboy1986
, Apr 02 2007 01:38 PM
1 reply to this topic
#2
dklawson
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Moved Into The Garage
- Name: Doug
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Posted 02 April 2007 - 02:15 PM
Why do you say you have the wrong distributor? Wearing out points and such may be more an indication of running the wrong coil than anything else. There is no reason a "wrong" distributor would wear out points or condensers faster than the "right" distributor.
The most common mistake is running a low-resistance, ballast ignition coil without the ballast resistor. This puts too much current through the points and allows them to burn out quickly. A ballast ignition coil will also burn out quickly without the ballast resistor. I don't know what it does to condensers. If you remove the wires from your coil and find that you measure about 1.5 Ohms across its low tension terminals, you need to be supplying the coil (+) terminal with either a resistor wire from the ignition switch OR have an external ballast resistor in series with the white wire from the ignition switch.
As for what distributor is right for your car, that depends in large part on the type of ignition you have and what you've done to/with your engine. I really don't like to use the words "right" and "wrong" for this. There are A-series distributors and A+ distributors. Almost any dizzy for the A-series will work in any A-series engine (and B-Series for that matter). What's different is the amount of advance and how the advance comes on. "Right" is the dizzy that gives you the most power for the way you drive, the tune of your engine, the gasoline you use... all without letting the engine ping... which in turn is related in part to your idle or static timing.
Another issue with burning up points has nothing to do with the coil or the distributor itself. There are many reports of the heel block on points wearing out prematurely. This appears to be a quality issue with the aftermarket parts suppliers, not an issue with our cars. The problem is made worse by the additional heat and current associated with high-output coils. The only thing you as an end user can do is hope to buy the best quality parts you can find and make sure you've applied a little lube to the four lobe cam in the dizzy to minimize the heel wear.
EDIT:
by the way, when someone says "Cooper-S" distributor, to me that implies the Lucas 23D4 (part 40819). That's a centrifugal advance unit without any vacuum advance. I think Piper offers (or offered) distributors with comparable advance curves. I'd think that Aldon would also. However, as I mentioned above, there is no guarantee that any of these are optimal for your engine and using them wouldn't automatically mean your points and other components would last longer.
The most common mistake is running a low-resistance, ballast ignition coil without the ballast resistor. This puts too much current through the points and allows them to burn out quickly. A ballast ignition coil will also burn out quickly without the ballast resistor. I don't know what it does to condensers. If you remove the wires from your coil and find that you measure about 1.5 Ohms across its low tension terminals, you need to be supplying the coil (+) terminal with either a resistor wire from the ignition switch OR have an external ballast resistor in series with the white wire from the ignition switch.
As for what distributor is right for your car, that depends in large part on the type of ignition you have and what you've done to/with your engine. I really don't like to use the words "right" and "wrong" for this. There are A-series distributors and A+ distributors. Almost any dizzy for the A-series will work in any A-series engine (and B-Series for that matter). What's different is the amount of advance and how the advance comes on. "Right" is the dizzy that gives you the most power for the way you drive, the tune of your engine, the gasoline you use... all without letting the engine ping... which in turn is related in part to your idle or static timing.
Another issue with burning up points has nothing to do with the coil or the distributor itself. There are many reports of the heel block on points wearing out prematurely. This appears to be a quality issue with the aftermarket parts suppliers, not an issue with our cars. The problem is made worse by the additional heat and current associated with high-output coils. The only thing you as an end user can do is hope to buy the best quality parts you can find and make sure you've applied a little lube to the four lobe cam in the dizzy to minimize the heel wear.
EDIT:
by the way, when someone says "Cooper-S" distributor, to me that implies the Lucas 23D4 (part 40819). That's a centrifugal advance unit without any vacuum advance. I think Piper offers (or offered) distributors with comparable advance curves. I'd think that Aldon would also. However, as I mentioned above, there is no guarantee that any of these are optimal for your engine and using them wouldn't automatically mean your points and other components would last longer.
Edited by dklawson, 02 April 2007 - 04:05 PM.
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