MGB & GT Forum

Thinking of ditching the points and such and going to electronic ignition distributor. Please provide pros, cons, issues (if any), brand to go with/stay away from. Thanks for your advice.

I've had both. I went back to points after having my distributor rebuilt/correctly curved by Jeff Schlemmer at Advance Distributors.

So far with 8k miles on it, it's still running as strong as ever. Car runs/performs better with the points than did with the Pertronix or Accuspark installed.

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"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"--Alvin "Tex" Johnston...Boeing test pilot.

"Who do you think you are? I am."...Pete Weber

73 MGB. Tires: Round, black, hold air. Oil: Sometimes old, sometimes new...always slippery. Oil filter: Yellow, usually full of oil. Carbs: 2 SU HIF. Distributor: Yes. Headlights: Not that bright but bright enough. A bunch of other stuff most cars have but not really important enough to itemize. Oh, wait...it has a cool sounding exhaust with stickers on the chrome tips. Really slays the ladies...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-24 08:50 PM by HiPowerShooter.

Don't.....
The cons far outweigh the pro.

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LNDRVR4X4.COM
Home of Project "INCARN8'


1957 Series 1 Land Rover electric VEHICLE CONVERSION

FIXITUPCHAP.COM
FIXITUPCHAP INCORPORATED

RD3 Radar/ Electronic Warfare Technician
VIETNAM 1969-1972

Just to take both sides of the fence: I've had a Pertronix in our roadster for 15 plus years and it's been bullet proof. I'm fully aware then can die suddenly and are not as easy to revive as damaged points, but I like it. That said, Jeff talked me into points for the GT rebuild, so I speak out of both sides of my mouth.

Steve

I have electronic ignition on my 75 roadster. Never had an issue with it, so I prefer it to points.

Your car doesn't however.

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LNDRVR4X4.COM
Home of Project "INCARN8'


1957 Series 1 Land Rover electric VEHICLE CONVERSION

FIXITUPCHAP.COM
FIXITUPCHAP INCORPORATED

RD3 Radar/ Electronic Warfare Technician
VIETNAM 1969-1972

You'll just get rubbish on this site on this topic. I run an Accuspark and it works fine. 40 bucks delivered to your door from Watford Classics. I had one that I thought went bad and Watford replaced free, it no questions asked. Turned out to be another issue. Good service.

I should make it clear that I use an original Lucas distributor with a module... not an aftermarket distributor. No knowledge on those. Never had one.

Adrian

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Home built Eaton M62 Supercharger with 8psi boost, 8:1 compression, custom "supercharger" cam from Schneider Cams, Mikuni HSR48 Carburetor, custom ground high ratio "stock" rocker arms, Maxspeeding rods with Teflon wrist pin buttons, custom aluminum cold air intake, CB Performance computerized ignition, Fidanza 9 pound flywheel, 1.44 exhaust valves in 48cc chamber head, matched manifolds, 2 1/4" exhaust system.

Mike-
The bad thing about points is that they deteriorate from the moment that you start using them, but that's not a problem if you replace them regularly. They also require a condenser, and that can be a problem because there's only maybe two manufacturers of them for our car. One is Chinese-made junk that will fail quickly, the other is OK. The Echlin EP29 is a quality item, being made to an acceptable 0.22 uF (microfarads) of impedance and having a three-month warranty. A good condenser will last a long time. Contact breaker points are not susceptible to Radio Frequency Interference and Electromagnetic Interference emitted by the High Tension (HT) leads (spark plug leads), while electronic triggers are. It is very common to observe what appears to be subtle spikes in the fuel-air mixture on a dynometer run, dictating a mild ignition misfire. You will encounter a lot more of this with electronic triggers than with contact breaker points. This is caused by the Radio Frequency Interference and Electromagnetic Interference field from the High Tension (HT) leads (spark plug leads) triggering the ignition module to fire when it is not supposed to, causing the ignition coil to discharge less electrical power to the spark plugs (Electromagnetic Interference with Pertronix – it is Radio Frequency Interference with the Crane unit). The 1968 to1972 cars used an electrical current-pulse triggered tachometer (RVI on the faceplate), and these are known to have problems with after-market electronic ignition systems. 1973 and later tachometers (RVC on the faceplate) are Voltage-triggered and should function properly with electronic ignition. The switch from electrical current-pulse triggering to Voltage-triggering was chosen so that the ignition current would no longer be routed from the tachometer, problems with which could negatively effect the performance of the ignition system. Note that you will have to reset your ignition timing once the system has been installed, since most aftermarket electronic ignitions are not 'clocked' in the same positions as is either the original contact breaker points or the Original Equipment electronic triggering systems. Such a system also makes testing of the ignition coil into a chore. The difficulty in testing an ignition coil that is being used in conjunction with electronic ignition systems is that many electronic ignition systems pass an electrical current through the ignition coil only either when the engine is running or when you are trying to start it. They deliberately do not pass an electrical current if the ignition is switched into its 'On' position without starting (for more than a few seconds anyway) in order to prevent the ignition coil from being damaged by overheating. The worst thing about an all-electronic system is that if it fails, it fails suddenly and completely, leaving you stranded. If you're smart, you'll always carry an extra module with you.

All of that having been said, I've been running a Crane XR 700 breakerless conversion Lucas 45 distributor for over a decade with no problems. No contact breaker points or condenser to worry about. I do carry an extra module just to keep Murphy's Law at bay, though!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-24 09:57 PM by Steve S..

Unless someone has had a unit bought in the last few years, you cannot go by how there system is working. I have a petronic in my TD that is 15 years old and working great. I had to replace the one in my 67 B after I fried it when I connected it to the coil incorrectly. The new one lasted 2 weeks, the replacement lasted 2 months. I went back to points from Jeff.

Cant say the same for some of the other systems out there. I recommend you call Jeff and talk to him about it. He is the distributor expert and can tell you his thoughts and experiences with electronic systems.

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Bruce E. Cunha

Not again, I'm not even bothering with the popcorn. This should be a simple cut and paste for responses. Tim

I do run Pertronix in other vintage engines and have never had one fail. Even running them in twin marine applications. I've not talked to anyone who's had a failure in one either. I just find that in this particular case, the points and dizzy combo works best. Once properly tuned I also see 27-30MPG, and "flick-o-the-key" starting.

The Accuspark also worked...once I got one which wasn't a dud. However as Adrian alluded to; their customer service replaced them with no issue.

To me it's an endless debate with no black and white answer...but a lot of choice.

More important that the trigger itself is ensuring the dizzy is in good condition, the advance works correctly and doesn't have a lot of slop. The electronic module can mask some issues which static points cannot and that is a big selling point with them. I saw no real "gain" in anything other than the fact that there's no maintenance. That's a real benefit if your dizzy is in a tight bilge...but as easy as these cars are to work on...in my case it's a horse apiece.

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"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"--Alvin "Tex" Johnston...Boeing test pilot.

"Who do you think you are? I am."...Pete Weber

73 MGB. Tires: Round, black, hold air. Oil: Sometimes old, sometimes new...always slippery. Oil filter: Yellow, usually full of oil. Carbs: 2 SU HIF. Distributor: Yes. Headlights: Not that bright but bright enough. A bunch of other stuff most cars have but not really important enough to itemize. Oh, wait...it has a cool sounding exhaust with stickers on the chrome tips. Really slays the ladies...

http://www.mgexp.com/phorum/read.php?1,3475888
Read the last paragraph.

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LNDRVR4X4.COM
Home of Project "INCARN8'


1957 Series 1 Land Rover electric VEHICLE CONVERSION

FIXITUPCHAP.COM
FIXITUPCHAP INCORPORATED

RD3 Radar/ Electronic Warfare Technician
VIETNAM 1969-1972

I've never been stranded with a points distributor.

I have been stranded with an electronic distributor.

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1952 MGTD - 1969 MGC - 1972 MGB - 1974&1/2 MGB/GT V8 conversion - 1978 MGB

mowog1@aol.com

Oh...and if there happens to be a nuclear conflagration, your car will still run.
Pretty sure the electronic modules aren't hardened against EMP...

Points FTW!!!!

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"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"--Alvin "Tex" Johnston...Boeing test pilot.

"Who do you think you are? I am."...Pete Weber

73 MGB. Tires: Round, black, hold air. Oil: Sometimes old, sometimes new...always slippery. Oil filter: Yellow, usually full of oil. Carbs: 2 SU HIF. Distributor: Yes. Headlights: Not that bright but bright enough. A bunch of other stuff most cars have but not really important enough to itemize. Oh, wait...it has a cool sounding exhaust with stickers on the chrome tips. Really slays the ladies...

If you go electronic purchase two, you are going to need the second unit somewhere way out in the country on a Sunday, at night, in the rain. Points only for me.

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Be safe out there.
Kenny