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Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? SOLVED

Posted by Rod Maides

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Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? SOLVED #1
Rod Maides Victoria, BC, Canada 1973 MG MGB "The Lad"	Posted: May 04, 2012 09:43PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 6

Agreed with mechanic earlier this week to switch to electronic ignition on my '73 MGB during some service. Ran fine heading home. Fired it up tonight and within a few minutes I had smoke pouring out of the steering column. Question is, is this just sheer chance that the ignition wiring is going (I haven't even considered taking the shroud off yet) or is there a chance it's related to the change from points and condenser?

At least this happened in the driveway and not at some lookout during a road trip!

The car is pretty new to me - I've had it a year and I'm still watching for things like this, but this one just seemed to be too coincidental. Comments?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2012 03:56PM by Rod Maides.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #2
ClayJ Clay Johnston Mt. Olive, MS, USA 1972 MG MGB	Posted: May 04, 2012 09:53PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 7,358

Rod,
Its not likely unless the mechanic shorted something installing the new ignition trigger. A short in the ignition circuit can and will melt the harness since that power source is unfused and runs thru the column.

Its also possible that the contacts in your ignition switch just over heated, may be due to additional current flow to the new ignition.

What type electronic ignition was installed?

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #3
Rod Maides Victoria, BC, Canada 1973 MG MGB "The Lad"	Posted: May 04, 2012 10:09PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 6

A Pertronix ignition was installed which I understood is good quality. He walked me through it when I picked the car up and the 2 wire system seemed pretty simple and straight forward. I'm no whiz at this stuff (hence the mechanic) so until I get a bit more confidence with some of these things I'm stumbling along!

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #4
Gene Gene Johnston Ridgeland, MS, USA 1971 MG MGB "Ole Red" 1973 MG MGB GT "Morrisey"	Posted: May 04, 2012 11:00PM Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,006

I've pinched the red wire between the cap and the dist body one time.

It was not pretty. Burned the wire all the way to and into the tach.

Pull the cap and check to ensure that the red wire to the pertronix didn't
get pinched. Otherwise, it may be questionable if it's related.

I wouldn't drive until I check it out.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #5
thatbritishcarguy William thatbritishcarguy Harding, USA 1973 MG MGB GT	Posted: May 04, 2012 11:12PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 589

The same thing happened to me! Did you change the coil?

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #6
Rod Maides Victoria, BC, Canada 1973 MG MGB "The Lad"	Posted: May 05, 2012 12:57AM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 6

Thanks Gene, I'll have a look but I do remember there was a rubber grommet that the leads ran through so they wouldn't be pinched, but you never know. No question - I won't drive it. The smoke coming from the steering column tends to make your heart race!

William, it's the same coil in the car that was working before the electronic ignition install.

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. I'll pull the shroud in the morning and see what shows damage. That might give a few more clues.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #7
MGB567 Barrie Braxton Sunshine Coast, Australia 1966 MG MGB MkI "Money Guzzler"	Posted: May 05, 2012 09:02AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 5,309

http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,1664691,1669868#msg-1669868

I had to use search to retrieve this - some answers might be here especially related to any coil issues

CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67 owned since 3/77. Undergoing nut and bolt restoration. Tartan Red (now). 18GB +40 balanced with almost all new internals. Peter Burgess big valve fast road head. Piper 285. TT exhaust. ARP everywhere. 123 ign. Needham 4synchro c/r box. Stock rebuilt/replaced suspension. Superpro bushes. New brakes all round including all pipes in SS flex. Interior redone. CAMS approved roll bar and side bars. Lots more. Hybrid of o/e and show/fast road car. Not for sale - it's my toy!

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #8
tbarker7815 Tom . Knoxville, TN, USA 1979 MG MGB Limited Edition (LE)	Posted: May 05, 2012 09:40AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 2,868

Had that happen shortly after I bought my car. Driving down road and smoke starts coming out of steering cowl. PO had left a white wire under the hood dangling and the tape he put on the end came off and it shorted to ground, made a mess in cowl, could have been a lot worse.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? #9
Rod Maides Victoria, BC, Canada 1973 MG MGB "The Lad"	Posted: May 05, 2012 10:09AM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 6

Barrie: Thanks for doing the search. I did have a quick look but not hard enough before I went to the "well" of experience! Certainly sounds like it could be an issue with the coil as a result of the change.

Tom's situation wasn't about to be repeated here - the white wire (the original connection to the distributor for previous set up) was zap-strapped to the new wires going to the coil and is intact, just in case I wanted to go back to the original set up. Which, as I miss a couple of days driving time this weekend, I'm wondering about!

Thanks all. As a newbie with my toy, its great to know you're there. I have been 'lurking' since I bought the car and only registered recently - just in time.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? SOLVED #10
Rod Maides Victoria, BC, Canada 1973 MG MGB "The Lad"	Posted: May 05, 2012 03:54PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 6

Sucked it up and pulled the shroud off around the steering column and there it was, a toasted windshield wiper/washer assembly. I happened to have a spare that came in a box of parts with the car - installed - and everything runs fine with no more smoke. Everything except the replacement wiper assembly!

So I think I'll leave the coil as is (and save myself $100), order another wiper/washer assembly and hope that's all it was!

Again, many thanks to you all for being there!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2012 03:57PM by Rod Maides.

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Re: Switch to Electronic Ignition cause wiring issue or not? SOLVED #11
JimM Jim Martens Gainesville, GA, USA 1974 MG MGB	Posted: May 05, 2012 07:31PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 206

When I made that same change I know a new coil was part of the process. The mech. said it was definately needed. I don't believe the sprots coil was all that much. Or, maybe it didn't seem so bad given the proce for all of the work done at the time.

Never forgot my first vehicle at 17, a 77 B.
30 years later graduated to a 74 chrome bumpered B.

High-torque starter, sports coil, pertronix elect. ignition, SU solid state fuel pump, HIF-4 carbs (rebuilt May 2011).

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