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CEI Amplifier

Posted by ianhbradley

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CEI Amplifier #1
ianhbradley Ian Bradley USA	Posted: April 03, 2012 08:20PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 2

I've got a 77 MG Midget and my mechanic brother thinks the amplifier is bad because you have to tap it sometime to get it started or running better. I ordered the $300 Amplifier from VB and the part I received doesn't look right at all. Do you have to do modifications to replace. This is my first post to a forum so bear with me. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Happy motoring to all

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Re: CEI Amplifier #2
Jkuper Jason Kupersmith Palm Harbor, Florida, USA 1976 MG Midget 1500 "The Mosquito"	Posted: April 03, 2012 08:51PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 115

I recently had my amplifier go bad on me and here's what I would reccomend: Ditch it! Unless you are hell bent on keeping your car original then return the part, spend less than what you just did, and get a new distributor that doesn't require it. If you are past the point of returning the part to VB then I can't really help.. sorry. Someone will be along soon enough.

Edit: Just realized this is your first post. Welcome to the forums! You'll come to learn that there are tons of very smart people here to help, hope you enjoy your stay.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2012 08:54PM by Jkuper.

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Re: CEI Amplifier #3
grbspecb George B NJ, USA 1979 MG Midget 1500	Posted: April 03, 2012 09:00PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 421

cei is the one with the 2 wire black box. The Opus has the big box attached to distributor.

Do you have the black box separate from the distributor. Is the distributor original just to make sure.

The inside of that CEI is a GM module. I took mine apart and matched it up once, its like a $50 part or cheaper. Hopefully someone knows what GM module to get and you can replace the one inside your black box.

one thread says: GM 4pin HEI system

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Re: CEI Amplifier #4
B-racer Jeff Schlemmer Minnesota, USA 1958 MG magnette 1971 MG MGB "POS" 1973 MG Midget MkII 2006 Dodge Charger "Daytona" 2008 Ford Super Duty	Posted: April 04, 2012 07:16AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 12,510

The CEI is a great system, and its highly unlikely that the amplifier under the coil is bad. If your amplifier is on the distributor, that's the Opus system, far different.

The CEI failures are generally NOT failures. Just a lot of corrosion causing bad grounding. Take the box out of the car, remove the cover, and clean, clean, clean. Then gap your spark plugs at .040" and it will work beautifully. Return the new CEI box.

jeff@advanceddistributors.com

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Re: CEI Amplifier #5
ianhbradley Ian Bradley USA	Posted: April 04, 2012 12:53PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 2

I'm pretty sure I've got the CEI system. Its a silver box (that I'm pretty sure is original) and has the wires that run the the coil and one that runs to the distributor.

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Re: CEI Amplifier #6
grbspecb George B NJ, USA 1979 MG Midget 1500	Posted: April 04, 2012 01:08PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 421

The silver box was black and had a Lucas sticker on it.

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Re: CEI Amplifier #7
B-racer Jeff Schlemmer Minnesota, USA 1958 MG magnette 1971 MG MGB "POS" 1973 MG Midget MkII 2006 Dodge Charger "Daytona" 2008 Ford Super Duty	Posted: April 06, 2012 07:17AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 12,510

...or it was silver, or it had fins on it. There wasn't just one flavor it seems...

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Re: CEI Amplifier #8
grbspecb George B NJ, USA 1979 MG Midget 1500	Posted: April 06, 2012 07:29AM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 421

Cool Jeff. I'd only seen the black ones. So they all use the gm module in them or is it like a box of chocolates you never know what you will get

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Re: CEI Amplifier #9
JJFarkas Jason Farkas New Boston, MI, USA 1974 MG Midget "Ruby"	Posted: April 06, 2012 12:32PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 1,539

In reply to # 2031287 by grbspecb The silver box was black and had a Lucas sticker on it.

The silver box was black....?

Just giving you a hard time while I wait at the Doc's winking smiley

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Re: CEI Amplifier #10
B-racer Jeff Schlemmer Minnesota, USA 1958 MG magnette 1971 MG MGB "POS" 1973 MG Midget MkII 2006 Dodge Charger "Daytona" 2008 Ford Super Duty	Posted: April 07, 2012 01:21PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 12,510

They all used the GM module, some were even printed with a warning about containing Berylium so you'd keep your hands off it. Its essentially all the same goodies you find in any HEI distributor, but with a simpler & more durable hall effect sensor.
BUT, by making it more durable, it also is less accurate at v ery low rpms, so the timing will retard a couple degrees right off idle, and recover before you even know it happened.

And by the way, you need to gap your spark plugs at .040" when using the CEI!!!

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Re: CEI Amplifier #11
grbspecb George B NJ, USA 1979 MG Midget 1500	Posted: April 07, 2012 02:06PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 421

Wow Jeff. I always used standard 025 gap.

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Re: CEI Amplifier #12
B-racer Jeff Schlemmer Minnesota, USA 1958 MG magnette 1971 MG MGB "POS" 1973 MG Midget MkII 2006 Dodge Charger "Daytona" 2008 Ford Super Duty	Posted: April 08, 2012 08:51AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 12,510

The .025" gap is for points and will make the CEI run poorly at best. Some cars won't even run at that setting.

jeff@advanceddistributors.com

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Re: CEI Amplifier #13
Triumph80 Shane S CHARLESTOWN, West Virginia, USA 1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500 1981 Toyota Celica GT	Posted: April 08, 2012 10:33AM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 168

Jeff, What gap do you reccomend with the flametrower dist & lucas sport coil? I set it to .35 as John Twist says

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Re: CEI Amplifier #14
dlrhine Dave Rhine South, Carolina, USA 1978 MG Midget	Posted: April 08, 2012 01:03PM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 3,369

Yep, I'm curious too.

I've got a 1500 with a DGV & both a Flamethrower distributor & coil.

If it ain't broke, I'll fix it 'til it is! winking smiley

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