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Post by tomcgn on May 27, 2009 18:47:14 GMT
Hi,
a while ago I bought an electronic distributor at Jon Wadhams but unfortunately it didnt come with any fitting instructions. I asked for them but to date they havent managed to find any so my question to the P5 community at large is: has anyone bought the same item and fitted it? the wiring is the big issue, dont know what to connect to what.
cheers Tom
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Post by Kev on May 27, 2009 19:08:33 GMT
Hi, a while ago I bought an electronic distributor at Jon Wadhams but unfortunately it didnt come with any fitting instructions. I asked for them but to date they havent managed to find any so my question to the P5 community at large is: has anyone bought the same item and fitted it? the wiring is the big issue, dont know what to connect to what. cheers Tom Good old JRW............LOL
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 20:09:13 GMT
Do you know the manufacturers name ?
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Post by tomcgn on May 28, 2009 19:41:58 GMT
erm no..it doesnt say anything. there is a connector thats obviously a ground, then there is a plug with 3 pins and two wires, a white one and a white one with a thin blue line.
Come to think of it, I wonder if it is the right item at all...doesnt the P5B distributor not have a protruding 'key' at the bottom which fits into the oil pump driveshaft? the dizzy I bought does have a countersunk key ie the bottom is flat and the key is set back.
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Post by harvey on May 28, 2009 19:47:13 GMT
Come to think of it, I wonder if it is the right item at all...doesnt the P5B distributor not have a protruding 'key' at the bottom which fits into the oil pump driveshaft? the dizzy I bought does have a countersunk key ie the bottom is flat and the key is set back. The P5B is "Male" on the bottom of the distributor shaft, the SD1 is "Female", with a flexible coupling.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 20:48:07 GMT
Sorry, I canĀ“t help you, the only electronic distributor I know anything about is 123.Ignition, see: www.123ignition.nl/They have instructions on the web, Regards Lars
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Post by Welsh Warlock on May 28, 2009 21:44:43 GMT
I bought one of these from JRW a couple of years ago. I had a few problems getting it to work initially but that was due to the fact that one of the pins in the plug hadn't been pushed through and wasn't making contact.
The way it is wired on my car is : Red/Blue to positice side of coil Black with white tracer to negative side of coil Green/White - earthed onto spade terminal on the dizzy housing.
You can order the dizzy with either the earlier or later mating to the oil pump. I had to order the later one and he had none in stock at the time so I had to wait but I think they can be swapped over.
Hope that helps.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 2, 2009 18:13:59 GMT
Unfortunately it does not..the wiring on yours apparently has different colours. I havent a clue what to do as I don't dare experiment for fear of blowing up something, and Messers Wadhams aren't forthcoming with any information the bottom bit is the right one btw so thats ok.
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Post by Colin McA on Jun 2, 2009 21:44:53 GMT
Can you post a picture, speaks a thousand words as they say.
Colin
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Post by Smallfry on Jun 2, 2009 21:48:47 GMT
Any chance of a photo of the ignition unit ? Might recognise it.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 3, 2009 8:12:40 GMT
Ha, JRW has provided an answer at last..the white wire should go on the positive terminal of the coil, the white-with-blue one on the negative terminal. More later...
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 4, 2009 19:14:44 GMT
welll...the dizzy is in the car, all the wires connected etc, timing checked but thats about it...I got it to run on a couple of cylinders or so it sounded and that was a good as it got I'd have thought that with electronic ignition there'd be a spark like a Midwest lightning flash but no...the spark from the coil is fine, but at the plug it is simply pathetic...even the one from the old points unit was better. the HT leads arent very old, and the one I used to test was fitted at the weekend...
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Jun 4, 2009 21:12:23 GMT
The spark intensity of any electronic ignition and even standard is only sufficient to bridge the plug gap. Its under engine running conditions at high speed and high compression where it counts.
The best test of the difference apart from driving under extreme conditions is to hold the end of the plug lead when cranking - problem is that it may be too powerful!
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Post by enigmas on Jun 5, 2009 7:22:54 GMT
All electronic ignitions in good working order produce a spark of stronger intensity due to increased dwell time built into the electronic circuitry. The other prominent feature of electronic ignitions (not points driven) is the accuracy of ignition timing and the minimal maintenance required (usually only plugs leads and erosion of distributor cap terminals over time).
I will post some pictures of a range of optical and hall effect distributors that I have cobbled up for V8 and 6 cyl engines this coming Monday (OZ time).
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Jun 5, 2009 18:10:54 GMT
Hi tom,make sure the leads are on the correct firing order,its an easy mistake to make when fitting all the leads back on,also make sure that the rotor arm is in the correct position in relation to the dizzy cap. This is my first V8 engine vehicle and the mistake i first made was to set the rotor arm to fire on each cylinder until common sense kicked in and i realized that it fires two cylinders on each sweep. DUUUUUUUURR. so used to four pots.
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Post by Smallfry on Jun 5, 2009 21:25:36 GMT
This is my first V8 engine vehicle and the mistake i first made was to set the rotor arm to fire on each cylinder until common sense kicked in and i realized that it fires two cylinders on each sweep. DUUUUUUUURR. so used to four pots. Dont understand what you mean by that Eightofthem ? Anyway, If you have a good spark at the king lead, then it follows that you should ALSO have a good spark at each plug wire. If you don't, then I would have a close look at your distributor cap and rotor arm................you may find that one or the other if cracked, or has tracking marks (looks like black veins) where the higher current is overwhelming the insulation. Might also be the leads ? Also try a NEW spark plug of both plain and resistor type to test. Some electronic systems like resistor plugs better. The spark should jump a 10mm air gap at least.
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Jun 6, 2009 10:56:41 GMT
Hi tom,make sure the leads are on the correct firing order,its an easy mistake to make when fitting all the leads back on,also make sure that the rotor arm is in the correct position in relation to the dizzy cap. This is my first V8 engine vehicle and the mistake i first made was to set the rotor arm to fire on each cylinder until common sense kicked in and i realized that it fires two cylinders on each sweep. DUUUUUUUURR. so used to four pots. Me to confused
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Jun 6, 2009 16:26:36 GMT
Sorry i am not as clever as some, what i mean is this, when working with four pot engines the rotor arm points to each electrode in the dizzy cap,so when i fit the distributor, the rotor arm is set to point at the first cylinder in the firing order when timed correctly. When i came to fitting one on the V8 i could not set it to point at number 1 position, it was before it or after it. Before number 1 it would not run, but past it fine, so in my tiny brain i have come to the conclusion that the rotor points between number 1 and number 8 cylinders to fire them in order. It starts fine and runs well but in my opinion it has a deeper engine fault which will only be found on stripdown as is was there when i bought it and has remained no matter what i have done to it, anyway if i am talking cr*p just say so,as i have thick skin and a thick head as you can tell.
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Post by enigmas on Jun 8, 2009 4:52:41 GMT
If it were an old Vtwin harley Davidson engine Eightofthem your ignition firing logic would be correct (1 dead spark on the exhaust cycle of one cyl and the other cyl on the compression stroke)! The same logic for the 4 cyl applies to the V8 precisely. As long as the distributor leads go to the correct cyl in the designated firing order for that particualr engine configuration...you can't go wrong.
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Post by enigmas on Jun 8, 2009 10:22:26 GMT
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 22, 2009 20:17:37 GMT
Hello guys, I fitted a new set of super duper HT leads and the engine now runs. checked the timing etc. HOWEVER, the moment I select a gear there is a lot of wheezing and coughing and the engine dies..unless I really put my foot down.. whatever can that be is it the dodgy brake servo that lets in false air?. everything is breaking together at the same moment it seems. brake fluid disappears into the servo by the bucket load so I guess the membrane has perished as well. the carbs are difficult to adjust as well, even though they're brand new. at about 800 rpm the engine runs very uneavenly. a new servo is on its way..lets see how things get on with that in place. by way of a test I'll clamp off the vacuum hose to the barke servo reservoir and see what that does..
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Post by enigmas on Jun 23, 2009 1:41:14 GMT
Tom if the car has a faulty servo you shouldn't be driving it. The brake fluid is either being drawn into the servo or into the engine and burned off. (you may see white smoke in the exhaust). The carbs are not difficult to tune but you may need to take it to someone with some mechanical knowledge if you don't have a friend with these skills. Clamping the vacuum line is not a fix as all the other seals within the power brake unit may be past their use by date. The vehicle only has single circuit brakes so a failure could be catastrophic for someone else on the road.
The engine running erratically (when put in gear) could be any number of things... but may be incorrect static timing (after TDC rather than before). The idle speed should be checked and set with the car in gear (need a friend with a foot on the brake) as the automatic loads the engine when placed into gear.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 23, 2009 7:54:09 GMT
no worries, I dont get beond driving the car out of the garage and back in again. My idea to clamp off the vacuum hose was to whether that has any effect on the idling etc. maneuvring the car in and out of the garage a couple of times was enough to completely drain the brake fluid reservoir so the servo cylinder is a goner completely. Actually I noticed a brake fluid level problem on my first test run with the new ignition, and since then the brakes got worse and the abovementioned stalling occurs...too much of a coincidence to have different causes. All other potential sites for air leaks are fine, so it most likely is the servo. I've set up these carbs before and though for the best results one does need a vacuum meter, its possible to get usable settings without. but not if there's an air leak of course...
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Post by enigmas on Jun 23, 2009 12:18:51 GMT
Yes Tom, if the vacuum line to the servo is pulling air through it (worn seals) rather than creating a vacuum in the brake booster the engine is essentially being made to run 'lean' as none of the additional air is being metered as it should be through the carburettor. Drilling a hole in the inlet manifold with a 10mm drill bit would produce the same result as you have now. ~ Vince
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Jun 23, 2009 18:31:05 GMT
If still fitted - leaks in the vac resevoir under the o/sf wing can cause strange symptoms. It can be bypassed to check it and it is not really necessary
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