reg brg Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hi all Has anybody tried the electronic dizzy that is being sold on Ebay The going price is about £60 which is cheap for a new dizzy let alone electronic set up as well The reason I ask is that I had a petronics system in and it only lasted about 1000 miles So I might bethe way to go Cheers all Reg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Menno van Rij Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 The reason I ask is that I had a petronics system in and it only lasted about 1000 miles Hi Reg, Can you tell me (us) more about the Petronics faillure? I think a lot of people are interested to know what happened. On an other forum (Saab) I've read that it's not wise to leave the inginition key 'on', the coil overheats easily. A lot of Saab owners use Petronics in their V4-propelled Saabs. I've heard no problems from them thusfar. Having said that, a well reputated TR restorer overhere in Holland used to sell P., but has stopped selling them. Several customers returned their item to him, because these items failed (Perhaps the same problem you encountered?). Anyway, he sells 123-ignition units now. Regards, Menno Quote Link to post Share on other sites
North London Mike Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hi allHas anybody tried the electronic dizzy that is being sold on Ebay The going price is about £60 which is cheap for a new dizzy let alone electronic set up as well The reason I ask is that I had a petronics system in and it only lasted about 1000 miles So I might bethe way to go Cheers all Reg Reg No experiance of the unit you refer to but all the old sayings come to mind, "you get what you pay for, gift horses etc etc" Remember the dizzy is the beating heart of your car, the one area where you shouldn't skimp on.......... The 4 has an Aldon unit which has been faultless and I used Luminition for 15 years before that, again faultlessly. Not a complete replacement, so maybe a normal dizzy with electronic guts is the safe halfway house Quote Link to post Share on other sites
reg brg Posted January 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hi Mike I agree with what you say But The petronics that I bought was from The States I am not the only one to have had this failer in our group Haveing said that I have had an aldon on my 6 for about 10 years and it has never mised a beat The inside of these dizzy looks to be the same as the aldon system So that would still make it cheaper and you also have a supposedly lucas type dizzy Menno it just stoped working when I was driving along the road So it was nothing to do with leaving on the ignition Cheers all Reg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 There's an interesting article on page 25 of TRaction 223 (December 2007) - it has graphs comparing power and torque using a conventional distributor and an Albertronic 123. The writer, Roger Ebdon, concludes thus: "no matter which program we ran (on the Albertronic), we could not match the original figures for bhp or torque; proram 7, as recommended, gave us the best figures". What I found most alarming was that maximum torque (at around 3000 rpm) was about 8% lower with the Albertronic, and that's the area where one wants the torque for swift overtaking (on a road car - I'm not talking about competition cars). In fact, the conventional distributor gave more torque from 2250 to beyond 4500 rpm. If I were you, I would get a new or refurbished distributor from Martin Jay (Distributor Doctor - see his advert in TRaction) fitted with whatever electronic ignition package you and he agree would best suit your needs. All references on the Forum to Martin's service have been highly complimentary, so I am not saying this just because I have known him for some 16 years. Whilst you are at it, get a couple of his rotor arms - could save you a lot of grief (I have had two of the genuine Lucas rotor arms fail unexpectedly and it is very inconvenient!). I have been using a Lumenition (now called Piranha, I believe) electronic ignition pack for more than 14 years and can say only that it greatly improves starting (on a modified engine with CR of over 10) and has never missed a beat either in hot weather or in the 9.5 hour crawl to and from Worcester in July (couldn't swim to Malvern!). Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndrewMAshton Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 ,Hello All, thought I would add my bit, just tried to fit the Petronix unit today, purchased from Moss a couple of weels ago, blew the fuse twice as soon as I switched the ignition on, checked wiring diagram supplied and it was fitted correctly. Took the wires off the coil and switched on, fuse did not blow. Have refitted the points, took me ten minutes to get the car going, I had forgotten to put the rotor arm back!! I have had no trouble with points so will think long and hard before changing to electronic now. On a completely different note, winter project progressing well, rear wings off, wire brushed where required and hammerited, will be refitted next week and then the front wings can come off. Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Points are simple and reliable. BUT, as soon as you start to use the car, the timing starts to change as the heel of the points wears (the part which presses against the cam). One doesn't notice the reduction in performance because it is so gradual. With an electronic ignition unit, you set and forget. Only wear in the main body of the distributor will upset things, and that takes place far, far more slowly than the wear on the heel. On the points, one gets a pip building up on one of the contacts (and a corresponding pit in the other), and this can change the timing. Lastly, electronic gives a better spark at cranking sppeds, so aids starting under difficult conditions (especially in the depths of winter, when cranking speed is likely to be reduced for a number of reasons). The timing on my car was set on a rolling road in June 1995, and it still goes like stink because I can still get real leaded fuel! Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianhoward Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 I fitted Pertronix ignition to the TR5 together with their epoxy filled coil around a year ago and subsequently fitted performance leads... Once the dizzy timing was adjusted I have found it to be very good - perhaps the dizzy would benefit form a check-over / rebuild to make sure all is fully up to scratch. It gives good economy when needed - over 30mpg on a steady 3500rpm motorway/dual carrageway run back from Goodwood last September. So no complaints (so far!!!) here. Incidentally, I have heard that the Aldon system is a rebranded Pertronix... Brgds Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hi Ian's point re: rotor arms is spot on. Make sure you get a decent one. I've had the car totally cut out, with no warning at all from using an iffy rotor arm. We went through 3 on LeJog a couple of years back when the problem seemed to be much worse with repro rotors. Martin should be able to spin-up your dizzy and set the advance weights/ springs to suit your cam. Very useful if you've got a "hot" cam installed. Cheers Adey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hi Ive been running a vacuumless Aldon distributer on my TR4 with a highly modified engine and its been excellent. The only problem Ive ever had has been the poor repro rotor arms which I would never consider buying again. They last about 200 miles and then fail due to cracking and internal short circuiting. NOS LUCAS ones are obviously better, but the replacements which Martin Jay has produced are the best alternatives. Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I've a couple of original "Brown Brothers" 400051 replacements that seem to work very well. My supplies are dwindling, but if you're really struggling let me know. Cheers Adey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Does someone uses the rotor arms from Martin in combination with a Lumenition Optronic ignition By looking at the rotor arm shape I was afraid that they would not clear the optronic module. On my TR3 I'm running a Lumenition Magnetronic set, never had a problem and very easy firing. Survived 14 hours on M5 progressing 1/2 mile Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piman Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hello Reg, changing distributors is not straight forward. Most of the posts on this thread refer to electronic versus points. OK, there are valid opinions but that is only one aspect and the least important. The main criteria for a distributor is it's advance curve and that must be correct for your engine. Original Lucas distributors come in a standard type, e.g. 25D4 etc but the type for you engine is not just a 25D4 but the number stamped on the body which can be used to identify set up of that particular distributor. In other words the distributor must be matched to your engine. Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
reg brg Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks Alec for your answer to MY question I am clad you came back to my original request for some info Thanks again Reg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevinmarks Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 hi all ive been doing some enquiries about dizzys and have been told that the 123 distributor set up is a good choice cost about £180 apparently it includes everything kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trtom Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 123 dizzy..... top quality!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted March 2, 2008 Report Share Posted March 2, 2008 Just talk to Martin Jay, the 'Distributor Doctor', and take it from there. We're fortunate enough to have an A1 Ace distributor man amongst the TR fraternity, so why not talk to an acknowledged and respected expert for an informed viewpoint ? From personal experience, I'd recommend the man 100%. Cheers, Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 2, 2008 Report Share Posted March 2, 2008 Just talk to Martin Jay, the 'Distributor Doctor', and take it from there. We're fortunate enough to have an A1 Ace distributor man amongst the TR fraternity, so why not talk to an acknowledged and respected expert for an informed viewpoint ? From personal experience, I'd recommend the man 100%. Cheers, Alec So would I. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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