Electronic Ignition / Resistance Wire

[Of_Machines]

Hi all,

I have been reading up on the other posts both in ignition problems and the resistance wire bypass, and am aware the subject has been done to death but wanted a few concrete answers before I go ahead and order anything.

The chap at the autoelectrical place reccomended I get a Lumenition electronic ignition system for him to fit, and when I asked on facebook people reccomended both Lumenition (though not which one) and Accuspark.

Both apparently work well.

At the same time I am going to get the resistance wire bypass carried out as this quote by David from another post sums up a lot of the issues with my 1800 OHC Firenza i've been having over the last year;

'The owner couldn't believe how easy it was to do the job and how quickly it was done. He had been running Lumenition electronic ignition on the standard AC Delco coil for the past 10 years and earlier this year the car started giving severe problems. The symptoms were cutting out in traffic, loss of power on long climbs, misfiring after idling for a while and poor hot starting. This had become so bad that the car had been left in the garage since the beginning of the year and not attended any shows.'

1: Which system should I go for, Accuspark or Lumenition, and if Lumenition what version & from where?

2: What extra bits will I need for either one?

3: What if any coil will I need for either one? (The car currently has a Lucas DLB 101 12 volt coil which I fitted last year)

I'm pretty certain that the distributor currently on the car is a Delco one, I don't know if that has any bearing on which one to go for?

Thanks in advance! Once I finally get this dealt with I can get on with the several other urgent things that need fixing!

[1972nail]

The distributor you have is a Delco D300. It's design means that it will have to be completely stripped to fit either of the two systems.

The Lumenition system uses an optical pickup with a 'chopper' blade to interrupt the signal and fire the electronic amplifier in a separate alloy box.

The Accuspark, Petronix and Alton Ignitor systems (all so similar that they are probably made in the same factory) all use a Hall effect sensor which sends a signal to the minute amplifier inside the unit itself.

So, the Lumenition system has been around since the 1970's and therein lies the apparent problem. The system electronics were updated a couple of times but the design remains basically the same as it did over 40 years ago, hence the need for a large alloy heatsink incorporated as part of the external amplifier box. You also need a dedicated fitting kit, the price adds up.

The much more modern Accuspark type systems have all the electronics miniaturised so that they fit completely inside the distributor and are very discrete. They also have active dwell built in, this makes sure that the coil always has the maximum available time to charge up prior to firing.

The problem comes with the Accuspark type systems when extreme care is not exercised when fitting. Not paying extreme attention to detail over making sure the earth on the sole of the unit is perfectly made and the risk of accidentally reversing the polarity by mistake can make the unit totally inoperable. Also, the distributor position might need a big swing from the original position which might make the unaware think that ignition timing cannot be correct in that position or they put the distributor back in the original position and wonder why it runs far worse than when they started.

To sum up, the Lumenition system has years of history but is getting long in the tooth and old secondhand systems will have rapidly deteriorating electronics, it also has that 'add on' look of non originality. Expense is also a down side of having all the extra bits to buy.

On the other hand the Accuspark type systems are minute, not much bigger than a set of points and condenser, and can be relatively cheap. However the reported fitting issues can be a problem, especially as many who have not taken the necessary care and zapped the module will always say "it wasn't me, it must be faulty'. (I'm waiting for the barrage of comments on this)

If you are put off by the talk of apparent reliability problems with the Accuspark systems but don't want the accessory look or old fashioned design of the Lumenition system you could check out the Aldon Ignitor system. This is still favourable in price to the Lumenition system but offers the minuiture size size of thr Accuspark. The price is still considerably more than the Accuspark even though they look exactly the same. They also are fitted and work in exactly the same way.

As far as coils are concerned you already have the correct non ballasted coil. That might be part of the problem in that you are currently running it with the resistance wire in place. I would bypass the resistance wire ASAP as it in not safe to continue to run the non ballasted coil in that fashion with the resistance wire in place. You may find that many of your problems may be resolved without going electronic.

[1972nail]

An update. The Aldon system is Aldon part number Aldon MR-LS2. This kit is for a TR7 Delco 302 distributor and should fit a Delco 300 of the slant 4.

[Of_Machines]

Hi David,

Thank you for all the information, that's really helpful. Based on that I will go for the Accuspark system and give the autoelectrical place all the information on sorting the resistance wire issue. The main guy there used to work on these when they were new and they came highly reccomended.
They found a load more issues which they have fixed, the ignition is the last bit left to do... as far as electrics are concerned anyway.

[Of_Machines]

So I bought an accuspark kit and went to drop it off at the autoelectricians so they could fit it to the car, however the chap there said he basicly refuses to use them anymore after several bad experiences fitting them and them failing on one of his cars, and stuck by his reccomendation for a Lumenition system.

At this point I don't care which is fitted, I just want the issue dealt with once and for all so I can get on with the other urgent issues I need to fix so I can use the car again in time for when shows and meets start again.

With that being said, what exact Lumenition system will I need?

Is this one correct? And do I need other bits to go with it?

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/lumenit ... -lumpma50/

[1972nail]

I'm not up to speed on those but that is just the sensor and module, you still need the fitting kit which adds quite a bit extra cost on top.

AFIK the fitting kit for a TR7 with the Delco 302 distributor should fit.

[Of_Machines]

Yes I found a fitting kit for it online, all told I ended up paying around £220.
Not ideal but i'm tired of this all dragging on and just want an end to it.

My next urgent issues are the carb leaking fuel from the float chamber, a leaking core plug, the oil leaks which i've been putting off for years, the worn out UJ which makes a knocking noise and a whining noise which i'm sure is from the diff, probably because the diff is also leaking (I had originally thought it was a wheel bearing but I had those checked) oh, and the rust on the inside of the drivers a pillar which also necessitates the replacement of the front screen rubber.

For my sanity I need the car running and at least some of these issues fixed before car shows and meets are allowed again!

[droopsnoot]

My next urgent issues are the carb leaking fuel from the float chamber

I'd say this is the number one out of all the list, though it depends on how bad the leak is. Any fuel leak is bad, but there's a range between evidence of a leak through staining but generally dry, to pouring out of the back of the carb because the needle valve is sticking open, as I had on my Strombergs.

For mine it turned out that the filter in the tank had come adrift, allowing all sorts of grit and stuff into the fuel system, some of which got stuck in the valve and kept it open. A thorough cleaning, replacing the filter in the tank and adding an in-line filter seems to have done the trick, but then it is ages since the car has run for anything more than about ten minutes.

[1972nail]

My next urgent issues are the carb leaking fuel from the float chamber

If it is a Stromberg carb I can supply a kit of correct E10 safe O rings which suit all variations of that carb. You don't need to buy a complete rebuild kit just to fix this leak. PM me if you want one Rupert.

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=29652

[Of_Machines]

It's an SU carb from a Hilman Avenger mated to an inlet manifold from a Bedford CF, I had that conversion done around 2016 and has been very reliable. The autoelectrician noticed it leaking while working on the car. He suggested it was caused by some part possibly breaking down due to the dreaded ethanol in the fuel? All I know is that the float chamber is overfilling somehow leading to fuel leaking from it while running.
It goes without saying that that is the top of my list!