Electronic Distributor which is the best for reliability?

cbv8

cbv8

Member
Hi All,
I am thinking of fitting an electronic distributor to my 71 3500 i have a used 35dlm8 in my garage which i know are reliable but fancy fitting something new to my P6 any experiences with new electronic distributors good or bad i have seen a few on eblag Ultra Spark Powerspark Mallory to name three but which one do go for or should i just resort to the old trusty 35dlm8 ? any help or advice very much appreciated ;)
 
Not one reply so presume there is no one using an electronic distributor on their P6/5s then :(
 
Mallory build quality is really good, some people have issues with their dual point version on the RV8 sometimes from not understanding how they work.
One of their electronic versions would be a nice upgrade.

This might not be a lot of help but on my 4.6 build I’m using ford coil packs triggered from the ring gear teeth and a mappable digital ignition ecu which I’ll be able to tune with a laptop

Plenty of people using later electronic Lucas dizzies on here I believe, plus countless pertronix style points conversions.

Jim
 
Can I ask;
Are you looking a straight replacement for the standard ignition, or are you needing a programmable ignition system?

I use an Aldon Amethyst mappable ignition system, with a standard Rover distributor. My engine requires a non-standard ignition curve hence the departure from the points and weights. For me on the standard engine the standard setup was always faultless.

If you have a standard engine then I'd think all the direct replacement electronic distributor ignition systems are good, except for the ones that aren't. Change the whole system together, so the coil is matched to the electronics etc.

G.
 
I have an early Range Rover 2 door with a 3.9 injection V8. The standard Lucas distributor in that seems reliable, though I don’t know if the advance curve in it would be suitable for a 3.5 on carbs with a different compression ratio. The quality of distributor caps and rotor arms seems to vary a lot though.

On my Jag, I run a 123. That’s been faultless over 20k plus mikes. However, if I were to buy again I’d go for the programmable version, not the pre-programmed one. None of the curves match the factory original ones, despite it being specifically for a Jag. I don’t know if the same issue applies to the RV8 variant.

My Rover (4cyl) runs one of those red modules, that replaces the points. That too has been faultless in itself. However, I had to bypass the ballast wiring to fit that, and my splice into the original loom wasn’t great and caused some unreliability, but that’s now fixed. As it only replaces the points, the distributor curve is unaffected. But then the curve’s accuracy is then dependent on the condition of the original distributor advance springs. The only complaint I would have with this module is the pickup ring that fits over the distributor cam isn’t the best fit. It’s possible for it to move slightly, and therefore affect the timing. However in practice, I don’t think it actually moves in use, only when the rotor arm is disturbed.
 
Slightly off topic - 'Hazel' (ser1 V8) never likes waking up ;) despite having serviced the ignition system & setting the timing with a strobe & the dwell with a meter.

Would electronic ignition solve this trait?
 
Phil Robson said:
Slightly off topic - 'Hazel' (ser1 V8) never likes waking up ;) despite having serviced the ignition system & setting the timing with a strobe & the dwell with a meter.

Would electronic ignition solve this trait?
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Assuming the fault is actually ignition related, then not necessarily. It depends what system you fit. Some electronic systems allow you to run a more powerful coil, so you should see a stronger spark when the engine’s cranking. However, most instructions suggest bypassing the ballast resistor, which achieves the same effect during cranking on a points based system. So there may be no net gain, although it is possible to run a ballast system and electronic ignition if you wire the distributor slightly different to what’s usually suggested.

I’d check your carbs are properly balanced, the choke mechanism is set correctly, and that the dashpots have the right oil in before spending a lot on electronic distributors. All 3 of the above have made more of a difference to the cold starting on my 4cyl than fitting the electronic ignition module. Not that I have any complaints with the module.
 
Gargo said:
Can I ask;
Are you looking a straight replacement for the standard ignition, or are you needing a programmable ignition system?
Just a straight replacement standard none programmable :)
I use an Aldon Amethyst mappable ignition system, with a standard Rover distributor. My engine requires a non-standard ignition curve hence the departure from the points and weights. For me on the standard engine the standard setup was always faultless.

If you have a standard engine then I'd think all the direct replacement electronic distributor ignition systems are good, except for the ones that aren't. Change the whole system together, so the coil is matched to the electronics etc.

G.
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Years ago I converted my 72p6b to electronic ign.
Poor old girl used to grind away on cold start up. Always with heaps of choke and half a Km before the orange light kicked in.
Nowadays in the 21st C she starts first crack with a little choke.
I used an electronic dizzy and system out of a wrecked Disco- Still a Rover too.
 
GRTV8 said:
Years ago I converted my 72p6b to electronic ign.
Poor old girl used to grind away on cold start up. Always with heaps of choke and half a Km before the orange light kicked in.
Nowadays in the 21st C she starts first crack with a little choke.
I used an electronic dizzy and system out of a wrecked Disco- Still a Rover too.
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I bet it was a 35dlm8 correct?
 
Personally I'm staying away from Lumenition. Had problems with it on my old 2200TC, and had problems with it on my current V8. Switched to Pertronix a couple of weeks ago, only time will tell. :)
 
Thijs Leuven said:
Personally I'm staying away from Lumenition. Had problems with it on my old 2200TC, and had problems with it on my current V8. Switched to Pertronix a couple of weeks ago, only time will tell. :)
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Hi Thijs,
Whereabout in the engine bay did you have your Lumenition power module?

For me, I would not use anything else except Lumenition, and that is based on my experience with 24 years of non stop Lumenition success.

Ron.
 
It was mounted on the left wing, near the coil. On my 2200TC I remember it being fitted near the right wing, if I recall correctly...

I did some Google research on opinions on different ignitions. Found more negative on Lumenition than on other systems, for what it's worth... Together with the good experiences of Smink with Pertronix, I opted for that. Smink is a Rover specialist in The Netherlands, deals both in Pertronix and Lumenition.
 
Thijs Leuven said:
It was mounted on the left wing, near the coil. On my 2200TC I remember it being fitted near the right wing, if I recall correctly...
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I dare say that is likely the reason Thijs why you along with other people have not found them as reliable as you and they might have expected. The Lumenition power module does not like heat, so having it mounted there will certainly reduce the operating life.

Ron.
 
Thijs Leuven said:
Could well be! Where have you mounted yours? In the engine bay or somewhere else? Behind one of the glove boxes...?
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The power modules are waterproof, so being covered in water is not a problem. Mine is mounted at the front down low outside of the engine bay. They can be mounted under the guard, behind the grill, anywhere really that is not within the confines of the engine bay. I have seen them mounted beside the bracket that holds the bonnet prop when open, but you do need to cut the bonnet edge rubber at that location so the module is then in a constant stream of cool air. A friend of mine had one mounted there for over 30 years with no problems at all.

Ron.
 
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