What is the best Electronic Ignition

[Mal Leichter]

I have been having what I think we've narrowed down to and ignition problem over the past 2 years. Some times the engine runs great sometimes it doesn't. I've shagged down all systems and have ended up with all that is left is the ignition system

Whats been done

emptied and cleaned the fuel tank and pick up
All new fuel lines
A new canister tye filter
a new in-line fuel filter
A new carburator
2 new fuel pumps
a new presure switch
New Alternator
re wired from the starter to the alternator

Last year I went through 3 sets of points and condensor
The original burned up in a month. The second were burned after 6 months. By the way the coil was new in 2006.

I thought I would start with a new Coil and new Distributor with electronic ignition.

I was going to buy the distributor from MM with the pentronix electronic system but have heard mixed reviews from people on the pentronix from people who used them in auto systems. Was also going to buy the flame thrower coil.

[HerbertFriedman]

which is best electronic ignition

I went with the Pertronix electronic ignition. I did not have any real problems but the engine was hard starting even with the choke, new plugs, points, etc. Electronic ignition works very well, starts easily and runs fine.

[Mal Leichter]

was the engine hard starting with the breaker point ignition system??? Did you do the whole ew distributor or retrofit the exing one?? How long have you had the pentronix??

[High Hopes]

Mal,

I moved from points to the Moyer repackaged Pertronix ingiter kit. Difference is night and day with starting and with idling. Once you get this, you will wonder why you waited so long. Call Don. Go ahead. His supplemental A4 instructions are great.

Steve

[tenders]

You will love the electronic ignition.

However, are you sure you've got the right coil? You shouldn't be burning out points and condensers. You definitely don't want to burn out electronic ignitions.

[HerbertFriedman]

what is the best electronic ignition

the engine was hard starting even with new points and plugs. The installation of the Pertronix was very simple, you remove the distributor cap and rotor and remove the plate holding the points and condensor (two screws). The Pertronix slips in with no need to "adjust the points", its automatic. You do have to file a small notch in the cap to bring out one wire but that was simple. I have had mine for about three years, no problems. I kept the original plate with the points and condensor just as spare.

[Mal Leichter]

Herb THanks for the feedback

Tenders I am not sure of the coil (even though it was new 18 months ago). Thats why my plan is to take out the coil and distributor and replace them both to new while moving up to electronic ignition

Thanks All

[Alain Croteau]

I have been using the Indigo electronic ignition problem free for about 8 yrs or so. I replaced the unit including coil in the Spring of '07, not because of malfunction, but as a preventative measure prior to undertaking a 3 month trip around the Great Lakes last summer. I kept the older unit as a spare. I would recommend it.

[Golfdad75]

Installing Pertroix ignition

I am going to install the Pertronix Ignition kit this weekend. The instructions seem straight forward. Is there any out there who made shed some late on any glitches that may arise? Thanks

[JOHN COOKSON]

Something is not right. I have ~ 150 hours on my current set of points and condenser and they are still going strong. They should be good for another season next year.
A couple of possible issues come to mind:
Is the choke all the way closed when you think it is?
What is the voltage at coil + when the engine is running ~1000RPM?
I would not go to an EI until you figure out the reason for the fried points.
A new coil may help for awhile but won't address the root cause.
Neil - Are you logged in?

TRUE GRIT

[edwardc]

I am going to install the Pertronix Ignition kit this weekend. The instructions seem straight forward. Is there any out there who made shed some late on any glitches that may arise? Thanks

A few people have reported difficulty getting the magnet collar to fit over the cam. Too much force applied can crack the collar's plastic housing.

http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3218&highlight=pertronix+collar

[ndutton]

I am going to install the Pertronix Ignition kit this weekend. The instructions seem straight forward. Is there any out there who may shed some late on any glitches that may arise? Thanks

It is imperative you measure and calculate your ignition system amperage and make adjustment if necessary. For your coil to survive you must keep the system amperage below 4 amps. Please read the threads below for greater detail but here is an overview:

1. Measure the coil resistance between the two small posts, all wires disconnected from at least one of the posts for the measurement
2. Measure the input voltage with the engine running at a minimum RPM of 1000. This measurement is made between the small coil "+" post and the engine block, NOT the coil "-" post. The coil "-" post is not a ground even if it deceptively has a "-" sign.
3. Divide the resistance into the voltage
4. If the quotient is less than 4 you're good. If not (and I bet NOT), you'll need to add resistance to the coil input wiring. This is done by either buying a Moyer coil (specifically designed and manufactured for EI compatibility) or a supplemental ballast resistor wired in series. The threads discuss how to choose a suitable resistor. Careful here, resistance can be overdone too. Take care as well when mounting a resistor. They get wicked hot, the reason they're made of ceramic.

This may sound like a pain but it's really easy. It must be done even if the engine seems to run fine after EI conversion. It tales a little run time for coil damage to reach a point of failure. The typical symptom is good running for 45 minutes or so, engine dies like it ran out of fuel, won't restart for maybe a half hour (coil cool down period) restarts and runs fine for a little shorter time only to repeat the shut down, cool off and restart cycle.

Referenced threads:
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5748 lotta reading but worth it, a 5 star rated thread
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5845 condensed version

There are others but these two hit all the high points and both have a link to a ballast resistor calculator that builds in a 15% margin of safety. You input the two measurements described earlier, it provides a ballast resistor value.

Something is not right. I have ~ 150 hours on my current set of points and condenser and they are still going strong. They should be good for another season next year. I would not go to an EI until you figure out the reason for the fried points

I suspect the OP's condenser is bad. The condenser's primary function is protection of the points against excessive arcing. Please see the link in this post for a really good explanation of condenser function. The switch to EI will eliminate the condenser so the problem goes away. As it sits, the old points plate with the existing points and condenser is NOT suitable for the spares box for this reason. If you're saving the old points plate as a backup (most of us do) you should replace the points and condenser (pre-adjust the points gap for a quick and easy swap).

edit: two other considerations, unless you're comfortable with setting or preserving the timing, do the EI installation with the distributor in place. Removing the distributor from the engine brings in a timing exercise one way (fresh from TDC) or another (existing position marks). Oil the advance weights while the points plate is off too.

[Golfdad75]

Hope the coil works

I bought a new coil at Moyer and will install it with the new system. I assume it is pegged at 4. The coil that is on there now is 2.0 with an added external resistor that adds 1. That coil is 3 months old but the longest I ever run my engine is maybe 10 minutes getting out of the slip and into the bay. My mechanic suggested I upgrade to electronic ignition.

[ndutton]

Now we're gettin' somewhere

Good on ya Golf. There's no harm in doing the amperage calculation anyway as a double-check. Expect the Moyer coil to measure @ 4.3Ω, your running system voltage at around 14 volts. 14V / 4.3Ω = 3.26A. Sweet. My system amperage is 3.39A and has run with Pertronix EI reliably for many years.

[roadnsky]

Something is not right. I have ~ 150 hours on my current set of points and condenser and they are still going strong. They should be good for another season next year.
A couple of possible issues come to mind:
Is the choke all the way closed when you think it is?
What is the voltage at coil + when the engine is running ~1000RPM?
I would not go to an EI until you figure out the reason for the fried points.
A new coil may help for awhile but won't address the root cause.
Neil - Are you logged in?

John-
I'm not sure if you're referring to Golfdad's post or the OP (Mal Leichter)

"Last year I went through 3 sets of points and condensor
The original burned up in a month. The second were burned after 6 months. By the way the coil was new in 2006."

IF it's the OP, note that was back in 2008...

Of course, the input is still pertinent in either case.