Aussieveedubbers · Tech Talk

Is electronic ignition worth the money?

https://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/threads/108116/is-electronic-ignition-worth-the-money

blompod ·

My 62 with a 1600 tp is running like a swiss watch at the moment, The throttle shaft leak as gone away for some reason, anyway i was thinking of installing an electronic ignition, a pertronix dizzy leads and coil, I can get them from the states for 360 bucks landed. I thnk they are about a million dollars here if you can even find them. So apart from never having to change or adjust points again does it make the car run any better?

AA003 ·

Not really. Just saves you changing points.

landfall ·

It's an interesting topic.

Whether it's the placebo effect or not, I am not sure.

When I used to own a specialised workshop I experimented many times with different ignition systems. Using a Sun diagnostic tuning equipment along with chassis dyno, I could never detect any improvement, however the electronic ignition for some reason "felt' smoother.

The first thing I did after purchasing our Std. beetle was to fit electronic ignition. Go figure?

The benefit is no longer having points that gradually wear out and change the dwell angle, which changes the timing.

As for the more expensive brands out there? No, not really worth the extra money over some of the more cheaper one's available.

I purchased a brand called "Hot Spark"through the Samba site, has worked without missing a beat and the advance curve appears to be correct thus far. (12 months)

Ken

landfall ·

It's an interesting topic.

Whether it's the placebo effect or not, I am not sure.

When I used to own a specialised workshop I experimented many times with different ignition systems. Using a Sun diagnostic tuning equipment along with chassis dyno, I could never detect any improvement, however the electronic ignition for some reason "felt' smoother.

The first thing I did after purchasing our Std. beetle was to fit electronic ignition. Go figure?

The benefit is no longer having points that gradually wear out and change the dwell angle, which changes the timing.

As for the more expensive brands out there? No, not really worth the extra money over some of the more cheaper one's available.

I purchased a brand called "Hot Spark"through the Samba site, has worked without missing a beat and the advance curve appears to be correct thus far. (12 months)

Ken

Joel ·

Stick with a quality unit like pertronix or compufire and you will be right, the cheap ones have a high failure rate but keep points and condenser in the glove box and youll be back on the road quick if that happens.

I've fitted a few kits over the years, you may notice easier starting but a stock engine you won't feel any performance difference.
but in saying that with the strobe on all points scatter is gone and a dead smooth advance curve which has to be better for the engine.

psimitar ·

Advance curve is still dealt with by the dizzys vac and mech parts but electronic points gets rid of points bounce and slight changes in dwell, time period in which the coil fires. So the engine will drive and accelerate more smoothly.

You may also notice a slight increase in fuel economy due to the smoother running but it is normally negligible.

As Buggin says stick to the decent brands that he stated 🙂

PAZZAN ·

I bought one of these ,2 years now no problems

http://www.hot-spark.com/

Strogger ·

Used a Pertronix kit in my FB Holden, can't explain why, but car always started more easily (less cranking), never had to fiddle with points gaps and engine just seemed smoother over all. Well as smooth a a grey motor can be.😉

lauzboy ·

like others have said you probably won't notice much (if any) difference in fuel economy or power, but certainly feels smoother than points and there's no maintenance except for oiling the felt pad under the rotor. i found start up quicker than points.

if i was buying now id get a Pertonix 2 (i bought about 5 years ago and it was significantly more) which has auto dwell control - ie even better startup and more complete burn at highway speeds

barls ·

im not fitting another one after being left on the side of the road by one. mine was a dis x version.

beetleboyjeff ·

PAZZAN wrote:I bought one of these ,2 years now no problems

http://www.hot-spark.com/
I bought a dizzy with a vacuum advance and one of these at Valla last year from Gary at Wolfsbugh Automotive, as well as a spare electronic ignition. I had run Compufires in a 009 for 10 or 15 years and had a pretty good run - I think I had 2 fail in that time.

I installed the distributor a week or so after Valla and found it was great - the vacuum advance (replacing a 009) gave me a lot more low speed torque, great for towing my trailer. In November, I started getting a miss - it wasn't speed or power related, just random - it would even miss a few when idling, almost stop, then carry on again.

I fitted the spare electronic module - problem fixed. Then in February, while doing a job out of town, I was on my way home and the motor suddenly started missing like anything. I checked everything, and the centre electrode of the dizzy cap seemed burnt, so I replaced the cap, and I was away. The problem re-appeared a few times over the next few days, mainly if I got the revs up a bit - noticed it around town, but cruising at low revs on country roads, it was OK. If I stopped and let it cool down for 20 mins or half an hour, it would go again.

I put points and condenser back in, and no more problem since. Maybe I had 2 dodgy electronic units out of a bad batch?

I do think it generally runs smoother with electronic ignition, and certainly less problems in wet weather, so I am watching this thread with interest to see what one to get next.

psimitar ·

beetleboyjeff wrote:
PAZZAN wrote:I bought one of these ,2 years now no problems

http://www.hot-spark.com/
I bought a dizzy with a vacuum advance and one of these at Valla last year from Gary at Wolfsbugh Automotive, as well as a spare electronic ignition. I had run Compufires in a 009 for 10 or 15 years and had a pretty good run - I think I had 2 fail in that time.

I installed the distributor a week or so after Valla and found it was great - the vacuum advance (replacing a 009) gave me a lot more low speed torque, great for towing my trailer. In November, I started getting a miss - it wasn't speed or power related, just random - it would even miss a few when idling, almost stop, then carry on again.

I fitted the spare electronic module - problem fixed. Then in February, while doing a job out of town, I was on my way home and the motor suddenly started missing like anything. I checked everything, and the centre electrode of the dizzy cap seemed burnt, so I replaced the cap, and I was away. The problem re-appeared a few times over the next few days, mainly if I got the revs up a bit - noticed it around town, but cruising at low revs on country roads, it was OK. If I stopped and let it cool down for 20 mins or half an hour, it would go again.

I put points and condenser back in, and no more problem since. Maybe I had 2 dodgy electronic units out of a bad batch?

I do think it generally runs smoother with electronic ignition, and certainly less problems in wet weather, so I am watching this thread with interest to see what one to get next.
If the electronics are of a high enough switching frequency, bad design, or low quality components then it'll work fine for a while but will degrade quickly. Unfortunately much of the items made in china cut costs to the bone and hence make things from the cheapest that will do the job.
This is why the better brands like Compufire still seem to be reliable.

Either way, whether you have normal points igntion or electronic it's wise to carry spare points and condenser as either can fail when you least expect it 🙂