Simonbbc Ignition Solutions

Can you explain the POWERSPARK ™ range of products ?

Here is our range of electronic ignition solutions explained:

POWERSPARK ™ electronic conversion kits
to be used with a coil with more than 1.5 Ohms negative earth only and replaces the points & condensor in your points distributor

POWERSPARK ™ Standard electronic distributor
requires a coil with more than 1.5 Ohms resistance and negative earth only custom built and matched for the relevant engine/vehicle

POWERSPARK ™ Performance electronic distributor
requires a coil with less than 1.5 Ohms and negative earth only resistance custom built and matched for the relevant engine/vehicle

All of these products can be upgraded with our POWERMAX ™ red rotor arm for added durability and performance

How can I tell if my vehicle has a 25D Lucas or 45D Lucas distributor fitted ?

The Lucas 23D and 25D distributor has a 12 volt feed attached to a terminal on the outside that has a corresponding cut out in the cap. The Lucas 45D and 59D distributor has a 12 volt feed wire entering the distributor through a hole in the body with a rubber grommet.

We can supply both 25D and 45D 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder distributors and top and side entry caps for each type.

My vehicle is positive +ve earth do you sell a kit for a positive earth vehicle ??

All our POWERSPARK ™ electronic kits are for NEGATIVE earth systems. We have been asked for positive earth kits and are developing these, we expect them to be available in the near future.

Are there more detailed fitting instructions available to help me fit the electronic kit ???

The POWERSPARK ™ electronic kit has been fitted over the years by many different enthusiasts and we often refer customers asking for more details to the Reliant site to be full of useful and helpful fitting tips complete with photographs. This website shows the fitting of a MK2 kit and the modification required to allow fitting to a 59D Lucas sliding points distributor.

Detailed Install Images

How can I tell if I have a standard or ballast coil system ?

A Standard coil system will only have 1 wire on the +ve side of coil, and a Ballast coil system will have 2 feeds on the + side of coil.

You can test the resistance of the coil using a voltmeter and measure the Ohms across the +ve and – ve terminals. A standard coil should read around 3 Ohms and a ballast coil will read about 1.5 ohms.

We recommend you use a Standard coil because a Ballast coil tends to run hot and is less reliable. Some customers report that bypassing the ballast resistor by disconnecting the ballast feed wire ( from the starter solenoid or built into the loom ) and providing a direct feed from the starter solenoid/relay or ignition fuse to the coil has proved to be a success and has given no problems.

Can I change my V8 points distributor to your V8 distributor with external module ??

Yes, we can supply a new V8 distributor with the latest 3 pin module, you will need to change the coil from standard coil to electronic coil and provide the correct wiring from module to coil ( was 1 wire … need two (2) wires ). Early points V8 distributors used different oil pump drives and you will need to check the type of drive you have, our V8 distributor uses the later female pump drive.

What is Dwell and what do I adjust on an electronic system ??

Dwell is measured as an angle, with contact points ignition the points gap determines the dwell angle. The definition of contact points ignition dwell is ‘the number of degrees of distributor rotation with the contacts in the closed position’. As an example, a 4 cylinder engine will have a dwell of approximately 45 degrees. The time the points are closed is the time the coil can charge so the points gap needs adjusting as the points wear. Manufacturers state a contact points gap setting to maximise the dwell period.

The dwell period on an engine with electronic ignition is controlled by the current limiting circuit within the Module. BBC modules sense the coil current level and use a powerful micro controller to adjust the dwell. This variable/adaptive dwell helps to maintain peak energy throughout the entire RPM range reducing misfires while improving engine performance and increasing coil and module life and providing stable timing with no need for any adjustments.

The POWERSPARK ™ electronic circuit senses startup and develops more energy for quicker, easier starting, it also has built in ‘over current protection’ that shuts down the system, preventing component damage if the ignition is left switched on and the engine not running.

Rotating cobalt magnets trigger a ‘Hall Effect’ integrated circuit ... no points to burn, no moving parts to wear out and no need for any adjustments. 

Why does the latest POWERSPARK ™ 45D4 electronic kit have a new rotor arm and black trigger ring ??

The POWERSPARK ™ electronic kit has been developed and improved over the years and our early blue kits Mk1 included a new unique rotor arm with built in magnets.

These early MK1 kits proved to be problematic and the red module kits MK2 were quickly introduced giving vastly improved electronics and thermal qualities but retained the unique rotor arm. Some customers requested that they buy a spare rotor arm because they felt a failure or damage would immobilize the vehicle.

We therefore introduced the third MK3 kit with a simple black ring like our other kits ( 25D and 22D6 etc ) and deleted the unique rotor arm, but we quickly learned that this black trigger ring did not fit all the versions of the Lucas 45D4 spindle due to small machining variances.

The latest 45D4 MK4 kit therefore has included both the unique rotor arm with magnets and a black trigger ring, offering the best of both worlds. We recommend that you test to see if the black trigger ring fits your cam lobe on the spindle first, because this fitment option allows the standard rotor arm or the POWERMAX ™ rotor arm to be fitted rather than fit the unique rotor arm first. Fitting the black trigger ring allows the spare unique rotor arm to be carried on the vehicle for back up emergencies.

Mk5 kits are currently being tested and include improved base plate shape and hole tolerances giving improved heat dissipation that will take the 45D4 kit to another level.