FAQ Quicklinks Page:
Frequently asked questions are covered on this page, if you feel that you need
any other questions answered then please get in touch with directly on the phone
at 01527 889 453 or by email using
sales@simonbbc.com and one of our sales team will be happy to assist.
Setting Up:
No Spark when installing a Powerspark product
How to static time your ignition
Do you have detailed fitting instructions available?
Positive Earth wiring?
Step by Step converting from positive to negative earth
V8 Instructions
Ignition Kits and Distributors:
There are so many different types where do I start?
Do I have an A series (45D) or A+ engine (59D/65D)?
Standard Electronic Distributor
High Energy Electronic Distributor
How does the Powerspark kit give benefits?
How does the kit perform in hot environments?
How can I tell which distributor is fitted to my
vehicle?
Can I change my V8 points distributor to your V8 distributor
with external module??
DM2
25D
23D
45D
59D
43D
Bosch distributors
V8 Ignition Kits - P5, P6 & Sliver Shadow etc
V8 Distributor setups
Coil & Ballast:
Ballast Resistors
Can I measure the resistance of my coil?
How can I tell if I have a standard or ballast coil system?
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No Spark
If you do not have a spark when first installing our electronic solution then
please contact us because there can be a number of reasons why initially there
is "No Spark" There are a couple of things you can check before calling so if
you can make sure there are no other wires on the negative side of the coil
other than the Black wire, this will be the most common cause of no spark.
Measure the voltage on each wire to be sure that the wires are on the correct
terminals with the 12 volt wire going to the positive side of the coil +'ve only
Check the battery for a good voltage and ensure that the voltage is good when
the vehicle is turning over by measuring the live side of the coil when the
engine is being turned over. Once you have this information get in touch with us
and we will be able to offer help from here, mention that you have been on the
FAQ page so we do not repeat these steps.No Spark NEGATIVE
EARTH Checklist
Please run through our checklist if you install our system and have no spark,
this list is 95% of the causes for "No Spark".
Just because it worked with points and condenser does not mean it will run with
electronic ignition, we often see the wires are reversed on the coil and this
for points will mean the spark will go the wrong way and will not be running at
it's best because of this.
1) Check wires on the coil, measure the voltage on each lead at the coil
ensuring the Live wire is on the positive (+'ve) side
2) Ensure that there is only the Black wire on the negative side of the coil
(this wire can provide an unwanted earth for the electronic system and result in
no spark, if this is your tachometer/rev counter then remove for testing)
3) Good coil mounting to give a good earth for the coil bracket
4) Measure the voltage at the coil positive with the ignition cranking to see
the voltage being supplied to the Powerspark kit, this also can show if there is
a ballast in the vehicles loom
5) Good Battery, not an old one because old ones will deteriorate
6) Ensure the black trigger ring is fully down in place and the cap & red rotor
arm or the standard rotor arm is in place
7) Rotor arm & cap terminals/contacts checked for damage (especially the carbon
pin in the cap)
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Why are there so many different distributors for my vehicle
when I search in your shop?
When you search for your distributor you may see Standard electronic
distributors and High Energy electronic distributors and of course the points
distributors.
This gives you more options than any other company in the World, below are the
logos to look for to help you see the different distributors at a glance
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Can you explain the POWERSPARK® range of products?
At Powerspark Ignition we offer the widest range of electronic solutions, more
than any other company that is what makes us the "Home of Electronic Ignition".
Here is our range of electronic ignition solutions explained:
POWERSPARK® electronic ignition conversion kits
to be used with a coil with more than 1.5 Ohms resistance this kit is negative
earth only the kit replaces the points & condenser in your points distributor.
You can easily replace the points and condenser with our kit and also retro fit
the points too should you need to.
POWERSPARK® positive earth electronic conversion kits
to be used with a coil with more than 1.5 Ohms resistance this is our positive
earth solution that replaces the points & condenser in your points distributor.
You can easily replace the points and condenser with our kit and also retro fit
the points too should you need to.
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 resistance
(ideally less than 1.0 ohm) a negative earth only custom built true hall
effect system matched for the relevant engine/vehicle to give a spark three
times more accurate and powerful than a standard unit or conversion kit.
***All of these products can be upgraded with our POWERMAX® red rotor arm for
added durability and performance
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How do you wire the (Positive Earth) Powerspark® PLUS kit?
We have a simple two wire installation for the positive earth system with the
white wire going directly to the ignition feed before the ignition feed gets to
the coil.
Once this is done then put the Black wire to the CB side of the coil or the -'ve
terminal and then connect the positive or SW side of the coil to ground (so
directly to the nearest earth)
Top
This Powerspark logo indicates that this is fitted with a standard version of
electronic ignition.
This is a points equivalent electronic solution but because it
is more accurate the output is improved and as a result you certainly experience
a smoother running system (resistance must be above 1.5 ohms)
Top
This Powerspark High Energy logo indicates that it is the High
Energy version of electronic ignition.
This system gives you a spark three times more powerful and accurate than points
or our standard solution and this signature module allows you to upgrade the
ignition coil (resistance must be below 1.4 ohms, the lower the better)
At Powerspark Ignition we offer the widest range of electronic solutions, more
than any other company that is what makes us the "Home of Electronic Ignition".
Top
Are there more detailed fitting instructions available
to help me fit the electronic kits or a new distributor ???
We have a number of helper pages and here are the links below:
Powerspark kit helper
page
Powerspark distributor helper page
Top
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 loom/coil. 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 (please see the images about
this HERE).
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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 Powerspark® kit handles this dwell time with the coil meaning the spark is
maximised throughout the rev range and along with the solid state nature and
lack of wearing moving parts this means the ignition kit can continue to perform
at it's peak for longer.
The dwell period on an engine with electronic ignition is controlled by the
current limiting circuit within the Module.
Powerspark® 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.
Top
How does the Powerspark kit give benefits?
The POWERSPARK ® electronic circuit senses startup and develops more energy for
quicker, easier starting, which leads to better fuel economy and smoother
running in general. 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.
So you can't afford to not have a more reliable and efficient ignition system on
your classic car.
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How does the kit operate in hot environments?
These early MK1 kits proved sometimes to be problematic and the red Powerspark
MK2 module were quickly introduced giving vastly improved electronics and
thermal qualities and once this kit proved to be a massive success we ensured
that this technology was developed further and further and so now we are at a
point where the module rarely suffers from failure and our failure rates are
below 1%.
Mk6 kits are currently being tested and include improved base plate shape and
hole tolerances giving improved heat dissipation that will take the Powerspark
kit to another level.
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How can I tell which distributor is fitted to my
vehicle?
There are many distributors fitted to the same vehicle over the years and even
if the handbook/manual says it is one type this is not always the case. We are
able to help you identify the installed distributor for you and we also help
that our pictures will help you if oyu have taken a look. If not give us a call
with all the numbers or visible markings from the side of the distributor and we
will certainly identify this for you.
At the top of this page we have quicklinks to some distributors in order to help
you so click back to the Top and locate the one you want or keep scrolling down
to view them all.
Top
There are two DM2 distributors with the differences shown below:
Notice the posts on the exit of the distributor ( this differs from the later
25D distributor where these posts are not present ) and also the two screw
fixings for the early DM2 distributor
There is also a spring clip that holds the vacuum onto the plate and this is
only present on the early DM2 distributors, with the late DM2 distributor having
the spring visible and this then drops onto a post for the vacuum.
The top red square outline shows the distributor pegs sticking up and this is a
big difference with the DM2 distributors and the 25D, the 25D does not have
these pegs as you can see below on the image for the 25D
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25D
With the Powerspark ignition kit fitted you can see that this is a very simple
component and literally it does take minutes to fit, you can do away with your
points and condenser and fit this simple conversion.
This image shows the upgraded red rotor arm too and this is sent with most of
our Lucas ignition kits.
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23D
The Powerspark 25D ignition kit will drop directly into any 23D , 29D & 25D 4
cylinder distributor because the points are the same.
Top
45D
The Lucas 45D distributor has the points wire leaving through the side of the
distributor and can be seen at the top of this image this is distinctly
different from the Lucas 25D distributor that leaves through the side of the cut
in the cap.
Top
59D
With the 59D the points have a self cleaning mechanism which the points sit over
and when the distributor advances they rub a piece of felt on the cam to help
prolong the life of the points (whether this works or not) this post needs to be
removed to fit the Powerspark 45D/59D in place of these points.
For the those of you unsure on the engine in your Mini take a look at
this page to
help you identify further.
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43D
For the 43D (which is the 45D distributor without a vacuum unit) you can simply
install the Powerspark 45D electronic ignition kit
Top
Bosch Distributors
With the Bosch range of distributors there are a number of different models for
each vehicle in some cases. If you are after an ignition kit for anything other
than a Pinto or VW air-cooled then if you can supply the 0 231 xxx xxx numbers
to us we can match the correct kit to your distributor for you.
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Rover V8 ignition kits
There are 2 Powerspark ignition kits for the Rover V8 distributor 35D8, you can
have the early base plate fitted to the Rover P5, Rolls Silver Shadow and P6
with the smaller points and the smaller triangular base plate or the later type
(usually after 1976) with the larger base plate and points.
Early triangular base plate
This above image is the smaller base plate for the Early V8 Powerspark ignition
kit:
Powerspark ignition kit listings here:
This image shows the larger fuller base plate (fitted with points) next to the
early one.
Powerspark ignition kit listings here:
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Rover V8 electronic distributor set ups:
There are a number of ignition systems and we shall update this section soon
(today's date December 12th 2012)
Early points distributors before 1976 with female oil pump drive (male drive
gear )
Later points V8 distributor with a male oil pump drive (female drive gear)
Opus early electronic ignition distributor 35DE
Remote electronic module fitted under the coil
Remote module mounted on a heat sink plate away from the distributor
Early two pin electronic ignition module distributor
Modern technology three pin ignition module distributor 35DLM8
You can upgrade all of the systems with the latest 3 pin ignition module
distributor and for all but the 2 pin system you will need the linking lead to
connect the new system to the loom easily.
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Static Timing
The first point is to understand the static method of setting the ignition see
below….
Static timing is done with the ignition ON, the engine is turned by hand to the
static setting using the timing pointer on the engine and a mark on the
crankshaft pulley on most engines and stopped in this position. The marks are
shown below “The timing Alignment pin” is the pointer on the engine and the
white marks 5 TDC 5 10 15 etc are on the pulley.
So looking below at the photograph (remember the pulley rotates clockwise so
it’s gone past the timing alignment pin 10 and 5 and you can see the setting is
between 5 and TDC ) say 2 degrees. It’s a guess especially if you can’t get your
head directly above the pointer, like below, to line them up accurately.
If the engine has been turned and is stationary at this position all you have to
do is turn the distributor until the points just open, you can use a light or
watch for the small spark at the contact points. The distributor will be set at
say 2 degrees or so you think. However when you start it up and check with a
strobe you may find its actually set at 4 degrees or anything +/- 2 or 3
degrees, because the mark alignment is a guess and the distributor when its
turning gives a different setting at idle, when the engine is ticking over.
Basically the static setting is inaccurate.
Anybody who uses a strobe and dyno knows that the static factory setting just a
guide for the average engine, and since engines vary and wear, each engine must
be optimized by dynamic setting. The electronic kit ignition timing setting
needs adjusting using a strobe light.
It is always good practice before removing the old distributor from the engine
or removing the points to fit the electronic kit to turn the engine to TDC No1
position and confirm the position of the rotor arm that should align with No1
plug lead.
The electronic ignition module has been designed and fitted to the base plate so
it can be easily fitted in place of the points. However because each distributor
is different due to manufacturing tolerances, the base plate with the module
firing position set as near as possible to the same position as the points were,
the distributor will possibly have to be turned +/- 5 degrees from where it was
clamped with points. Setting the timing dynamically is recommended once you have
fitted one of our electronic kits. We can offer strobe timing lights that are
very easy to use.
There is no easy way to see or hear when the black trigger is in the firing
position with the red module that compares with the contact points just opening.
A spare spark plug can be used fitted to the end of No1 lead, resting on the
engine with a good earth, the static timing position can therefore be checked
when the engine is turned over by hand. This is not a reliable method and can
depend on the earth and type of plug.
Distributor in the engine.
If you are able to set the engine to its correct static advance position ( or
you are sure it is running with this position currently ) you can simply fit the
electronic kit to the distributor still in the engine and the timing will need
very little adjustment from this position to optimize the dynamic timing.
Distributor removed from the engine.
The Powerspark electronic kit can be fitted to the distributor on the
bench the same way as if it was installed in the engine. Turn the engine to TDC
No1 position and confirm the position of the rotor arm that should align with
No1 plug lead before removing the distributor with the points.
The setting can be done by observing that the black trigger
ring has individual magnets inserted in the plastic and one of these need to be
aligned with a faint shadow that is present on the face of the Powerspark red
module. The static firing position that corresponds with the rotor arm in No1
position can then be achieved by turning the distributor to this position before
the distributor is clamped in position. We do recommend final ignition timing to
set dynamic using a strobe.
New Electronic Distributor purchased red conversion kit
installed.
Before removing the old distributor from the engine turn the engine
to TDC No1 position and confirm the position of the rotor arm ( should align
with No1 lead ). Fit the new distributor and confirm the rotor arm aligns with
the No1 lead, leave the distributor clamp loose enough to turn the distributor
once the engine has started and complete setting the timing dynamically and
tighten the clamp.
Top
Ballast Resistor:
It is best to remove or bypass the ballast but if you are not able to do this or
do not want to it is not essential and provided you do not experience any
running or starting issues you will be able to leave the ignition system as it
is.
If you have a ballast resistor or ballast wire then it is likely that you have a
ballast coil because these two items work together. If you bypass the ballast
then you need to swap the coil out too or if you have swapped the coil and not
removed the ballast then we recommend that you have complete the transformation
in order to get an issue free ignition system.
On some vehicles, MGB and Reliant for instance the ballast was seen in many
forms from a visible block shaped ballast or a ballast wire hidden in the loom
and so running a separate feed from the fuse box or a known 12 volt supply to
the positive side of the coil is the only way to bypass this resistive
component. Once this is done then you can run this system as a purely non
ballast system and benefit from trouble free ignition.
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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. in most cases
however there are systems that have one resistive wire only and if you are
unsure please measure the voltage when the vehicle is cranking and if the
voltage drops below 10 volts then there is likely to be a ballast in the system.
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Can I measure the resistance of my 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 good results.
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