Amazon: Accuspark ignition

[Tail]

I bought one of these kits a while ago and only just got round to fitting it, first impressions are excellent, fitting time was around the hour mark as they said and was all straightforward, i had to take a very small amount off the baseplate to get enough clearance from a tab sticking up and also had to get a new coil lead as the very old one was too loose for the new coil but the car started straight away and a quick timing adjustment got it running lovely. I have only done around 30 miles and if i'm honest it feels the same as before but the added bonus for me is now no condensor and no points to set, will still carry the old ones just in case but so far its recommended.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-Amaz...item2c5ff58102

[Faust]

Hmmmm...

I tried to fit an Accuspark kit last summer and what a saga it turned out to be!

The first unit allowed my engine to run very badly for a few seconds and then it died. Refused to start again so, after after I'd done all the usual checks, I got the module tested by an auto electrician I know... his opinion was "it's s**t, send it back".

I contacted the seller, who, to be fair sent me a replacement out free of charge.

Once again, my engine ran for a few seconds and then died... I refitted the original points & condenser and she fired up after I'd cleaned up the plugs, gapped the points etc etc..

I should point out that I've fitted a couple of similar units (Aldon) to other cars and never had a problem... I'm well aware of the dangers of fitting the module incorrectly - i.e. you'll burn it out - and I certainly didn't do this.

Maybe I was just unlucky and was sent 2 duff units, but I'd never go near this particular system again.

Still, if you're happy with your setup, Tail, then fair enough... I hope it continues to work.

[Tail]

Got me worried now, glad i'm carrying the old stuff, I have to say though mine started first time and the timing was a bit off the mark as i had to move the distributor quite a way to get the condensor off so put it back very roughly to where it was,i went through their feedback and it was all good for the ignition kits and the thing that swung it was an article in Practical classics and they gave it a thumbs up,its pretty cheap really and i expect as most things these days you get what you pay for,will see how it goes through the summer

[Faust]

Sorry mate, didn't mean to give you the fear!

One of my neighbours is an ex-mechanic, an old boy down the road who's no slouch when it comes to working on cars and I like to think that I'm ok with the spanners; and we were all stumped.

The timing was spot on, had a nice fat spark, fuel was coming through, good compression, but the engine didn't even try to fire.

Put the 'traditional' components back on and she fired straight up.

I then removed the points etc and re-fitted the (2nd) unit and nothing... points back on and once again she fired straight up. Clearly I was unlucky and was sent dodgy modules - I'd say that if your car is running ok at the moment then you've probably got nothing to worry about. But as you say, it can't hurt to keep a spare set of ignition components in the boot.

[alan 122s]

ive fitted accuspark modules on 3 triumphs with no problems at all. they have a you tube video which when you look at it will make the fitting a 10 minute job. best to check the timing before you touch anything and then reset back to original setting once engine fires up on the accuspark system. they themselves tell you on the video that the timing will be out unless you do this.

i found them very helpful,starting is definitely improved and the engines seem to run easier,i guess the fuel consumption is a bit better but i havent bothered to check it accurately.

clearly its only sensible to keep back up points/condenser in the glove box in case the unit packs up,as any solid state system might do one day.

for £25 they are cheap and work well. if the cost is too much to try one out then perhaps owning an old car is too much of a luxury...

[redcar]

Btw, do you know if these sort of things work on the old coil types with the protective casing on the ignition wires? They have a different sort of coil, so I've never really looked at these in great detail..

[heckflosse]

We have one of these fitted to an Essex V6, with no problems, unlike the Lumenition fitted to it previously.
Also on a BMC C series, again, fine.
For the price, they are fine, keep the points in the boot as a back up.
plan on getting a kit for the Amazon soon, though the points seem to be fine for now.

[Tail]

Originally Posted by redcar

Btw, do you know if these sort of things work on the old coil types with the protective casing on the ignition wires? They have a different sort of coil, so I've never really looked at these in great detail..

Just looked on their website and they list them for amazons 68-70 with b20a and one piece left hand points and also cars fitted with b20b one piece right hand points. Might be worth a call to see if they do.

[swedishandgerman]

Originally Posted by redcar

Btw, do you know if these sort of things work on the old coil types with the protective casing on the ignition wires? They have a different sort of coil, so I've never really looked at these in great detail..

I can't recall what type of distributor you have in your car, but I think you kept your B18A distributor in there when you upgraded your cam and converted to twin SU's, right? If that's the case, you have a 2-piece points set, so you might need to think about that when ordering

This is a fact.... These kits cannot provide a better spark, better mpg, better running etc compared to a standard set of points and condenser provided they're set up properly. It just can't happen. If the points gap is correct, then the angle of dwell is correct, so the maximum 'time' that the current goes to earth is achieved AND the maximum time that the current goes to the coil to give a great big voltage crack at the plugs. You can't improve that with one of these kits

HOWEVER, I would hazard a guess that 75% of our cars with standard points ignition systems aren't running spot on! Points surfaces degrade quickly, the little plastic arm that rides on the distributor shaft wears out at a fast rate and leading to condensers deteriorating and so on. So even if you've set up the thing properly, within a short mileage, they're out again

Another advantage of this kit is eliminating points bounce at high rpm. But we're talking about HIGH rpm before that happens

So once one of these kits has been fitted, you can be rest assured that it won't go out of tune again and you can consider that it is producing a fatter spark, better MPG and better running etc than one of those 75% that aren't in tune!

[redcar]

yes the dizzy I have is 026, which i believe is the 2-piece points. it's something i haven't looked at since the engine was done, so i guess it's time to check and replace at this stage.. would probably explain a lot wrt engine response at the minute..