Electronic ignition module burnt

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Cisco82
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Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Cisco82 » October 10th, 2021, 11:58 am

Hi fellows,
yesterday , after 1000 miles smoothly drived n road , my muss suddendly stop in the middle of a road trip . It was clear the problem was the distributor since no sparks.
I made trouble shooting and i discover the ignition module didnt work even if it was pretty new , only 1000 miles, )i installed it to avoid maintenance on points).
I was wonderig why it happened ... can be related to a over voltage? i have 25 amp regulator but i check the voltage at battery side and at max engine speed with all light of it never overpass 28 amp so it seems fine.
Any idea? only a faulty unit? Do u reccomend to install a new electronic ignition or to continue with points?
Thanks
Francesco

M151-A1 1969
Alfa Romeo AR-51 1952

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rickf
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by rickf » October 10th, 2021, 12:05 pm

Are you sure it is the module and not the coil? The coil is the usual culprit. BUT, that said all the new modules are made in China, or Taiwan, and the quality is the same, very poor. Personally I would go back to points. They worked just fine in all motors for 80 years. The maintenance is not all that bad as long as you can get quality condensers. That will prevent the points from burning and pitting. George from Holland can probably offer advice there since he is an automotive electronics wizard. The condenser is nothing more than a capacitor so you just need the correct value. Other than that you keep the distributor cam lubed lightly with dielectric grease and you are good for many thousands of miles. How many miles do you drive it?
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
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Cisco82
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Cisco82 » October 10th, 2021, 1:19 pm

Hi Rick
I m sure it is the electronic ignition since I tried to change the coil and no spark. Then, with old coil, I installed the old points module and i had the spark.
I dive about 1000 mile per year ... any good place where I can find a good condenser in Europe? I don't know the condition of my condenser and i prefer no risk in future.
Or have u test i could do to check the condenser (i have digital multimeter and capacitor)?

Thx
Francesco

M151-A1 1969
Alfa Romeo AR-51 1952

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rickf
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by rickf » October 10th, 2021, 1:55 pm

I have no idea what or where to buy anything in Europe, sorry. As far as testing, again, George is the best person to contact. Most decent meters have a capacitor testing section on them but you have to know the value of the capacitor to get a proper reading. I have a very old tester made just for automotive condensors that I can use, If I can even find it. :roll:
Here is Georges info, send him a PM and he can probably answer both of your questions since he is in Holland and knows where to get stuff over there.

https://www.g838.org/memberlist.php?mod ... ofile&u=82
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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svramselaar
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by svramselaar » October 11th, 2021, 6:23 am

hi
rickf

he has not sead witch type is defect prestolite or swiss made :!:
the capacitor has a 0.2 microfahrad see below
https://www.wbparts.com/rfq/5910-00-667-5076.html

he can use a universal one if it fits the mounting

george

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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by rickf » October 11th, 2021, 9:24 am

George, He wants to go back to points ignition and replace the condensor with a new one. I have found that the old condensors dry out and go bad with age and was wondering if there is a way for him to test the old ones or if there is a newer capacitor you could recommend to replace the condensor with. I am planning on going back to points myself if my module ever goes bad so I am watching this info. But over here we can get Pertronix electronic ignitions for the military vehicles. Not sure if it is available overseas.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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svramselaar
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by svramselaar » October 11th, 2021, 2:12 pm

Hi
Rickf
You can put it in a tester to the cappacity
If you load with a 110volts DC. it must hold it for a while.
If the wire go at the housing you see a smal spark to unload
A capacitor works als small batterij

George

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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Hambone » October 14th, 2021, 10:19 am

George, did you ever find a coil?

Cisco82
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Cisco82 » October 14th, 2021, 2:58 pm

I had a prestolite ignition (not swiss one) , now i have reinstalled the old poit one with new points and im going to order a spare capacitor im case the old one fails...

When i removed the coild from distributor case to test it i noticed a bit of oil into the distributor case bottom , does it come from vent lines? Is it normal? It doesnt seem comeing from coil..

Thanks
Francesco

M151-A1 1969
Alfa Romeo AR-51 1952

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rickf
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by rickf » October 14th, 2021, 6:09 pm

The only place it can come from is the coil, the vent lines are vacuum lines with the air flow leading towards the engine and coming from either the fitting on the side of the air cleaner or the one on top of the carb, I forget right now which feeds that line. The only possible scenario would be if the air cleaner got filled with gasoline oil mixture from a bad fuel pump on an A2. That would show up as very rich running long before it showed up in the distributor I think. You would also have a crankcase full of gasoline!
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by lpcoating » October 14th, 2021, 6:13 pm

If it is the coil, wear gloves. It's toxic.

Guy
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Hambone » October 14th, 2021, 6:38 pm

Could be leftover from a previous coil, as Guy said, be careful how you handle it.

Mark
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Mark » October 14th, 2021, 9:58 pm

The oil probably has PCB oil in it which is in coils.Which caused cancer, if my memory is working good.We tested electric transformer oil to see how many parts per million was in the oil.If too much, we replaced the transformer.The PCB oil caused cancer, etc.In the old days, we stuck our bare hands/arms in the transformer to change the taps.
If this posting is irrelevant, the moderator can delete it.
mark


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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by m3a1 » October 15th, 2021, 12:03 am

Cisco82 wrote:
October 14th, 2021, 2:58 pm
I had a prestolite ignition (not swiss one) , now i have reinstalled the old poit one with new points and im going to order a spare capacitor im case the old one fails...

When i removed the coild from distributor case to test it i noticed a bit of oil into the distributor case bottom , does it come from vent lines? Is it normal? It doesnt seem comeing from coil..

Thanks
Oh boy, here we go again. Glove up, treat it with solvent. Pour it out and dispose of it. Follow up with a wipe-down. Strong solvents, like Xyxlene, carb cleaners, and the like will make short work of it. You wouldn't put any of those things in your body and yet, we use them regularly. So this stuff is really nothing to panic over. Just use some common sense. By the way, that mess you're looking at did come from a coil. Whether it's from your coil or leftovers from the previous owner's coil remains to be seen. Boiled coils can excrete oil from any seam, by the way.

One of the most common reasons for this is someone left the master switch on for some time....which is a no-no.

You may also want to examine the potting material on the bottom of your electronic ignition to see if it's intact.

Cheers,
TJ

Cisco82
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Re: Electronic ignition module burnt

Unread post by Cisco82 » October 15th, 2021, 6:00 am

Thanks for your prompt reply but ... i didn't change the coild but only the ignition module and it works ... do you think my coil is burnt as well even if it is still work??

I was wondering if that oil come from vent lines..

Thanks

Francesco
Francesco

M151-A1 1969
Alfa Romeo AR-51 1952

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