Electronic Ignition

[Frank]

Good Morning All.
A recent car tune on my Mk2 Stag has pinpointed my problem of the engine cutting out on idling/driving
to the Lumenition electronic ignition which must be some 15 years old.
It has been suggested i should fit a new stag distributor with the ultra Spark electronic ignition inside with no outside
power pack and connected directly to the ignition coil supplied by Ultra Automotives.Rimmer Bros do a similar/same
one at a higher price.
I know this area has been discusses many times over many years,but has anyone had any experience with this ignition
system good or bad and would welcome any alternatives that you have fitted and are happy with.
Thank you in anticipation
Frank

[DJT]

An intermittent problem with the Lumenition can often be caused by corrosion in the 3-way plug. Opening and cleaning the contacts can help. or complete replacement of the plug with a waterproof alternative (Superseal).

An alternative can be obtained from The Distributor Doctor - http://www.distributordoctor.com

[MandM]

I would check and clean the multi pin plug first, can be an issue as not water proof

[Frank]

Thanks for reply. Connector seems okay and will check out the Doctor
Frank

[singapore stag]

My Red Stag had Lumenition since I bought it in 2009. I dont know how long the PO had it fitted prior to 2009.
I have never had any problems with it....regretabIy I changed it to one that fits in the distributor some time back. Because most of the owners had one
It has been problematic ever since. I am very clever in changing things that dont need changing, and replacing things thats not broken .
I got it lying about in my spares box among other really good stuff that don't need being there.

[022Dave]

Frank,

There seems to be two parts to your diagnosed problem; the Lumenition system, and the age / mileage / wear on the distributor. The Distributor Doctor overhauls distributors, so that any wear is taken out, and the correct 'curves' are restored, and he also does matched electronic systems. Give him a call; he's got a huge amount of knowledge on dizzy's.

Dave

[Frank]

Thanks Dave

[022Dave]

Thanks Dave

Something else to consider before junking the Lumenition; there are some crap dizzy caps and rotor arms out there, as well as poor HT leads. Vacuum capsules have also been a source of problems, and also the internal base plates are prone to wear, as well as sticking if not clean & lubricated.

Dave

[wilf]

In my experience, electronic ignitions either work or don't - intermittency usually is caused by connections somewhere. In your position,. I would run new, temporary, separate lines for power and earth to the module and see what happens.

[singapore stag]

In my experience, electronic ignitions either work or don't - intermittency usually is caused by connections somewhere. In your position,. I would run new, temporary, separate lines for power and earth to the module and see what happens.

" Something else to consider before junking the Lumenition; there are some crap dizzy caps and rotor arms out there, as well as poor HT leads " Dave.
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I fitted this Beru Distributor cap, very good quality. OEM to Audi and Porsche. Also as per advise from jbuckl, I took a seperate 12v feed to the Electronic ignition from the stump found behind the dash, just at the bottom of the Rev counter.

image_45365.jpg

[richardthestag]

yay cheap ignition module

This is the unit I bought after my nightmare trip to Le Mans in 2015 - (largely caused by coolant being able to bypass the radiator in 36c ambient heat)

Cheapo caps which are still widely available through auction and retail "specialists" rotate on the body when clipped into place several degrees in each direction and also move laterally in all directions. Like a dick in a bucket folks

20150619_112749.jpg

Contents were a cheap (not so widely available nowadays) rotor with thin blade and the dreadful rivet that could allow HT to ground within the distributor and never make it as far as the pole in the cap. And of course the ubiquitous cheap module. Yay I thought just like Singapore stag, rotor and cap went straight back to the supplier though.

20150619_112804.jpg

Barely 100miles later after a cough and me thinking "wtf was that!" the realised that the only reason the tacho was working was because the manual gearbox was still rotating the engine as the car started to slow from 60mph on a busy A-road. Oh great, I found a drop ramp which got me up onto the pavement. quick diagnosis = no reliable spark. Root cause = powerspark module had failed.

20160403_163723.jpg

Luckily I was not on a managed motorway, it wasn't pouring with rain and I didn't have swmbo in the car moaning like hell at me. I did have to wait hours for the RAC to turn up and then dolly me back home.

I discovered distributor doctor after a brief search and he was not very polite about cheap modules operating in a hostile environment such as that on the stag. I bought pertronix setup, reviewed here;

https://youtu.be/Cxxy4q0N11Q

the struggle I experienced with the rotor arm I explain here

https://youtu.be/nr1_jFssay8

the powerspark "magnet" had a much thinner profile and thus was able to operate with the points rotor and not wobble cap. Even when pushed down I was not able to get the same rotor to correctly fit the pertronix setup

Now onto OP problem, cutting out dead like that is possible low tension connections to the coil (in addition to the luminition connector as mentioned many times above)

Check all the connectors to the ignition coil are good, clean and not held on by a single strand of copper wire.

Are you still running a ballasted feed - yours is a MK2 stag which should have the ballast wire (white/pink), I had an issue with mine where it started to break down and cause a monster intermittent misfire, I isolated the end that connects to the coil and ran a white wire to a mk1 style ballast resistor to bypass it.

[richardthestag]

Found my online rant about cheapo ignition components too

https://youtu.be/VqxzN_KnbgQ

Be aware I might use profanity in my videos

[Frank]

Thanks all.
i am in touch with the Distributor doctor at present

Frank

[Robmsharp]

Another gotcha on Mk2 Stags is the ballast wire supplying the coil - this can break down causing either an intermittent spark or no spark at all. In my case the problem manifested itself after the car has warmed up and was very difficult to diagnose. My cure was to fit a seperate ballast resistor supplied direct from +12V which can be conveniently got from the live side of the inertia switch.

[singapore stag]

Another gotcha on Mk2 Stags is the ballast wire supplying the coil - this can break down causing either an intermittent spark or no spark at all. In my case the problem manifested itself after the car has warmed up and was very difficult to diagnose. My cure was to fit a seperate ballast resistor supplied direct from +12V which can be conveniently got from the live side of the inertia switch.

Too right. I intend to fit a ballast wire to the live feed taken from the stump I mentioned above, which feeds the electronic ignition. So a double barrel connector will be fitted to feed the ballast wire and leccy ignition....all courtesy of jbuckl's expertise.