How to fit a Powerspark electronic ignition kit:

How to fit a Powerspark electronic ignition kit:

Want to print this out? Click here to view as a printable PDF.

How to fit a Powerspark electronic ignition kit:

These instructions are for our negative earth ignition kits only. See separate post for positve earth.

Before you begin, it’s a good idea to disconnect the car battery. Most Powerspark® kits can be fitted to the distributor while still in the car. If you choose to remove the distributor, turn the engine to Top Dead Centre and mark the distributor / rotor position carefully.

Remove the distributor cap, rotor arm, contact points and condenser carefully, retaining the screws and withdraw the wires through the distributor body.

Test fit the module first and then apply a small amount of the white thermal grease provided (2 or 3 small blobs is sufficient) to the underside of the module baseplate, leave the screws fitted. Some kits are pre-fitted to a complete baseplate, in which case the thermal grease is not required.

Many distributors have an earthing wire from the points plate to the distributor body. This should be left in place. There must be good continuity between the mounting plate of the kit and the distributor body.

Check there is sufficient slack in the wires inside the distributor body for the base plate to turn when a vacuum unit is fitted, inserting the rubber grommet or plastic plug to prevent the wires from chaffing. Secure the wires in the distributor body using the supplied cable tie to keep these out of the way of moving parts.

Fit the new trigger ring pressing down gently onto the shaft. Some kits have more than one trigger ring, use the one that fits best. On occasion the ring can be tight and may need to be carefully sanded to make it wider. Only do this to make minor alterations.

Fit the rotor arm and rotate the spindle to check there is clearance between the module and the trigger, and that the rotor arm does not foul the module.

The kit will find it’s own position but if the ring and kit touch then move the module to achieve a close but not touching position (3 or 4 mm maximum).

Locate the live feed to the coil, ensure this goes to the coil(+) terminal (sometimes labelled ‘15‘), then connect the Powerspark® RED wire to the coil(+) or ’15’ terminal. Connect the black wire to the coil(–) terminal (sometimes labelled ‘1‘) ensuring no other wire is on that same side.

Failure to connect the wires correctly will result in damage to the Powerspark module. Never connect 12v directly to the black wire.

Refit the distributor cap, start the engine. Check and adjust the dynamic timing for best running.

Troubleshooting:

If you can’t get the ignition to work once installed, try these suggestions:

• Check the coil resistance prior to fitting this unit to ensure that your coil has a resistance of more than 1.5 ohms.
• Check which coil terminal your live ignition feed is connected. This must be the (+) terminal.
• The Black wire must be connected to the coil(-) or ‘1’.
• Connect the Red wire to the coil positive (+) or ’15’ terminal.
• For testing purposes, no other wires should be attached to the coil terminals, except for the centre HT lead to the distributor cap.
• Check the condition of the cap and rotor arm (replacing them if possible for testing).
• Do not connect coil(-) to earth.

If you have a positive ground vehicle you will need to either convert to negative ground or have one of our Positive Earth Powerspark kits.

Fitting Electronic Ignition and Timing:

We recommend setting the timing  dynamically (ie engine running) with a strobe light, just as with points. Use the workshop manual recommended setting as a starting point and adjust from there for best running and no ‘pinking’ under load.

If you’ve lost the initial position of the distributor proceed as follows:

i. Turn the engine to TDC on No1 cylinder on the compression stroke.

2. Install the distributor making sure the drive gear is fully engaged.

3. Make a note of where the rotor arm is pointing.

4. Rotate the distributor so that No.1 HT post on the cap is aligned with the position of the rotor arm and lightly tighten the clamp.

5. Make sure the HT leads are in the correct order as per the engine’s firing order.

You should now be able to start the engine but you will need to adjust the timing dynamically.

Battery voltage to coil:

With ignition switch ON, engine not running, check voltage at coil + terminal. The voltmeter should read somewhere around +12 to +13 volts.

If voltage is too low or there’s no reading, the battery terminal or ground connection may be corroded and need cleaning or the battery may need charging.

Gap between the black trigger and the ignition module:

If you need to increase the air gap slightly, hold ignition base plate away from distributor shaft while tightening set screw and/or loosen the two screws and retighten screws while lightly prying ignition module away from the magnet sleeve.

Do not over-torque the screws!

The magnetic trigger ring should not rub against red ignition module, but exact gap is not critical. It may be necessary to adjust the position of red ignition module  keep them from rubbing.

Ignition Coil Queries:

A standard 12v 3 ohm coil is recommended for use with a Powerspark electronic ignition kit. The coil should have a minimum of 1.5 Ohms primary resistance. On cars equipped with a ballast resister or resistive wire to the coil(+) terminal, a coil of 1.5 Ohms should be used.

Measuring Primary Resistance:

Using a digital multimeter in the 200 Ω mode, measure between coil’s + and – terminals. Allow a few seconds for the reading to settle.

A coil will typically have have a minimum of 7,000 Ohms secondary resistance (measured from coil(+) or (-) terminal to centre HT terminal. Use the 20K Ω setting on the multimeter.

Vehicle System Voltage:

If the charging system voltage, measured at the coil’s positive terminal, is more than 14.6 volts at 2,500+ RPM, the voltage regulator may need replacing. Too much voltage can damage the ignition module and other electronic components.

Jump-starting the vehicle:

Please use caution when jump-starting a vehicle fitted with our electronic kit.

Read these real customer reviews: