How to fit a Positive Powerspark electronic ignition kit:
These instructions are for our positive earth ignition kits only. See separate post for negative 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.
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 from the ignition switch to the coil and disconnect it from the coil. Connect this wire to the the WHITE wire from the Powerspark® kit.
Connect the BLACK wire from the Powerspark® kit to to the coil(–) terminal (sometimes labelled ‘1‘) ensuring no other wire is on that same side.
Make up a new wire to connect the coil(+) to earth or ground. The coil mounting bracket is often a good location for this.
Failure to connect the wires correctly may 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 that the ignition feed from the ignition switch is not connected to the coil.
- The Black wire must be connected to the coil(-) or ‘1’.
- Check that the coil(+) terminal is connected to a good earth.
- 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.
Hi, I have a 1946 austin 16, positive earth, distributor’s been messing about so I’ve order the kit from you, it looks like my car had a replacement distributor in the 1950’s because its fitted with a DM2, 40295E which seems to have been fitted to the Austin A70 in the 50’s. Will your kit be OK for this? Thanks.
Hi Laurence, we would suggest the K2PP kit if the vehicle is positive earth and fitted with the DM2 distributor yes. Let us know if you need any further help on sales@simonbbc.con
Positive Earth kit: Is it true that I can’t use a tachometer tester by connecting it with + and – on the coil?
It is possible to wire a tacho tester however I would recommend that you can wire it for positive and negative earth. Please contact our technical team if you have any further questions.
Simon
I bought a powerspark module for a + earth car. All the guides show how to connect the assembled unit to a coil. There is no clear instruction to show how to fit the module in a positive earth distributor. The one fitting video does not inform if its + or -.
Please see the FAQ helper page : https://simonbbc.com/faq-fitting-how-to/ where you will find all of the fitment help. If you require helps fitting the ignition kit there is no difference to a negative or positive distributor when fitting and you can continue to fit the kit where the points are normally fitted in the same position using the same screws etc… Any further help please email sales@soimonbbc.com where our technical team will be able to help you.
I hope this helps
Simon
My 1959 triumph t6 is +earth and distributor is +earth which supplies the power through the points to black cable you say goes to negative on coil ,,, should I connect this to positive on my new coil and negative coil terminal to negative battery ,, thank you for your reply as I’m unable to find a diagram
Please follow the instructions as stated and illustrated, there is no change to this in order to complete the correct installation.
Simon