The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Yes but what sort of copy will rimmers be selling?

This was a NOS genuine article....

Jeroen swears by Bosch coils and I like denso ones off scrap micras....

Jonners

The advert for that coil on ebay stated this :NOTE! This item is not suitable for electronic ignition or standard ignition systems !! so problably of no use .

mahony wrote:The advert for that coil on ebay stated this :NOTE! This item is not suitable for electronic ignition or standard ignition systems !! so problably of no use .

Use it to throw at people, Crocodile Dundee style?

Steve

geeksteve wrote:

mahony wrote:The advert for that coil on ebay stated this :NOTE! This item is not suitable for electronic ignition or standard ignition systems !! so problably of no use .

Use it to throw at people, Crocodile Dundee style?

Steve

That is a possible use for it

Thanks guys but I already have got a lumination coil from moss bros yesterday. It is the one that matches and is recommended for the system fitted and comes with a seperate ballast resistor. Was £29.00 so thought worth going for it.

Jonners thanks for the offer if I just need to fit the coil that I can do but if it needs more I will take you up on it with thanks. I will try to pm you again when I've finished this post.

I have been and got a cheap multimeter as you suggested and I have done a reading with it on the existing coil. I couldn't do a cranking test as I'm on my own but the results are thus. Across the battery engine running 14.4 to 14.5 volts. Across the low tension poles on the old dodgy coil engine ticking over hot 2.98 to 3.01 volts, revving up it drops to 2.75 to 2.8 volts.

I expected to see 6 volt if circuit OK or 12v if no ballast. So is this reading correct or because the coil is #+--*#
Should I just swop for the new coil and try again. I have been advised by the guy who fitted the electronic kit not to as I could fry the new one. Is he trying to help or get work.

Bob

Further to my last post I have just checked the wiring for the coil and electronic ignition.

There is a red feed from the white connector on the fuse box to the ignition unit in the distributor. This I take to be a 12v supply to the unit. A black feed from the unit to the - ve pole on the coil. A white feed from the wiring harness to the + ve pole on the coil. This I assume is the white feed from the ballast resistor and solenoid shown on the circuit diag posted by Dave. That's it other than a white wire comming from the same +ve connector as the white feed from the harness that goes nowhere. I queried this when I got the kit fitted and was told it was spare.

I have read the fitting instruction for the new coil a lumenition mega spark 3 for use with the megatronic ign system and the target vehicle applications. It is designed for use with a ballast resistor of about 1.5ohms included in the box which it must be used with or it will fail. It then says it can be fitted with the vehicles own resistor if it is the same rating. I can't find any ref to the rating for the inline resistor wire but Haynes quote the Toledo as 1.2 to 1.3 ohms.

Unless someone says don't do it, tomorrow I'm going to fit this coil.

Bob

The measurements you need are the volts on the coil +. You want to see it rise when the car is cranking but thinking about it if you dont have an assistant and you are looking into an open circuit if the electronic switch is "open", you will just see battery volts anyway.

The spare wire you see should be the ballast bypass feed. It should be connected to coil + with the other wire.

Sounds like its wired up correctly as it is bar this "spare" wire, which isnt spare but is doing nothing.

Put your new coil in place and then run it for a short while and check you have about 6V at the coil plus when its running.
If you are showing 12V then you must have had the in loom ballast replaced so dont run it long or your new coil will suffer.

Actually test it first at coil plus when running and it should show 6V....then you wont risk your new coil.
If it shows 12V you need the supplied ballast resistor.

Jonners

I haven't done anymore on this yet due to my arthritc back kicking off but I have taken another reading from the coils +ve pole to earth.

Engine not running 7.8v. With the engine running (not cranking over) 11.45v so I take this to be to high in both cases. Using the coil fitting instructions I am considering using the 12v supply to the electronic ignition to feed the ballast resistor +ve terminal. Then from this positive terminal taking the feed to the electronic ign unit. Then from the other terminal on the ballast to the coil +ve. The instructions with the coil suggest this will work or do I need to look at running a seperate feed to the ballast and not break into the ignition feed. There is a connector in that feed already which looks as if its there for this.

The coil and ballasts instructions don't say anything about a cold start feed but does if using an existing vehicle ballast. Is it something that I should do or leave and see if it works without one.

I will have to leave it now until I can bend over and get up again.

Bob

The coil is now fitted with its ballast resistor using the feed for the electronic ignition. I could have used the old feed wires as both gave a constant 11.9v ign on and 14.14v engine running but something must be wrong there as one should be from the ballast resistor and be giving a 6v reading and the other should only give 12v under cranking. Probably the reason the old coil failed.

The readings for the new set up are with the -ve pole earthed as per Jonners advice 11.9v into the new ballast resistor and 5.9v out and at the coil positive pole. With the coil not earthed the voltage on the positive pole goes up to 7.4 volts. With the engine running there is a big increase in the readings which I am wondering if I should be concerned about. The feed voltage goes up to 14.14 v and the reading at the coil is 10.8v. I checked across the battery and at the two old feeds and they all gave this 14.14v reading. Is this to high and the alternator over charging as was suggested could happen by the guy who fitted the electronic ignition. If it is how is it cured and is it likely to cook this new coil also.

Now also I may have cold start issues as it used to fire up easily when cold and now it takes a fair bit to get it going. I didn't think it was going to start today.

Next need to get it MOT'd.

I would like to publicly thank Jonners for his help behind the scenes with advice via PM's.

Thanks Jon.

That's what the forum is for....

Thanks for the acknowledgement. Mig Welder also reviewed my advice too....

Jonners