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[Wittsend]

Wittsend, you stated that the condenser.on the 45D is outside of the body. This is only on the Ducellier ones which were used on late Series 3's , probably due to a shortage of Lucas ones. They are interchangeable.
The 45D doesn't have the very useful adjuster on the vacuum advance and the points are different. The ones fitted to the 2.5 engine had sliding points.

... just seeing who's awake 

[crumbly65]

So to sum up - Generally speaking, converting to a tried and tested reliable electronic system is a good thing.

In which case, this is my plan (a bit belt & braces perhaps) to progress -

1) Send off my old DM2 distributor for a complete overhaul and rebuild, with new rotor arms, points, condenser, and cap suitable for silicon leads.

2) Put it in my vehicle, replacing the Ducellier dizzie currently in my vehicle, and keep that as a spare.

3) Run around for a week or two to ensure the DM2 is set up properly, timing is ok etc etc.

4) Then, replace the points etc with a Simonbbc electronic ignition, and when that's running properly replace my 15 year-old ignition leads, fit new plugs and lastly replace the coil with a Lucas gold sports coil.

As my vehicle is running ok at the moment, I want to replace bits in stages in case I get a problem.

To the more knowledgeable on here, is that a sensible plan to progress?

[Ndrwdz]

When you get to (4) you'll probably find that the timing for the conventional points is waaaaay off for the electronic ones. This seems to be because the spark gets generated in a different manner.

It's not a problem, just be ready for it!

Andrew

[Wittsend]

To be fair, if it were me and I was getting the DD to repair/refurb my dizzy, I'd fit it, run the vehicle, see how it goes - and it should run like a sewing machine and if the timing and carb are set right you should get good performance and fuel consumption.

Then leave it a while, I wouldn't rush to fit the electronic ignition.

If this is a daily driver vehicle, you rely on getting to work, then maybe fit the electronic sooner

 

[crumbly65]

To be fair, if it were me and I was getting the DD to repair/refurb my dizzy, I'd fit it, run the vehicle, see how it goes - and it should run like a sewing machine and if the timing and carb are set right you should get good performance and fuel consumption.

Thanks Alan.  That's more or less what I thought of doing.  The electronic part I'll probably do before the winter sets in.....

[crumbly65]

When you get to (4) you'll probably find that the timing for the conventional points is waaaaay off for the electronic ones. This seems to be because the spark gets generated in a different manner.

It's not a problem, just be ready for it!

Andrew

Good point! Thanks - well worth remembering.  And presumably the same applies if resorting back to conventional points from the electronic set up......

[TimV]

I keep a spare dizzy in the toolbox, ready set up with cap and leads. Should I get a failure, I can just do a straight swap.

[Wittsend]

It's not so much that the spark is generated in a different manner - true it's produced electronically - the timing will often be "out" because the triggering point will have moved when the electronic gubbins has been installed as opposed to where the contact points were positioned.

The wise owner will have pop marked the dizzy body against a reference point made on the block - when the engine is running nicely,
Ditto when the electronics are installed and it's running nicely, you will have a different reference point.

And if you have a "spare" dizzy, fit it, set it up and put a pop mark that lines up with the reference point on the block.

Then you are covered all roads up. You can remove your errant dizzy and install another and get the engine running with no fuss.


 

[Alan Drover]

I use the bolt for the distributor clamp to the block. I positioned it at the bottom of Ito slot so just one bolt to undo. If I had to remove the distributor from the clamp then I can make corresponding marks on the distributor and clamp ensuring that I position the bolt at the bottom of the slot when refitting.

[crumbly65]

Just to really display my ignorance......

When electronic points are fitted to a 25D type distributor, does the knurled advance and retard knob still function as before?

[Wittsend]

Yes it does ...

The vacuum advance system moves the dizzy base plate according to the vacuum changes caused by the engine (and the dizzy bob weights). The points or the electronic pick-up is mounted to the dizzy base plate.