On Thu, 1 Sep 1994, Mike Ladwig wrote:
> >Installing an aftermarket electronic conversion in the worn distributor is
> >a waste of money, since the shaft wobble will still mess up the accuracy
> >of the timing. Whether you stay with points or go electronic, you need
> >to rebush the distributor and may need a new shaft as well.
>
> I thought that this was one of the things that the electronic ignition was
> supposed to cure (or so says the advertising), in that the signal for the
> coil to fire is generated by something without any mechanical load
> (interruption of an LED light source) and thus the wobble isn't incurred.
An electronic distributor won't wear its top bush as fast as a points
distributor because there is less (or no) sideways load. Also, installing
an LED-triggered electronic conversion will provide more accuracy in a
sligtly worn distributor than when it still ad points in it. However, if
the distributor is as badly worn as you gave the impression yours is, then
the top of the shaft is going to wobble even with no side load on it.
That's going to effect timing accuracy no matter what triggers the spark.
Another potential problem is that in many electronic ignition systems the
clearance between the LED and the shutter is fairly small. Too much shaft
wobble and te shutter can wipe out the LED. I don't know if this is a
problem in the Allison kits, but I've seen it in other cars.
Before you spend money on the conversion kit, why don't you talk to
someone at Allison (or is it Crane now?) and see what they think?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chip Old 1948 M.G. TC TC6710 NEMGTR #2271
Cub Hill, Maryland 1962 Triumph TR4 CT3154LO (daily transportation)
feold@umd5.umd.edu
|