What type of electronic ignition system is in the car?
Make, model?
-----Original Message-----
From: spitfires-owner@autox.team.net [mailto:spitfires-owner@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of DASHWOOD, Dean, FM
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 4:01 AM
To: 'spitfires@autox.team.net'
Subject: Coil confusion
Listers,
I need some help understanding which coil I should have on my car. The car
is a Spitfire 1500, but at some point in its history it's been fitted with
an electric (optical type) ignition system.
Last night, the car wouldn't start, and the breakdown mechanic identified
the coil as being the cause of the problem. His manuals showed that the
coil originally fitted to the car was one with a ballast resistor - and
indeed I know that this ballast resistor has been discussed on this list
many times in the past. But the coil he removed from the car didn't appear
to have a ballast resistor fitted. The mechanic suggested that this
resistor probably wasn't required because of the electronic ignition, but
since I don't have any documents to go with the ignition system, I don't
know for sure.
The new (12V, no ballast resistor) coil which he fitted has solved the
problem in the short-term, but it does seem to be getting very warm, even
after just a few minutes of idling, which leads me to believe that it's
probably not the right one. I don't know if the old one was correct either.
Does anyone with any experience of similar electronic ignition systems have
any advice? Should I be using a coil with a ballast resistor with this
ignition system? If not, does it make any difference which coil I fit?
(The mechanic last night said that his catalogue listed around 20 12V coils,
and since there were no markings on my old coil he had no way of knowing
which was the correct one.)
Thanks,
Dean
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