The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay thoughts on electronic ignition etal

afriend has been pushing to have me put electronic ignition on my 48 ton 12volt pu. what is the general thought on this, and if good, what is the best option.

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Don

kent,

Many members have some sort of electronic ignition, but most likely it is a minority.

You would most likely get no noticeable improvement in performance, if you have a standard/original drive-train and do normal driving acceleration and mph.

For the most part, it is a solution looking for a problem. If you change, you would never have to adjust/replace points and never have to replace the condenser.

I have used 6v and 12v Pertronix units, but my points/condenser system was reliable and I changed back on one engine.

Then again, it depends on the condition of your engine. Mainly the condition of the Distributor. If the shaft is too loose or warbled, if the lobes are worn, if the gear is loose. Rather than trying to fix it by putting a different Ignition System in, do an overhaul on your Distributor, THEN decide.

After you have done all of that and your system is tight and you have tuned it the very best possible, including valves, carb/mixture, etc, and its all perfect, THEN make the decision.

After doing all of that, it is clear that HEI not only gives a more precise firing of the coil, but does so at every RPM. This is possible because it uses a computer to 'learn' how your engine behaves at each RPM and adjusts the Dwell to compensate. It does this in milliseconds as opposed to not at all with a conventional system.

While this can be a very minute difference on a well tuned, adjusted stock system, it can also be a very major difference at different RPMs. This has been reported by the large amount of feedback I have personally gotten from Car and Truck owners of the era. The largest gain in performance is reported in 3rd and 4th gear. The computer is compensating for the differences in the drag of a loaded engine.

This is not to say that HEI is for you. A decent HEI system that meets all of your requirements can be expensive, while a pseudo HEI (Pertronix) can do the job for you for much lower cost.

Anyone who does not have HEI experience should not diss the idea offhand. I get testimonials on a regular basis that are clearly otherwise, but at the same time, I do not recommend HEI for everyone because you have to know the difference between a stock system that just needs a decent tuneup, and a person who knows what HEI CAN do and is much more discerning. Nothing wrong with Stock. Tune it up first, THEN see if you are still interested.

I put an electronic ignition widget that replaces the points on my 327... it's nice to not have to adjust the points...

The closest thing a HEI system has to a "computer" is a current limiter that prevents overloading the power transistors when the primary winding reaches full magnetic saturation. One of the ways to build an inexpensive HEI module is to eliminate the current limiting circuit, resulting in very short life for imported aftermarket modules.
Jerry

+1 for HotRod. I have installed or assisted in a number of HEI installs and have never installed a computer. I think he might have gotten his old truck and his 'rice burner' mixed up.
I have helped put a late model Chrysler motor with a computer into a Jeepster.

LOL! Well, you can call it anything you want I guess, but the module may control the current, but its main function is its ability to self adjust the dwell based on engine RPM. It's secondary function is to speed up dramatically the ramp and fire circuit to 3.4 milliseconds which enabled much faster coil response. It quacks like a computer to me.

This is why I get so many guys reporting back after installing my HEI kit how nice the engine runs and the increase in power at higher RPMS. The stock system just doesn't have those qualities. If I didn't have 100% positive feedback I suppose it would be different, but reality.. it's a [censored] when you are just dead wrong.

But don't take my word for it.. here are actual professionals discussing the actual GM HEI system...

http://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2008/11/The-lost-art-of-servicing-GM-HEI/1719426.html

But maybe they are all wrong too. You know, to a point, listening to stupidity is funny, but after awhile, you just shake your head at the terrible condition of our nations citizenry. We badly need a better education system. For some people, it's way too late for that.

Deve, great read on the article you posted. I almost didn't bother reading it due to your bitter, sarcastic verbiage. Lighten up Francis! Your article answered a lot of questions which I had. You could have just left it at that.
Carl

Kent,
1. I'd like for you to ask your friend "why" you should install electronic ignition & post the response.
2. What problems are you currently having with your truck?
Brad

I put an HEI in my 261 (Tom Langdon) when it was in my truck. Single most worthwhile improvement I ever made. Since then I have installed HEIs in my 283 and 348, still very happy.
don

Mr. Deve, I was making the point of the fact that a stand alone HEI is not a computer by definition as it doesn't contain a CPU.
I read your posting above by the experts and don't believe I saw the word 'computer' once. If you don't believe me, reread it.
Your last paragraph is what really got my attention. Your words/phrases like "stupidity", "terrible condition of our nations citizenry", and "we badly need a better education system" would be consistered by some as 'flaming'. I do. You might want to think about toning it down a notch before the moderators of this forum think about slaping you hand.
And lastly, in what country were you educated? We are all here to learn from those who have "been there, done that". I really don't care how many years he went to school. If he knows how to fix/repair my old ride, I want to read about it.