• From: City of Roses
  • Registered: 2004-03-29
  • Posts: 793

Topic: High Energy Ignition

Hiya All,

What can you tell me about High Energy Ignition? Good and Bad.

I have a friend in Australia who installed a kit like this.................

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod … doy=search

He is amazed at the results. Noticeably more power and better gas mileage. All while using stock points.

So, I'm wondering.....have any of you had experience with this sort of set-up? Is this for real? What's the downside to it?

Mike

1970 AS Bug
1970 Bus - The Ruptured Duck
  • Registered: 2007-03-27
  • Posts: 2,422

Re: High Energy Ignition

First Time Ive seen this Bookwuss ?? Interesting ? You know I use too be up on all , the exact working's of a Condensor , and makin breakin contact , thru the coil . But that was year's ago , when point's were the only game in town .
  look's too me , as if it's some type of super condensor . Look on your Buddies set up and see if it by passes or eliminates the condensor . If you can take a pic of his set up Kinda interested in where the 4 wires hook up , as I can only figure 2 too the coil and 1 too the point's is the 4th wire grounded too the vehicle or motor itself ?
   Interesting any how !
                                                         Sean

  • From: Burnaby BC
  • Registered: 2007-09-15
  • Posts: 9

Re: High Energy Ignition

Looks like a Capacitive Discharge ignition system to me: very hot spark (at any RPM) using std. points and replaces std. capacitor/condenser. They work not unlike a flash for a camera (if anyone remembers what a camera and flash look like that is) CD systems were popular in the '70's.... and priced at the time around $150/200 CDN

The good part is when they work they work great and do all the things advertised: smoother running, better mileage (marginal but consistent increase) "perceived" better performance - smoother running for sure under very hard acceleration...... for say 12.69 seconds (;-)

Down side... at the time I recall more than one club member at the side of the road with no spark. i.e. they don't die a slow death - they just up and quit. Solid state electronics for cars is not quite cutting edge technology now like it was in the '70's... I'll bet they are quite reliable by now.... fact is based on past experience I will likely upgrade my Westy to a "CD" system.

|Garry|

Last edited by Garry82ms (2007-11-18 21:44:17)

'74 Westy
'90 Buick Land Yacht (Stn. Wgn)
'63 Vette Coupe "splitty" (;-)

Garry82ms's Website

  • Registered: 2007-03-27
  • Posts: 2,422

Re: High Energy Ignition

Thank's book wuss what I figured was a super condensor . Seem's I have somethin in the back of my mind from year's ago that a lott of these were sold in the 70's , and I keep thinkin JC whitney and Dual point distributor's !
  Trying too remember But I keep thinkin of the Dual point distributor's that came in Datsun Pick up's for some reason ? But I can barely remember  Datsun ? My sister had a 69 Datsun sporster when we was Kidd's ? Maybe that was it ?
   Realize here also that a hotter spark , is not the whole story ! Due too resistance built intoo the rotor's ! Ive heard that C.B. performance sell's rotor's with no resistance built intoo them . So it may Be that such a rotor would really compliment such a system ?
                                                                       Sean

  • TomB
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Austin, TX
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 1,088

Re: High Energy Ignition

Yup - similar CDI systems were real popular back when all cars had points. They reduce current through the points so points last a lot longer, and keep the distributor stock - unlike the points-replacement units. If a CDI unit like this fails, just take it out of the circuit, and run on points-condensor like old times. Many used to have a switch on the side to switch them out in case of failure.
I tried both types back in the 70s and had failures; but electronics have improved since then, when the main issue then was the high under-hood temperatures in Dallas.
I never could document any REAL performance or mileage difference, but there is a placebo effect: any time you add something custom to your car you think it feels better. However, one real improvement is that the points don't degrade as fast, so the engine stays in tune longer. Take your basic poorly-tuned engine and put in one of these and there will be a difference. Someone who keeps their car in tune won't notice the same.

  • Registered: 2007-03-27
  • Posts: 2,422

Re: High Energy Ignition

Compu Fire and a C.B. rotor too go with it !!
Think Datsun used a similar ignition like these back in the 70's on there Dual point distributor's , as in meaning the Datsun came equipped this way from the factory . Least on some model's !
                                                                                                               Sean

  • From: Burnaby BC
  • Registered: 2007-09-15
  • Posts: 9

Re: High Energy Ignition

and... I remember that the better systems at the time usually came with a "special" coil.

'74 Westy
'90 Buick Land Yacht (Stn. Wgn)
'63 Vette Coupe "splitty" (;-)

Garry82ms's Website