mallory electronic ignition

[mistyrain]

Has anyone any suggestions as what type of electronic ignition I should get for our 260z?  A complete Mallory ignition is available but not sure if the best option.  Would it be worth sourcing a second hand electronic ignition or just sticking with points.  Problem is the old points ignition needs some work.

 

Cheers

N and J

[24OZ]

electronic all the way ...set and forget

have a feeling that 280ZX dizzies are electronic,if so grab one of those

also worth running a good coil &/or spark amplifier eg MSD,Accel

don't forget a good set of leads as well

[mistyrain]

Hey, 240z

Do you think the 280zx dizzy has the same bottom gear?  Is it as simple as swapping it over?

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Zedman240®]

Its an easy conversion to do...Just bolts in to the original location. All you need to do after is some re-wiring (to remove the ballast resistor) and replace the coil with a 12V one. Usually the 280ZX you take the distributor out of gives up the coil without a fight. You will notice the car starts quicker and revs cleaner!

[Lynton]

Having just completed this conversion myself it was all pretty simple.

I used a simple bolt in reconditioned 280zx distributor and cap ($150.00) then put in a new 280zx coil ($39.00) but I removed the porcelane ballist resistor and joined those two wires direct with one another, the other wire long ignition wire from the coil goes to the small black electronic box on the side of the distributor, I put a new set of leads on and a new set of plugs but set the gap wider they burn hotter, you will be amazed at the difference it makes. The best money I ever spent so just do it! Lynton

[ol_skl_jp]

 

Thought i  might contribute, for a 240Z though...

[modular9]

Tacho may not work. This is because of the way the points tacho works. I think it is -ve pickup and it will need to be +ve or the other way round.  I have tried everything until i found a post by nzeder on another forum with a picture of the back of the tacho and what he did to his older version tacho. The fix is

 

1. Get the internals of the older tacho sorted ( apparently smiths gauges make some sort of conversion kit which is a perfect fit for a gauge guru to do )

 

2. after market tacho.

 

I have basically tried everything but the resistor trick. There is a post on hybridz about wiring in a resistor into the line that sorts it all out but the guy couldnt remember what sort of resistor it was. 

 

I got it to work when i use an oil filled gt40r coil but when i use the ceramic ( much fatter spark !) the tacho clicks and doesnt allow the car to work. Hope this helps if you do the switch over to a 280zx dizzy. If you car wont start and you get a click behind the tacho this is the reason. Just unhook the tacho and all should be well to start.

 

BTW i have a 77 260z 2+2 and the tacho *should* be compatible but it isnt. Thankfully the multimeter on the coil shows me an accurate rpm when tuning.

[Enzo]

Hi Guys,

          I use a crane XR-700 electronic ignition with an optical trigger on my 260z and a GT40R coil. Never have any problems. Tacho works well with this system.

          I came across an American article about early 240z's stating that there were two types of Tacho's. One with three wires (- on coil ) and one with four wires (+ on coil ). The guy says the three wire Tacho is the better one to use. Don't know if this is true or not. Maybe someone with more knowledge can comment on this. Regards David.

[mistyrain]

Thanks everyone,

That is good news as I have an old 280zx I can butcher.

 

Cheers

 

[PZG302]

I wired mine up using this diagram I got off Classic Z forums, I think. Anyway worked a treat and no issues with the standard tacho at all.

[maddos]

I put in the XR700 too. Pretty simple to install and less than $200.

[mistyrain]

My problem is that it looks as though the dizzy is off something else, as the points and rotor button are not the same as what is specified.  Also the diaphragm seems far too stiff to be operated with the amount of vacuum coming from the SU's.  I have checked the base plate and it moves freely.  All these issues are leaning us towards a complete new dizzy.  The XR700 has a good name and it is a shame we are not confident we have a 260z dizzy.

 

 

[mick74]

The benefit of using the XR700 is that you replace the points with the optical sensor. It should not be that important if you have a non std distributor. Unless you put in a performance cam and then you will need to get the dizzy regraphed (so that you get the full benefit).

 

Remember you can retro fit the XR700 into another dizzy later on, and this way you have the benefit of using the XR700 (electronic ignition) now.

[mistyrain]

I see...

 

How easily should the vacuum advance the timing (roughly)? Should I be able to advance the timing by just sucking hard on the hose?

 

Cheers

Jim

[mick74]

Shouldn't be that easy but again shouldn't be that hard, I haven't put a gauge on it. If you create suction small breath this would be enough to move. Vacuum advance is approx 35 degrees in total?

 

Mick