Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

It has one Jon.
The old one had a nylon thread and had been jambed into place somehow. Anyway it was impossible to adjust.

Incidentally, I had to replace the adjusting nut with a nyloc as it kept "unadjusting" itself.

As I said depending on the fuel used and engine details the engine may be able to take more advance than standard. However assuming your measurements are correct i would suspect to much advance with full throttle around 2000 to 3000 rpm that may result in engine knocking. Otherwise the engine I would expect start and run well

cheers
Rohan

Nylon/teflon lined bicycle brake lines make good throttle cables. Use in conjunction with your old short adjusting outer piece and with a screw operated end toggle.

+1 The above..

John

Thats all I use. For LHD cars, you may need a rear brake cable from a tandem bike. Also use a "noodle" from a mountain bike Shimano Z brake to turn the cable from the top of the footwell.

It would appear that is on Distributor Doctor web site is not just sales puff -



Wonder how many others have fitted new distributors that are miles out?

Oh, it's like those cruddy doughnuts and uprights from a few years back.

It's easy to check the advance curve with a timing light and the right viewing angle, though - thankfully!

It would also be easy for the vendor before they sold it.

Only if they gave a damn!

Costs the wholesaler a Tenner? Sells to the vendors for ?25? They pop in a cheap electronic switch module and flog it for ?80! Nice business.

As it happens the curve on their own site is nowhere near the Lotus recommendation.

I'll have a word as see what they recommend. Any guesses?

The curve would probably work - the max advance (add to static remember) is about right and up to that it's not far off straight.
Bit it isn't what's specified

MarkDa wrote:The curve would probably work - the max advance (add to static remember) is about right and up to that it's not far off straight.
Bit it isn't what's specified

Whilst the advertised curve is "reasonable" it is also exactly what they advertise for a Mini Cooper (!). In other words it is pretty meaningless and could be luck as to whether your new distributor is good or dangerous to engine health.

The reality is that mine (and how many other alleged "new" units) are no where near.

Crank Revs Lot "New" Actual
1000 0 0 2
1250 0 0 9
1500 0 4 10
2000 0 8 18
2500 2.5 12 18
3000 4.5 14 18

The "actual" reaches max advance at a low 2000 revs.

I have bought some spare springs and I'll experiment.

This has been a really helpful discussion for me as I was about to replace my distributor with a new pertronix from Dave Bean. I was assuming that it was a plug and play, but now I am less sure. Does anyone have knowledge on this distributor and will I need to go through a similar exercise as Vince? Most appreciated. Dan

Dan,

It does state " All mechanical advance with optimized advance curve etc etc"

Ask the vendor what the actual curve should be and if they will guarantee its accuracy. Compare it with the (correct) Lotus curve.

They can't all be junk surely? The ignition module itself looks virtually the same but 5 X the price!


I am considering a 123ignition, then I can experiment with my own curve. Especially when it has been on the dyno.
http://www.southerncarbs.co.uk/page_1796358.html

Anyone got experience of it?

vincereynard wrote: I am considering a 123ignition, then I can experiment with my own curve. Especially when it has been on the dyno.
http://www.southerncarbs.co.uk/page_1796358.html

Anyone got experience of it?

No experience of it but I do think its the best option because:
1) It good quality from a known manufacturer, not a clone device with unknown suitability
2) You can grantees the standard curve
3) Easy custom curves
4) Bluetooth version makes it very easy to tune
5) Includes a rev limiter & immobilizer function

It is of course it is expensive and not standard but I hink probably worth the money especially if the cheaper options are questionable.