Electric ignition for Petrol GQ

probly not worth the money.
points easy to get and fix.
we had an electronic module go in our gq at landcruiser park all up with towing extra night ect cost us $1000.
dizzys can be reset bye a distributer expert to give a little more power.

goodday brewman
do you have the extended rotor buttonin your car i had a lot of trouble with the old 89 gq backfiring missing etc changed the little condensor ? on the side of the dizzie about 4 times finally put extended rotor in and it never missed a beat till i sold it

steve

Electric ignition sounds like a really good idea Brew but ......... what was the other type? If you mean Electronic ignition (I really know you did - just teasing) the major benefit in a conversion is that the charge through the points is reduced from 12 volts to I think about 1 volt. The points then last much longer. The added components then produce a more accurate and claimed higher voltage from the coil. However you do still use the points, distributor and coil .... a better spark is produced by the added electronics. Having said all that it may well be that the system you're considering is more sophisticated than that ..... but I think it would be a very big job to do any more than that on an old motor which still uses points. Also consider the advantages of having points. The entire ignition system can be replaced for less than the cost of your next refuel. You can carry all of the replacement parts with you and replace them in minutes with a screw driver and shifter. Those of us with newer vehicles don't have a choice but maybe you should count your blessings! The newer systems require very little maintenance and are largely trouble free but if they fail ..... well that's another story.

Further to my last post re Elcronic ignition. Cost was minmal about $60.00 for the kit. All you need is a soldering iron, solder and a little expertise in using same to build the kit. I'm sure that you can find a mate to do it for you if youre not sure of it yourself.
Reliability over the last three years or so has been 100% and its easy to revert to the old pints system by just changing a couple of connections. You could also use a suitably wired sitch or plug to change back just in case of problems. I didnt bother on mine.

Whoops, somehow my reply to your question didnt post before my follow up.
I will repeat.
I have a 1990 GQ Patrol petrol. I had to replace/refurbish the points at every 10000km service and performance gradually went down in that time.
I installed a transistor assisted ignition using a kit bought from Dick Smiths.
Since them (about 3 to 4 years) I have not replaced the points. I just check the gap and timing.
The wagon starts VERY reliably and seems to run very smoothly. The electronics has never given any problems.
You don't need to do any thing fancy to the timing etc. It doesnt affect the tacho or anything else.
I have a 1971 Alfa that has had a kit fitted since 1975 and I have NEVR had to replace the points since then. Just check and adjust timing if required.
I would certainly recommend installing a transistor assisted igintion.

Hi,

We just came back from a trip to the Cape in our 1990 GQ patrol. We went through 4 sets of points in the process and are seriously considering swapping over. We also went through ableepload of fuel. Having said that there was another GQ in our "team" whose alternator burnt out. The good thing was that the patrol didn't really need an alternator and went for 3 days just running on battery power! Try that in your new GU.

The older GQs are amazing - if something stops working you can generally buy the bits just about anywhere or just disconnect them and you're on your way until you can get help!

Cheers

Brew69 - I can't stress too strongly - DO IT!!! I had exactly the same problems as you are experiencing, for over 2 years. Tried everything and replaced everything, including extended rotor. Would get it running reasonably well, then after a week or 2 it would start missing and blow back through the carby under load. Points gap and timing was critical. Finally bit the bullet and spent $275 on a replacement electronic system (got it from Motor Traders through a friend, normally over $300). Apart from running like an absolute dream, I have increased my range (on LPG) from 300 km to 370 km on one tank and it seems to be doing this consistently! Just one word of warning, you may need to have the ridge on the shaft just above the lobes turned down on a lathe so the magnet assembly can be slipped down over the shaft - do not believe the box where it says it's as easy as fitting new points. If you can get that done, the rest is simple and very much worthwhile.
Cheers
Gerry (also in SA)

Thanks all for the comments..........All food for thought.

I used for JayCar kit for fifty bucks. Timing is always spot on and the dwel is done in the kit. I bought a second kit and have it built and calibrated ready to go just in case something happens, but even if it does, I can go back to the points trigger. Definately worth while.

Hi brew i had a 89 gq which used to go through points all the time and the timing would also go out of whack. I fitted a pirana optical electronic system and didnt touch it again it cost about 200 bucks well worth it in my opinion.
Dave