911 distributor and CDI boxes

[Alan L]

Looking to get a spare trigger coil for my dizzy - suspecting the one in there. Getting erratic ohm readings.
Given a range of Mercs, and a few other euro cars have the green trigger wire, are there other makes using the same coil trigger? I would buy a 2nd hand dizzy from say a merc, and pull the coil if it checks out.
Were the CDI boxes we use only used on Porsche. Googling the part # 0227300004, only gives Porsche application. Thought that may have steered me in a useful direction for a dizzy. but nope.
Regards
Alan

[Jonny H]

Ford V6 engines of the same period use Bosch distributor with the same star wheel and pickup. Also BMW inline 6.

[Alan L]

Awesome - thanks.
So they will have the green wire and plug also?
Alan

[Jonny H]

From what I remember of the Ford units, the two pins that you see through the side of the distributor are part of the pickup assembly and I think they are the same but the wire and plug are different.

So you should be able to swap out the pickup (the white thing with the coil) but you won't be able to use any other parts.

It's a long while since I looked at this so not 100%. Get pictures before you buy!

[Alan L]

Thanks for the help. Am having trouble chasing a source for such a dizzy. Yes - it is just the coil I need - mine has failed. Everyone tells me those cars were long gone :-).
Yr 2000 is now considered old. Where does that leave us?
Regards
Alan

[PeteKz]

Maybe time to think about a 123 dizzy. That should be repairable going forward.

[Alan L]

They look very good.
I am supposed to be running period correct stuff on the car. But it is getting harder each year.
Regards
Alan

[Jonny H]

I'm surprised you have a pickup failure, TBH.

I have never seen one of these fail - it's just a coil of wire after all! Is it open circuit across the pins?

[Alan L]

Yes I am surprised too. But I pulled it out in the end and could finally not get any ohm reading across the pins. I even changed the battery in my meter. But I was getting erratic readings on those pins for a while when I was having ignition problems. Even putting the probes on the soldered joints on the pins gave me no circuit.
Weird - but it should have given me 600 Ohms. I resoldered the pin connection and no change.
Measured my SC one at the CDI plug - 600 Ohms straight off the bat.
Regards
Alan

[Alan L]

Courtesy of a Mercedes 280- 6 cyl.
Identical pick up unit in total.
Cost - $200. Cheaper than a $US5k dizzy.
Came with a bonus green wire and plug too.
For some reason cannot upload a pic right now - but I now have a stable 600 Ohm at the CDI plug - first time in the last couple of weeks. The numbers have been all over the place.
Cut the Merc end plug off and spliced in one of mine to match the other harness bit of the green wire.
Alan

[Alan L]

[Alan L]

The coil had def failed - over a period of a couple of weeks - going from bad-worse.
I wonder why and suspect the fact the dizzy is perched above the turbo outlet (hot side) may explain something. It is likely subjected to quite a bit of heat. And this car only knows WOT or hard on the brakes. No cruise mode. So I am thinking the extremely fine wire in the coil (has to be 0.1mm at most) has broken at some point.
The problem seems to reside in the coil itself rather than the terminals.
Regards
Alan

[356911930]

WOW! I love a happy ending.

Rahl

[Alan L]

Engine is running just fine now.
Alan