[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by mysocal911

Obviously, there were many more non-turbos!

Actually, the 3 pin Bosch CDI, used until the late '70s, was very reliable and rarely failed. They typically failed because;
1. reverse battery connections
2. overcharging alternators
3. shorting the CDI coil signal while adjusting the idle.

The later CDI (6 pin) fails because of a marginal output capacitor, and the result of hotter engine compartment temperatures (200F+),
still not as hot as for turbos.

Mine failed under normal driving conditions. Full load and bang. Alternator was fine and everything in spec perfectly prior to the failure. I have 20+ friends who are 40+ year Porsche trained mechanics and independents. I have known them for at least 40 years. I know many gold star techs as well and my son works as a service advisor and he will tell you nothing is safe these days. I have been wrenching on Porsches for over 45 years myself and work with some very well known names on the east coast. I do agree the earlier ones failed far less often for many decades but many did fail and the later turbo and SC units failed nearly as often. The 930 engine compartment was just as hot if not hotter. You see a lot of early 911's using MSD modules to replace their failed CDI boxes. You don't hear about the problem so much because of availability which is not an issue.

I have been closely following the 965 market for over 25 years and although these are a failure point it isn't until recently within the past 5-7 years that we are hearing more and more about these failures. They built the cars well but how many other marques have this % of 30+ year old cars on the road with so few made? The lack of replacement parts is the issue and I don't think getting 30 years out of anything these days is that bad. I have had more electronics go on several 981's and newer Porsche's than I see EZ69's fail. I have helped a few out by supplying replacements for them but my well is now dry except for one spare. One was returned to Brumos for the #59 super turbo it came from. Porsche electronics have never been their strong point. But having anything that won't compromise the originality by cutting harnesses or makeshift compromises on these rare cars is a huge plus and we should be happy we have a potential alternative.

I will wait to pass judgement on the product for now but I know of many 3.6T's which are still running their original EZ unit. In time they might need it but preventative maintenance and checking your coil output and reapplying the paste would be a good palce to start. My only concern with replacing anything Bosch right now is most of it is not good and there are some Chinese parts coming in which are horrible. So this might be a bigger concern in the future.