[manishalive]

Hi all,

I would like to know the distributor model number for the Magneti Marelli distributor that came on our Fiat 1100. On my distributor from years of use, the plate information is wiped away except "9U" (which perhaps is the batch information).

So far have come to know that S69A distributor used to come on our Fiats. This is required to be given to a electronic distributor kit manufacturer.

[hifisharu]

Can anyone please help with spares in Bengaluru? I'm looking for the indicator stalk and the front quarter glass assembly for a 1986 Premier Padmini.

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by hifisharu

Can anyone please help with spares in Bengaluru? I'm looking for the indicator stalk and the front quarter glass assembly for a 1986 Premier Padmini.

Contact parts shop in JC road. Jadsons, best and few others used to have stock for PP cars. As for glass there is Glass dealer near Jadsons he may have these glasses.

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by manishalive

So far have come to know that S69A distributor used to come on our Fiats. This is required to be given to a electronic distributor kit manufacturer.

Friends, a bit of update- the kit manufacturer was quoting USD 300 to make one + we have to ship them the distributor. Would have been 500 USD just for a kit.

If we look at the issues of points is -

1.) Mechanical wear and pitting of points. 2.) Breaking of spring. 3.) All this requiring maintenance.

In first instance why we held on to the Original Distributor - for originality. To some fiat guys means a lot more than out right performance. And that means make do with sub standard points or even more non availability of the same.



Not every one blessed with original points & condenser set (I have few of them) but one day they will be gone too.



To over come this and still to retain the original distributor, we need an electronic kit.

An Electronic kit uses sensors to make and break the connection. An example is pulser coil (electromagnet) used in CDI ignition of bikes. or a Hall effect sensor used in these electronic kits.

Any kit like - hotspark, accuspark, ignitor will have a sensor and a Bakelite ring mounted with magnet to triger the sensor. But at 100 USD minimum they are costly and have a preset dwell, adaptive dwell ones come witha higher price too.

Solution - comes with a hall effect senor coming as low as 50 Rupees, to break the connectivity. I decided to go with a sensor which is proven and specially made to be used in Automotive distributor -

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=ZD1900

At 16 USD it is the cheapest and best arround.



What more the sensor has mounting holes apart (22.5 mm) approximately same as the points mounting positions.



This sensor comes with a magnet contained in the unit and is thus normally closed. Now all we need is a interrupting iron vane to chop the connectivity.

For this comes to rescue the sensor dimensions, shaft dimensions and very importantly the dwell angle -



4 cylinder mean 4 vanes, the dwell angle of 60 deg determines that the points will be closed for that period so the vanes will be for 30 deg X 4 times . This can be easily made out of any sheet metal cup of required dimension. I have decided to do this on a lathe machine. A 3D model is as below -



Hope this information will help all in making their original distributor runing and maintenance less (need to add oil / grease the distributor tough). Important make sure no greasing on the centrifugal advance mechanism tough.

P.S.: I spoke to ilangop and he gave me more ideas. On my next post will give more information on electronic vacuum and centrifugal advance.

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Friends, a bit of update- the kit manufacturer was quoting USD 300 to make one + we have to ship them the distributor. Would have been 500 USD just for a kit.

Contact Mr. Kiran Bhide from Auto Escorts, he made me a wonderful electronic ignition kit for my S1 for around 4.5K
Works like a charm

[funkykar]

I got myself (throw away price) a Contessa Coil, CDI and Distributer system that was already customised for a Padmini(had come for scrap). Using it on my S1 since over 1000 kms and car runs beautifully. Fully satisfied with it

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by funkykar

I got myself (throw away price) a Contessa Coil, CDI and Distributer system that was already customised for a Padmini(had come for scrap). Using it on my S1 since over 1000 kms and car runs beautifully. Fully satisfied with it

Dear Karthik - hello after a long time. Can you please post a photograph of the Contessa distributor and ignition coil fitted in the Padmini? I want it for reference.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by HimuraKenshin

Contact Mr. Kiran Bhide from Auto Escorts, he made me a wonderful electronic ignition kit for my S1 for around 4.5K
Works like a charm

Dear Himura, I have used their kit a lon long ago in 1998 on few of the PP. This time I did asked him of the kit, but what he has got now is multi coil ignition system which on external does not look original. I have a brand new originial Magnetic marelli Ignition coil too. That I cherish a lot too.

Originally Posted by funkykar

I got myself (throw away price) a Contessa Coil, CDI and Distributer system that was already customised for a Padmini(had come for scrap). Using it on my S1 since over 1000 kms and car runs beautifully. Fully satisfied with it

Karthick, this could have been a solution, to use the internals of the Contessa distributor. But the CDI would produce a higher voltage necessitating use of a different Ignition coil. But would like to see the internal of the distributor of Contessa. I just need a chopper arrangement.

[h14]

Originally Posted by funkykar

I got myself (throw away price) a Contessa Coil, CDI and Distributer system that was already customised for a Padmini(had come for scrap). Using it on my S1 since over 1000 kms and car runs beautifully. Fully satisfied with it

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Karthik - hello after a long time. Can you please post a photograph of the Contessa distributor and ignition coil fitted in the Padmini? I want it for reference.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

I've seen a Select and a Padmini (with NE engine) running for a very long time on the contessa distributor and they have been asking me to change as well and I've been shying away. Unfortunately have no pictures. Will see if I can get some. They had mentioned about reversing the direction of the contessa distributor to suit the 1100 engine.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by h14

I've seen a Select and a Padmini running for a very long time on the contessa distributor and they have been asking me to change as well and I've been shying away. Unfortunately have no pictures. Will see if I can get some. They had mentioned about reversing the direction of the contessa distributor to suit the 1100 engine.

Dear h14 - thanks for your comment, especially about the one of reversing the direction of rotation. I've never done this, I want to try, just for learning. I am very clear that if production Lucas TVS distributor / ignition coil / metal core wires are used properly, there is absolutely no reason for anybody to do anything else. In any case, I have explained the whole process which is in the initial pages of this thread itself.

Dear Manish - as you want the Magneti Marelli for the sake of originality, I understand and appreciate your line of action, but please be careful, otherwise you will spend a lot of money and you will get nothing in return. My chorbazaarwallah wanted an arm and a leg for the Magneti Marelli distributor, I told him to keep it hanging in his shop, thank you very much. . I suggest you use the Lucas TVS for normal running as new Lucas TVS distributors are still available and put the Magneti Marelli only for concours events etc. Reliability of the point spring of the Magneti Marelli is very poor, you may get stuck on the road somewhere, which is not good.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[CrackedHead]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Reliability of the point spring of the Magneti Marelli is very poor, you may get stuck on the road somewhere, which is not good.

since we are taking about keeping things original -

We used to have this problem running the original Magneti Marelli distributor on the family's 73 president and had come up with a simple solution way back in 2002. Don't have any pictures with me right now but what I did was remove the wire from the end of the point spring - attach it directly to the metal piece of the point (the part that pivots to open and close the point gap). Then used a piece of rubber (white Natraj erasers used to work great, so did a vulcanized rubber strip cut from a tyre) to replace the action of the spring.

I ran this "jugad" on the car which was then the daily driver for about 60000 km without any reliability issues.

Eventually replaced the distributor with a lucas TVS when I was leaving town to start college.

[funkykar]

I definitely will post as many pics possible by weekend. Since the beginning of 2015, life has gotten too busy and couldn't devote time to updating my thread about S1. Will make some time this weekend and post all that has transpired in the last few weeks including as many pics.

Behram sir: I feared a rap on my back from you for not sticking to originality. Feeling relieved

Manish: Where have you been all these days mate? My car is all yours for whatever you would want to check.

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Manish - as you want the Magneti Marelli for the sake of originality, I suggest you use the Lucas TVS for normal running as new Lucas TVS distributors are still available and put the Magneti Marelli only for concours events etc. Reliability of the point spring of the Magneti Marelli is very poor, you may get stuck on the road somewhere, which is not good.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Dear Behram,

Very vise advice, I do have an extra set of lucas coil and plug wires, but need to get a distributor, my carburetor is old style Solex with no output for vacuum sensing, so what dsitributor do you suggest me to get.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Dear Behram,

Very vise advice, I do have an extra set of lucas coil and plug wires, but need to get a distributor, my carburetor is old style Solex with no output for vacuum sensing, so what dsitributor do you suggest me to get.

Dear Manish - the correct distributor for your carburettor is the 25D4 without the vacuum advance, which has 15 degrees of centrifugal advance which you will not get for love of money. What is still available new is the 25D4 with vacuum advance, in which there are 3 specific Lucas TVS part numbers. You can use this distributor, please buy one which has 13 degrees centrifugal advance. You can see 13 degrees punched on the centrifugal weight. You will have to relocate the drive coupling by 180 degrees and interchange the spark plug wires in the cap to enable fitment. All other details are there in the initial pages of this thread itself. Do not set without dwell angle meter and timing light otherwise your engine will not run properly.

Dear Cracked Head - reply to your comment is that you just bypassed the small insulator at the entry of the distributor body. As long as 12v reaches the point and the condenser works properly at 0.25 micro-farad capacitance, EMF will get generated in the ignition coil when the point opens so the engine will get spark so it will run.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Dear Behram,
Very vise advice, I do have an extra set of lucas coil and plug wires, but need to get a distributor, my carburetor is old style Solex with no output for vacuum sensing, so what dsitributor do you suggest me to get.

BDS advises are also worth their weight in gold.
May I add that instead of using SOLEX, use KPACCO brand carb for normal use and put SOLEX & proper DELCO for concours events ONLY.
KPACCO carb & TVS LUCAS delco go hand in hand with each other.

KPACCO is available off-the-shelf here in Mumbai. Last I had paid 3850/- in 2013 Dec.

Regards-Sonu