Re: electronic ignition conversion
Hey rojoc, here's another two cents on the electronic ignition debate. I'm sure you've gotten parts, or all, of it before. To be coherent I have to try and start at the beginning. <br />I have an '85 OMC 4.3L which I changed over to the Pertronix Ignitor II. I also used the Flamethrower II epoxy coil. At this point I decided to also change out the rotor, cap, wires, and plugs.<br />The OMC mod for me was soldering two diodes and two resistors in a line from the coil to the eletronic shift assist module. Pertronix instructions are pretty straight forward for this. I then replaced a resistor wire with one large enough to carry 12V to the coil. The reason for the diode/resistor mod is to keep the volts going to the ESA at 6V. When you change over to the Ignitor II you're getting 12V through your ignition system over the factory 6V setup. You don't want to burn out your ESA as it is designed to run on 6V. Your system maybe new enough to install an ESA designed to complement the Ignitor II without the mod. <br /> I'm real happy with the change. If you decide to change over I'm sure you will be pleased with the performance. <br />As to reliability, this debate will go on forever. We get in our motor vehicles, which have electronic ignitions, and drive them for years without to much concern, or any repair. Of course, when equipment fails on land it's not quite the same as at sea. Nobody relishes the thought of being stranded at sea which prompts some concern over changing your ignition. However, the Pertronix system seems much improved from the various earlier design attempts that still give some people nightmares. I suppose you can always carry another plate with points and condensor mounted and already adjusted for a quick change in an emergency.<br />Hope this helps. Oh, I am in no way affiliated with the Pertronix company!
