Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

[asdasc]

Hi Guys,

I was working on a very old Briggs and Straton lawnmower over the weekend, and was shocked to find that the right solution was to cut the wire that goes under the flywheel to the points and condensor, and replace the coil with a newer one with integrated electronic ignition! They have the coil OUTSIDE the flywheel, but it occured to me that it should be very easy for some coil maker to do a similar thing for the older Johnson/Evinrude universal ignition like I have on my '59 18HP. I would make the conversion in a heartbeat, just to avoid having to mess with cleaning and adjusting the points.

Is there something I am missing that is preventing someone from doing this and selling them? Maybe there just isn't enough volume to justify it, but it seems there is more volume here than on an old B&S lawnmower.

 

[F_R]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

Well, it has already been done---sort of. Only instead of replaing the coil, you replaced the points with a solid state device. They quit making them.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

Atom Industries used to sell a module. Sierra had one also.
There is a Nova II module here: http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/a1elect.htm

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

I don't know why you're having all the trouble cleaning points all the time. I've got several and once I get them right, I pretty much don't have to mess with them. I really like the old univeral magneto and they're super cheap to fix, unlike the newer CD systems.
COuld you possibly have a crankshaft seal leaking oil on your points?

 

[asdasc]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

I am not sure what the real problem is. I have replaced everything under the flywheel twice, and still have some intermittant spark issues. I keep fouling plugs. Part of it may be carb adjust, and also a very heavy load on an 18HP. I just bought a laser tachometer and plan to do some testing this coming weekend to see how many RPM's I am getting when it is wide open with a typical load.

I also need to recheck the spark as it seems to be running on only 1 cylinder again.

On the plus side, we did use it this past week for many 5-6 mile cruises.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

are you using champion plugs? if so, switch to NGK's or Bosch or AC Delco or anything else

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

are you using champion plugs? if so, switch to NGK's or Bosch or AC Delco or anything else

Dont agree with that at all, the Champs were what it was designed to run on. I run them in all of my 50s OMCS, and I have alot of them, with no issues.

As JBJ stated, the old Universal Mag is pretty darn reliable, and cheap, once set up properly.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Universal Ignition - Electronic Ignition conversion?

I agree. I have a '66 20 hp Johnson and run Champion J6C plugs with 7mm COPPER CORE s'plug wires without issue. While you can convert points to solid state, I'm not sure why you'd want to. Solid state is sort of an all or none proposition. They either work, or they're garbage. Whereas points are purely mechanical and can be cleaned, reset and run for years. Best of all, a whole tune up kit only costs about $20. Here are some handy links that may help you get the ignition dialed. You may want to check that the s'plug wires are not coming, loose from the coil posts. It's a fairly common problem that can often be overlooked.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/columns/max/07/index.htm

http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...on 3 HP 1952-1967 Ignition System Tune-up.htm