How do I disable the ignition on a 328?

Swap out your current ignition for a Lucas ignition? Worked well in my Lotus!

Seriously, cranking but having the ignition disabled means raw fuel washing down the cylinders. Not a good thing. Is this for an anti-theft thing? If not, just pull the high voltage wires that go from the distributors to the center of the coils.

As an anti-theft device, you can put a bypass from the low current wire from the distributors to the coils (don't use the high voltage one!) so you need to do both on a DPDT switch. You might also wire the fuel pump in to avoid the above. This is getting complicated now huh.

What are you trying to accomplish?

Ken

 

You could also take the fuse out for the fuel pump- and disconnect the coil wires. She won't start. If you are turning it over for more that a few seconds, I would also take out the spark plugs so you don't beat up the starting system.

 

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do not disable by removing the red coil wires. You can permanantly disable it that way. Remove the big black plug going to the transistor on the top of the coils.

 

Really! What happens when you put a switch on the red wires?

Ken

 

On any car with transistorized or some nature of electronic ignition, disconnecting the secondary side (high voltage) while running or while cranking can cause the destruction of the triggering system on the primary (low voltage) side. It is considered a really big no no on any car.

That big hot spark is going somewhere and you have to give it a nondestructive path.

 

I'm a little confused then. My Pertronix has two wires, the black which goes to the - coil side and the red which goes to the +. The unit as I understand it is really just an electric on/off switch that triggers the spark when the rotor in the distributor is lined up with the 4 poles on the plate (4 cylinder engine).

If I add a switch the red side, isn't it just the same as the electronic switch of the unit being off, and the coil remains energized ready to spark whenever the switch is triggered back to 'on'? There is no spark until the elecronic unit triggers the coil to fire, so unless the coil is overcharging, I don't understand the problem. What am I missing?

Ken

 

Are any of those wires a coil or spark plug wire?


I don't think so.

You are talking about a lotus on a Ferrari forum and confusing the issue because you do not know that a Ferrari has red coil and spark plug wires.
I have no Fing idea what wire is red on a Lotus except the one that is red hot and melting and I hope I never do.


Stay with the program or just watch.

 

Well, sorry if I'm out of my depth; I thought (incorrectly) that basic ignition was pretty much the same in theory, if not in practice. You get high voltage out of a coil that is triggered by a distributor mechanically or electronically to shunt to a spark plug.

I'll rustle up a Ferrari wiring diagram and educate myself since you seem to have better things to do.

Ken

 

What rifledriver is saying is true for any electronic ignition:
Don't pull the coil high voltage output (ie: hot) wire to the distributor, or even a spark plug wire & crank the engine.

The coil's secondary voltage won't be limited by a spark plug's relatively short gap, & the inductive kick-back into the primary can destroy the transistor switching power to the primary.

BTW, Ferrari uses red silicone jackets for the high voltage wiring.

 

I never doubted he was correct; I was just trying to learn something. Thanks!

Ken

 

Verell, thats all useful stuff to know. Would that imply that if you have a bad spark plug wire (bad enough to cause a misfire) that it could, in theory, damage the coil/ignition ecu?

I.

 

I has been known to happen. GM DIS systems are famous for it but on the Ferrari's it has been my experience that somewhere on the secondary side it will find a ground to discharge to.

 

As Brian says, it's been known to happen.

Usually tho, a bad wire still has a relatively short gap or set of gaps & so the kickback isn't bad enough to damage something. However, what would sometimes kill a system is to have a plug or coil-distributor wire come off.

BTW, even mechanical points systems aren't completely immune. The coil kick back would either short out the condenser, or pit the points pretty badly if driven for awhile.

I think the mfgs have learned to protect against this pretty well at this point. However, the '70s & '80s GM HEI systems were pretty fragile. The 3x8 system is the same vintage, so I'm verry careful with it.

 

Good information- I learned something today and it's only 8:30!

Thanks Verell and Brian.

jwise

 

Likewise, thanks guys.

I.

 

Hmm. Sounds like another argument for a COP "stick coil" conversion ...