Unidentified Jaguar Ignition

Just picked up a replacement 3.8 engine for Poorly Jag [1] and it has an
electronic ignition set up in the distributor - does anyone know who
manufactured it?

http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/jagign/

The little black box has a cloth sleeved cable with two spade connectors
at just the right length to reach the coil and that's all I can make out.

Another thing, do the core plugs look recent?


[1]
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/images/jageng/jag_eng.jpg
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/images/jageng/jag_piston_no1.jpg

 

Looks similar to the Lucas Rita system fitted to various old british
bikes. Is the black box a small magnet by any chance?

 

It does look like a Rita (my Guzzi has one) - at least it's a similar
pickup system but they tend to have rubber mounted, branded black boxes
with heat sinks and that system isn't unique to Rita.

I also think they're no longer trading and that setup looks quite recent,
rust aside.

 

sweller wrote:

Aww, Poorly Jag. Tell me, do you call it that because it is poorly, or
to differentiate it from another - Well Jag, for example? You don't
have two Jags, do you?

I dunno about recent - because they're galvanised, they always appear
to be a different colour to the surrounding block: however the rearmost
plug is in the opposite way round to the others that are visible and I
would have thought that they'd all be the same way round out of the
factory.

 

A member of the Labour party with a brace of Jags?!

Nah, it'd never happen...

 

Not on the original engine - core plugs on the replacement:
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/jagign/dscf0590.jpg

 

I only have the one - a brace of MZs [1], an altogether different
matter...


[1] I think we decided the collective noun for MZs was "a collective"

 

The plugs will stay clean and shiny on the outside its what you can't
see inside will be corroded.

Ignition don't know. But there must be an amplifier module which it
connects not straight to the coil. Obviously the distributor does not
have a module so its an external one that's required.

Good the see the broken rings didn't do more damage.

r

 

Mallory? It looks like the one on my old V8 Rangy.

JB

 

Looks like the Lucas DM. The 'black box' is a variable reluctance (VR)
sensor which goes to an amplifier which then feeds the coil.
Is the dizzy marked DM?

 

The black box I'm on about is this one - arrowed.
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/images/dscf0590arrow.jpg

 

Dunno what it is, but this guy might as he appears to have one the same
- http://inetogether.net/jaguar/080705.php

 

The one on the left looks like it's not been smacked with a nammer. And it
should've been.

 

Looks like standard Lucas XJ6 ignition from the 70's.
This might help;
<http://www.britishparts.co.uk/.sc/ms/cat/Jaguar XJ6-XJ12 69-87--Elec
trical/1>
Ign modules on following pages.

 

I got round to taking it off the car - the distributor is marked 43DM6.
The amplifier has no markings or other connections (it has a two blade
plug which goes to the distributor).

http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/images/43dm6-distrib.jpg

Any ideas?

 

I'm not sure of the wiring. It has two wires between the box and the
distributor and two wires from the box with female spade connectors -
that look just the right length to reach the coil.

I don't know where it gets its live feed from - or if its positive or
negative earth.

 

I have no idea except it's from a 1962 Mk2 - I'm pretty sure it would
have been converted to -ve earth simply for the electronic ignition -
however +ve earth ignition units exist so it's important to identify the
manufacturer and find out if they made +ve versions. If I can identify
it I can get the required info direct. Which will make everyone's life
easier!

Normally the live feed goes to the coil then to points/distributor then
to earth - there isn't a ballast resistor on these cars. The missing
link is where the feed goes to on the electronic set up. The only real
way is to find someone with this setup and copy their wiring or identify
the manufacturer and get it direct.

The Jag rev counter uses an AC generator on the back of the inlet cam and
the "tacho" just measures the voltage - polarity isn't an issue.

 

What a lovely expression. So the ShiteOldJag has a reluctant ignition
system?

 

No ancillaries - I was surprised it had a distributor.

That's how it is OE - surely it can't be described as a lash up!

Oh, and our man pre-dates your man:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Robinson

 

Similar to the Rover SD1 - although the amp looks different. My SD1 has
the later DLM with amp mounted on the dizzy.

There should be white and white/black wires to the amp from the coil - the
white to positive and the white black to negative. The white should also
be fed with battery volts - probably linked at the coil. There is also
likely a second white/black lead from the coil to the rev
counter/injection.