Ignition amplifier

[mikestifel]

I've got an '87 De Dion car with a 1700 BDR motor in it.  I'm assuming that the car was originally equipped with a Lucas electronic ignition which has since been replaced with a Pertronix distributor.  The ignition amplifier is still in the car but is no longer involved with the ignition.  Looking over the wiring diagram it looks like a lot of stuff goes through that amplifier.  Is there an elegant way to jump a few pins or replace it with a relay or am I better off just living with it in place?

 

Here's the amp.  I took a quick look inside and although I'm no electrical engineer it seems to be all passive components, so nothing terribly fancy.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[Ian Macquarie]

I had one of those on my 1990 Supersprint. (now superseded with fuel injection.)

I believe that there is a 6 pin connector on the other end of the cable. If the distributor has been replaced with another type (without the pick up that matches the amplifier) then I would expect you could just unplug the connector and remove the amplifier. Try disconnecting it and see what happens.

all the best

Ian

[mikestifel]

I tried that and my turn signals, windscreen wipers and headlamps stopped working. I'm hoping that someone has been through this and has an elegant solution. I can probably figure it out eventually but the Caterham wiring diagram is not the most helpful document I've ever encountered.

[orangepeel61]

I removed the one on my 1987 Supersprint, from memory, I just unplugged it, one plug by the distributor and another under the dash, no problems with any of the electrics afterwards. 

Are you sure you haven't disturbed something else in the process? 

 

 

[Jonathan Kay]

"I tried that and my turn signals, windscreen wipers and headlamps stopped working. I'm hoping that someone has been through this and has an elegant solution."

Most headlamps aren't powered by feeds which depend on the ignition being ON.

If it weren't for that I'd offer the suggestion that when the ignition module was added some ignition switched feeds were moved downstream of the unit, possibly to make the wiring easier for some reason.

Do you have a multimeter?

Jonathan