Electronic ignition

[tanny]

I read that if you replace the points distributor with a 1975-1983 D2 distributor with a E12-80 module, the 240 tach won't work. Is this true, and are there any work arounds to get the 240 tack to work with this setup? Thanks, Vic.

[EScanlon]

NOT true, that's the same setup I have and I'm using the original Tach.

The key is in wiring the dizzy and tach into the car.

I do know that the link posted by 2ManyZ's to geocities garage is a good one. Check that one out.

Enrique Scanlon

[St.stephen]

Escanlon said dizzzy

[billcapp]

Enrique,

Are you starting some new slang? What is a dizzy?

[St.stephen]

From what I gather that's aussie for distributor

[tanny]

EScanlon,

My daughter is looking into going to Western Washington University next fall. Wants to major in Marine Biology. Have you heard anything about it? Opinion? What's the area like? Her and mom may visit the campus the end of March. Is Geocities garage the name of the website where 2manyzs posted his advice? Thanks. Victor.

[Victor Laury]

Victor,

I have that very set-up in my 72. Nissan "matchbook" EI, 12 volt coil, no ballast resistor. The fellow that I bought the distributor kit from, (Gary Boone) warned me that I MIGHT have a problem with the tach. But After installation, No problem. Then, when I scapped my first 72, I swapped the whole set up into the new Lime Green 72 and still had no problem.

[ScaryFast]

Have you looked into the kits made by crane cams? I run an XR3000 ignition system with a PS92 coil and love it. It is an easy install into the stock distributor, the only thing is, you need to modify the wiring into the tach for it to work right. There is a wire that loops through the back of the tach twice, and you need to cut it and loop it through only once.

[EScanlon]

Dizzy: Don't know where I picked that term up, must have been one of you Aussie guys who are always butchering up the Queen's English. :tapemouth

But you have to admit, it's quicker to type Dizzy than Distributor, and it just sounds......cool!

By the way, first time I read your answer:

Escanlon said dizzzy

At first I thought you were saying it was a bad word like poop or something like that.....:

Western Washington U.: I believe that's up by Tacoma / Seattle area. I'm in the lower border of the state, just North of Portland, Oregon.

Weather up here is fairly mild considering how far north we are. Snow is usually a disaster when it falls, since no one seems to know how to drive in it. Coming from Michigan, it was an extremely amusing novelty to watch the TV channels go into 24 hour coverage of any snow storm, and the ensuing driving conditions.....for 3 inches of snow. Compare that with Michigan where anything less than 6" is no reason to be late to work. Here, they'll shut down schools, businesses, about the only thing they don't do is call out the National Guard and the Red Cross, but I wouldn't put it past them.

Rain, you may have heard is a common item. Yes, it does rain. A LOT! But then again, you don't have to shovel rain. (We don't tan, we rust!) It can make for some dreary months in winter, and be a general PITA during spring and fall, but the general climate more than makes up for it. There's a commercial where it shows a commencement ceremony going on....in the rain. One student is carrying an umbrella and the announcer just STOPS when he notices her. She realizes this, gets embarrassed and then folds it and the announcer then announces her name. It gets to the point where you don't mind it, although you wish it were less.

ScaryFast: You don't want to cut that wire, all you need to do is undo the hold down plastic pieces and release one of the loops. Cutting the wire and rejoining it will only add resistance to a wire that is part of your ignition circuit. Not much, but why add any?

And that only holds true for the Early Tach's as the later tach's had a 3 wire connection and not 4.

FWIW

[2ManyZs]

Is this the link you were talking about?

http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/engine.html

If you scroll down about half way down the page you'll find info on the swap.

If you notice, he does recommend using the later 280 tach as the ealrier tach is not as accurate. Whether that is true or not, I don't know. You can get the early tach to work, it just isn't wired as straightforward as the later ones will be....I don't know the exact wiring as I have never used the ZX distributor upgrade...

[EScanlon]

But in looking it over, I see that 2mZ is correct. He recommends the 280 tach.

I DO have an operating 240 tach in mine. The connection was very straight forward, and I'm not using the resistor. I know I got this information on the web. I'll do some research and get back to you on this.

As far as the arguments regarding reliability etc on the 240 tach, I'll post the following. My car is an automatic. The tach is a nice thing to have, but definitely not a requirement, as I don't have control over when the car shifts. It's nice to know that at idle I'm reving high, or that at 80mph I'm running close to 4k rpm (or thereabouts, like I said, I don't look at it much.), but in all honesty, I got it to work only because I hate inoperative instrumentation on the car.

If I were into racing the car, or something like that, then maybe I'd want an oscilloscope, but the 240 tach is accurate enough for me.

2¢

[beandip]

I am running a'79zx dist. and coil , no ballest resister and the tach works just fine . I have a '73 , I was told when I made the mod that my tach would not work but johnH240 from Zcar.com told me if the tach dident work when I wired everything up to switch the wires . :classic: