Dino Saga 060618___Ignition Again

Dino Saga 060618___Ignition Again

MSD vs Plasma vs CD vs Dinoplex vs Etc. A little reality wouldn’t hurt. Might be refreshing.

From the beginning: We really want the cylinders to fire on the first spark, on time, every time, with the throttle open, over 3,000 RPM. We do not expect to run with fouled plugs, or almost fouled plugs. We want the car to start as long as it has gas and a charged battery. If it pops a little at idle or on backing off, so be it. If you have carbs, that’s life. If you have fuel injection, you probably need a computer guru or a beer. Your problem!

Once you have found a plug that suits your driving style, life becomes simple. If you are not willing to change plugs when you change from going to the movies to going to Willow Springs then you can spend a lot of money on Magic Mystery Ignition systems. I found that life was too short to worry about those kinds of systems.

The Dino books call for extremely cold plugs that are only practical for the race track and not too good at that. Remember, 30+ years is a long time. Plug folks have been busy. Once exotic materials have become commonplace and relatively cheap. Most folks do not spend their lives at the track. Most folks would like to change plugs every 20,000-30,000 miles or so, just like the new cars do.

Small center electrode plugs are magic. They are only practical if electrodes are Platinum or Iridium. Iridium has higher melting temp so electrode can be smaller. Way to go. Tip stays hot but not too hot. Virtually no way, or place, to build up carbon. Pick heat range for your hardest driving and you are pretty much there. NGK BPR7EIX is a pretty universal plug for older Ferraris run on the street. With any Ignition system!

Coils come in many shapes and sizes. Nothing wrong with stock Magneti Marelli. 12 volts in and more than enough High Voltage at 8,000 RPM. Plug wires should be solid copper or stainless core, silicone insulation. Delco SS-550 wire is great. Little or no radio interference with or without resistor plugs.

Coil driver was DinoPlex. Works fine until 1960s transistors self destruct. Do you realize how ancient that is? Silicon power transistors were a novelty in the 70s, got their legs in the 80s and now own the world. Any 1980s or later driver that will accept points input, drive the coil with a pulse and drive the tach will work just fine. If there is any problem with Dino ignition it is with the mechanical advance. You MUST lube it every 15,000 miles or every 3 years. You have to take the distributor apart to do it. Do it!

The ultimate Dino ignition system is a crank driven electronic system with 3 coils and an advance curve that has been developed on a dyno, for your individual car. Better to save your money, practice, and learn to drive faster in one of the best handling cars ever built. The engine is probably better than you are. Drive!

John
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