Electronic Ignition Conversion - Factory Datsun "matchbox"

[datzenmike]

Do you have the SSS tach installed and working? If yes there is nothing to do it will work with the EI dizzy..

 

If you are installing an SSS tach wire it per the instructions.

 

If no instructions the second paragraph describes the two tach types and how to join them into the ignition circuit...

 

[kgrantkey]

Here is more information on inspecting the matchbox distributor. If buying used, there are two things to watch out for:

 

* Advance plate bearing gone bad

* Vacuum advance canister not holding vacuum

 

To ensure you obtain a good unit:

 

1. Make sure the 'teeth' line up evenly, evenly spaced (gap is equal with all four). Also wiggle the teeth with your finger. If you use a tool, you can get them all to move, but it shouldn't move with your fingers and in any case should snap back to perfect teeth gap alignment.

 

bad:

 

 

2. Check vacuum advance -- most are bad! -- bring a vacuum gun with you and ensure that vacuum stays steady (does not slowly leak) and that it rotates the advance plate. A stuck advance plate is the result of bad plate bearings (see point #1).

 

good:

 

The good news is you can buy a new can for $30 to $100 from RockAuto.com or other local parts stores.

 

 

3. Wiggle the shaft from side to side. It should have no or a tiny bit of play. If it has enough to allow the stator teeth to hit the reluctor teeth, that's way too much. That being said, the shaft bushings rarely wear out.

 

 

4. Test the mechanical advance: hold the end of the distributor shaft (at the bottom) steady, and try to turn the rotor (or top of shaft). The mechanical advance is spring-loaded:

* If it flops a little back and forth, the mechanical advance is broken

* If it doesn't move one direction, and moves a bit the other with some tension, it is good

 

 

About the teeth alignment: most of the used Matchbox distributors I have purchased have this problem. In the photo, note the mis-alignment of the reluctor. It is caused by a bad "breaker plate" assembly (vacuum-advance plate), which you cannot see without disassembly the distributor. In some of the distributors you can see ball bearings loose in the housing. In the others I couldn't see, but they are all broken. That's the problem, the BBs are held in by a plastic race.

 

Nissan have new breaker plates, but they are a $72 part.

 

I did these tests to my dizzy and it passed. I had at least 1 that had the bearings loose from the plastic retainer. Also had 1 with a bad vacuum

 

advance. I've had trouble in the past getting the vacume advance to work and just left it disconnected.

 

I'd really like to get mine to work just like it is supposed to. It was doing OK when I started reworking the motor so I think I'll be in the ballpark when I get everything together.

 

I've made a lot of posts lately but I'm just about ready to put everything back in the truck and drive it.  I'll add a few parts as time goes by to help with the overall performance and longevity

 

of this 620 pickup.

[jimmy billy]

Ok so i have a match box diz with the code D4K and 22100. Everything seems to look right and when i go to mount it the box faces towards the front of the motor so im guessing theats right cause you sead you dont want it to point towards the header. I lined the motor up to tdc and the rotor points towards #1 wire i removed the points diz and put the other diz in and turn the rotor to line up with the #1 and it doesnt go in. I turn it till it hit #3 wire and it goes in......wtf! Lol am i doing something wrong??? Or do i have to turn the inner splined shaft and line it up so its siting right so my diz lines up right with the #1 wire???

[wayno]

Ok so i have a match box diz with the code D4K and 22100. Everything seems to look right and when i go to mount it the box faces towards the front of the motor so im guessing theats right cause you sead you dont want it to point towards the header. I lined the motor up to tdc and the rotor points towards #1 wire i removed the points diz and put the other diz in and turn the rotor to line up with the #1 and it doesnt go in. I turn it till it hit #3 wire and it goes in......wtf! Lol am i doing something wrong??? Or do i have to turn the inner splined shaft and line it up so its siting right so my diz lines up right with the #1 wire???

So you have an L20b dist on an L16, correct?

[jimmy billy]

From what i knew from the preveous owner their mite of been a l18 in the car before i got it. Know their was a 8 after D4K does that mean anything???

[jimmy billy]

I had two diz's in the car siting in a box. Cody looked at em and pulled the caps and one was points and one was a match box. Everything looked right with the numbers. Untill i put it on :-(

[wayno]

It really doesn't matter where the rotor is pointed, as long as it points directly at a post on the cap, and that posts wire will go to #1 plug and then plug the wires counter clockwise 1, 3, 4, 2.

[jimmy billy]

Yee boy!!! Then shes in :-D

[deleterius]

Just need clarification.  Road, you show wiring from the matchbox as follows:  (bypass the resistor) "C" terminal to neg side of coil.  "B" terminal to positive, but in the Dime Quarterly Volume4, Issue2, page 6, it is the opposite.  Which is it?  I have voltage at both sides of the coil, bypassed the resistor ballast, but still not generating a spark.  Used the dizzy from a '79 620, and matching ignition coil.  My '72 510 was equipped with dual points, so is there an additional step/wiring needed for this swap?

 

Much thanks!

[ggzilla]

WIRING

------

 

2-wires attach to the Matchbox distributor. Connect:

 

* White OR Black/white wire to 12V side of ballast resistor (the side not directly connected to the coil)

 

* Blue wire to coil negative terminal

[banzai510(hainz)]

b to blk wht wire

C to -side coil use a EI coil. do not use the point coil.

 

 

you can use the ballast and your stock coil just hook B to the + side of the ballast the wht blk wire

then C to the - side coil

 

 

look in the HOW TO section here on electric ignition and it Moron proff

[deleterius]

Banzai - Nah, got the matching EI coil, so will be bypassing the ballast.  Road - Got spark now.  Had to trace wiring back and found corrosion - but she's a sparkin' now.  Thanks guys!

[datO)))]

I have the matchbox as well. I took the drive gear off of the old points dizzy and ground down the shank a bit to allying the round pin.

Some concerns:

1. The main shaft has substantial "up" and "down" play now.

2. The pickup coil betheath the lobe section. Forgive my lack of proper terms, is kinda cruddy .

And when I took apart the modual, I broke the 4 terminals so soldiering is needed.

3. When I hooked it up, it didint work.( prior to taking it apart).

Some notes: I'm using the yellow accel coil.

I'm using the ballest resist.

 

Timing procedure: manually rotated the motor till the red mark on the crank pulley aligned to 5-7 deg. BTDC.

Reset the dizzy so the rotor points to #1 plug wire ON THE CAP!.

I'm back to the old dizzy W/ points and still no fire.

What is the proper wiring

[datO)))]

WIRING

------

2-wires attach to the Matchbox distributor. Connect:

* White OR Black/white wire to 12V side of ballast resistor (the side not directly connected to the coil)

* Blue wire to coil negative terminal

So was it reversed? Cause I've gone over everything and , no spark!

[datzenmike]

Some notes: I'm using the yellow accel coil.

I'm using the ballest resist.

 

Timing procedure: manually rotated the motor till the red mark on the crank pulley aligned to 5-7 deg. BTDC.

Reset the dizzy so the rotor points to #1 plug wire ON THE CAP!.

I'm back to the old dizzy W/ points and still no fire.

What is the proper wiring

 

I have zero faith in these after market coils. They are like fishing lures... they catch fishermen not fish!

 

Ground the negative side of the coil and jumper a +12 from the coil and briefly touch the positive side of the coil. When you break the connection you should get a nice fat spark from the output. At least we will know if that coil can even work.

[datO)))]

Ok I'll keep at it. I think today I'm going to just take pictures and double my efforts procedures

[datO)))]

Ok so just picked up an EL dizzy/ coil from an 81 810. It's for a 6 cylinder but I'm just going to swap some parts and BAM! Bitch is going to work...... Feeling good about this . Total cost, $50

[datO)))]

It worked! The wagon lives again. And it was simple. Just need the matching coil and a working modul . just like yall were sayin. See ya at the Canby meet.

[GoGoGo]

Before I start combining stock wiring just want to make sure these are the right wires to splice together and reconnect to the + side of the coil which is 3.0 ohm. Much appreciated!

[banzai510(hainz)]

Heritic

 

What ignition you have?

Pertronix Conversion? then best to use the stock coil as its only 1.5 ohms and youll get a hotter spark in START as you bypass the resisitor. now you have 3 ohms in start and 1.5 added when you go back to ON position. Less spark.

Its in the Pertrnix instructions

 

Also in a Pertonix the red + wire will be at the Ballast resisitor with the blk white wire as it want the full 12volts. Double lug the input the input to the ballast(what you have at the - side on coil)

 

 

what is the red and gray wire????

and whats looks like a stock datsun wire with the gray?

 

Is one a tach?

 

 

Dont need 2 wires on - side coil unless one is for a tach

[GoGoGo]

I should probably find out. Troy Ermish did the install of the new motor a couple weeks ago and during the process the old distributor and Pertronix ignition was damaged so he put on an extra matchbox distributor and used the coil I had provided him. No Pertronix conversion to the matchbox (as far as I can tell). 

 

Hoping to get rid of the ballast resistor to clean up wiring etc as the coil is soon going to located on the side of the radiator anyways. Don't know what the solid black wire on the - side is. Looked at the wiring diagram and couldn't see what it would be. The car was originally an automatic so.....?

 

Here are some better pics

[banzai510(hainz)]

does the car run?????????

 

This matchbox the wires can be made better cleaner

 

Now if Troy Hooked this up he knows (Better)what he is doing(I would think.)

 

To make the Matchbox work best you get a EI coil from a 78/79 nissan say 620.200sx or a MSD Blaster 2

 

remove the balllast resisitor and hook the blk/ white wire with the red(B on matchbox) right at the coil. C) is minus side coil.

 

this diagram is a common and a EZ hookup

 

Datzemike and other can post this

[GoGoGo]

Figured it out. Fairly simple process of disconnecting the black/green wire and connecting the black/white wire and the black/blue wire to the + side of the terminal. Have 3 terminal connections as you can see in the pictures so no need to cut stock wires. Then removed ballast resistor. Now I need to regap my spark plugs to take advantage of the hotter spark. 

[soundboi]

Im currently  using a blaster coil 2 with the electronic setup but still using my resistor, I changed my coil from the stock points coil to the MSD blaster unit but im getting a slight flat spot about 3500rpm, the vacuum advance works on the dizzy.

 

I changed to the blaster coil to solve this but it helped but didnt solve this, can the resistor cause this problem?

 

im also getting a pre ignition when i switch off my engine, timing is properly setup, can the resistor cause this problem?

[DanielC]

I am running a 521/L-16 with a matchbox distributor, and the stock Nissan ignition coil, and ballast resistor.  I do not have any of the problems you describe.

 

If the engine is running, an ignition problem will be a noticeable misfire.  A "flat spot" is more of a carburetion issue.

 

If the engine is switched off, no electricity is going to the ignition coil, or the ballast resistor.  That means you can definitely rule out electrical problems.

 

When was the last time you replaced the spark plugs?

 

I firmly believe a stock Nissan ignition coil is much higher quality than almost any after market coil.