Cheap & EZ Ignition upgrade for 1.6 DOHC guys

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » August 30th, 2005, 10:46 pm

I found a way to basically convert your distributor into nothing more than a cam and crank angle sensor and a spinny thing for the rotor to turn.

On the festiva project we were working one, we over-rode the pos stock ignition module (it was out of spec) and the internal coil was also out of spec (more resistance than the shop manual said is needed)

Anyways, we rigged a external HEI module and a MSD blaster-2 coil and a different cap & rotor and it works fine. If anyone cares let me know. I won't write it up otherwise.

jaydog5678 · Post by **jaydog5678** » August 30th, 2005, 11:38 pm

Well I don't really care about the 1.6, but I'm sure someone, somewhere would want to know sooner or later. Post it up in the faq.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » August 30th, 2005, 11:49 pm

not care? are you nutz, there are several people that i know who would kill for this info. myself included except i just bought a BP10 ecu, so i could go around it. MSD told me there was no way that they knew of, as well as a few other shops. i knew it could be done i just didnt have the know how to do it. Props for swaping it to an exturnal coil.

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » August 31st, 2005, 1:25 am

its actually ridiculously easy.

the wiring pinouts are IDENTICAL TO THE K8 so you basically follow my HEI module how-to but for your 4-cylinder.

sure you can drill out the cap & install a post, but guess what....the SOHC cap & rotor (same as BP) FITS, no problems. Just swap it and you already have yourself the external coil post. You have to use the rotor b/c the internal coil disty has a weird spring-loaded cap & the rotor just has a lead on it, quite different from the cheaper & simpler external coil cap & rotor design.

remove your old coil (easy as hell, just take apart the disty & remove it) otherwise the lead post thingy sticks out and interferes with the cap.

After that, wire it up like my how-to...it worked fine for my buddies festiva

Josh · Post by **Josh** » August 31st, 2005, 1:38 am

i was going to hook it up like the how-to on the K8, but everyone told me i would fri the ecu. that pisses me off. just goes to show you cant believe wat everyone tells ya.

projectmx · Post by **projectmx** » August 31st, 2005, 8:56 am

i'm not sure i completely understand what was done... i'm doing a bp swap and i wanted to switch to a coil pack if possible.. is this what you are doing? if not elaborate more and definantly do this write up cause i'm interested in seeing what you did

neutral · Post by **neutral** » August 31st, 2005, 6:46 pm

Thanks for the info Gro.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » August 31st, 2005, 7:21 pm

Thanks Gro.. definately good to know.. Heh.. I even have a spare Mallory ProComp coil left over from my V8 days.. now it can see some usage again

Tunes67

nos92mx3 · Post by **nos92mx3** » August 31st, 2005, 8:50 pm

Um Gro, You are the man!
I will hit you with an internet stick if you dont post up how you did it.
Please?

neutral · Post by **neutral** » August 31st, 2005, 9:20 pm

To those looking for more how-to info from Gro, have ya checked thru his write up yet? http://projectmazda.com/howto/hei/index.htm

Gro Harlem wrote:its actually ridiculously easy.

the wiring pinouts are IDENTICAL TO THE K8 so you basically follow my HEI module how-to but for your 4-cylinder.

sure you can drill out the cap & install a post, but guess what....the SOHC cap & rotor (same as BP) FITS, no problems. Just swap it and you already have yourself the external coil post. You have to use the rotor b/c the internal coil disty has a weird spring-loaded cap & the rotor just has a lead on it, quite different from the cheaper & simpler external coil cap & rotor design.

remove your old coil (easy as hell, just take apart the disty & remove it) otherwise the lead post thingy sticks out and interferes with the cap.

After that, wire it up like my how-to...it worked fine for my buddies festiva

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » September 1st, 2005, 5:58 am

my previous reply WAS my how-to. it is pretty much the same as the how-to neutral linked to. Just swap the cap to a bp/b6me cap and rotor & wire it up and pow ur done.

And if you are doing a BP swap you need an external coil since thats what it runs off of .

only the newer miatas had coil packs and hooking up that crap would be costly & a pain. You'll need the camshaft & head from a miata since its cam angle sensor is bolted to the intake cam, not the exhaust like on the FWD bp's + you'll need all of the coil packs, the ecu and wiring crap.......list goes on. If you were to go through all that, you might as well just run a miata BP harness...get rid of that shitty VAF.

ariesdude · Post by **ariesdude** » March 28th, 2006, 9:17 pm

Gro Harlem wrote:its actually ridiculously easy.

the wiring pinouts are IDENTICAL TO THE K8 so you basically follow my HEI module how-to but for your 4-cylinder.

sure you can drill out the cap & install a post, but guess what....the SOHC cap & rotor (same as BP) FITS, no problems. Just swap it and you already have yourself the external coil post. You have to use the rotor b/c the internal coil disty has a weird spring-loaded cap & the rotor just has a lead on it, quite different from the cheaper & simpler external coil cap & rotor design.

remove your old coil (easy as hell, just take apart the disty & remove it) otherwise the lead post thingy sticks out and interferes with the cap.

After that, wire it up like my how-to...it worked fine for my buddies festiva

I just tried this mod on my 1994 1.6L DOHC (Mfg Date 4/94)- the SOHC cap and rotor doesnt fit the distributor. The shaft is too big for the rotor to fit and the cap is not long enough to cover the entire assembly like the original does. So i guess if you have a 94+ 4 cyl DOHC you have to drill the cap and install a post.... or get a different distributor that gro is talking about...

Also the wiring location is slightly different - the yellow/blue tach wire is actually in a different location on the connector (in the write up it is shown to be the center wire of the connector).

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » August 8th, 2007, 3:30 pm

I realize this thread is over a year old.. but at this time I am also looking at doing this mod to my RS since it keeps eating distributors. After a run to Napa today to compare caps and rotors.. I have come to the same conclusion as Ariesdude in that the Disty Cap from the 92-93 SOHC MX-3 Did not fit.. the 92-93 SOHC Protege Cap did not fit, the 94+ Protege Cap did not fit.. the 92-93 Escorts were distributorless, And the early 90's Ford Festiva Caps did not fit.. oddly enough.. all of these distributor caps (except the escort of course) were the same part number.. i.e... the same cap. The only variances seemed to be in the rotor size. Now.. there is one more distributor cap that may actually work.. but that Napa didnt have one in stock so I have to pull a few strings to check and see.. but from looking at pictures of it at Napaonline.com.. I think the distributor cap from a 91-94 Mercury Capri B6T Car may indeed fit. I happen to know a guy that has one of these cars.. so tomorrow I will see if I can get him to let me check out his distributor cap and see if it will fit on my disty housing. Anyway.. didnt see a need to start a new thread about this when this one already exsisted. I will update tomorrow.

Tunes67

P.S. I know I havent gotten around to checking the 323 caps yet.. that Napa didnt have them in stock for the GTX either. Gonna check another store.. will update with this info tomorrow as well.

shameem · Post by **shameem** » August 8th, 2007, 7:10 pm

If you are doing external coil as well - retrofitting one of the old (SOHC) distys may be an option - all you would need is the connector for the old disty and splice in the CAS wires from the 94 wiring harness.... assuming the CAS is compatible...

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » August 8th, 2007, 7:17 pm

I thought about that too.. but dont have a 92-93 disty to play with and dont have the wiring diagrams for one either.. I am going external coil.. I am done playing with this mitsubishi made stuff. I wont buy a remanufactured one or a new one.. so.. if I cant make this HEI work with an external coil.. the RS is pretty much slated to be parted out.

Tunes67