123 Ignition

[Tomas7]

Originally Posted by benznorthny

I need to know, did you get the 6-R-V unit or the 6-R-V-IE? I am confused as to what unit to get. Please give me your input.

Email them, I did and got a response within a day. Give them a description of your car, motor, etc.
sales@123ignitionusa.com
For my car which is a 1976 280C with a 6 cyl DOHC, the correct one is the
6-R-V.

[twinockchef]

123 ignition did not offer the USB port or bluetooth options when I purchased my unit. Which means I have the 6-R-V unit. The bluetooth version looks intriguing. Better versatility. When I get my 71 280SL complete I will use it.
What kind of input are you looking for?

[bracurrie]

Originally Posted by benznorthny

I am ready to buy the 123 Ignition system for my 1971 280se 6 cyl 2.8. I would like to know if this distributor
is plug and play or do I have to tune it. I have checked several posts, with no conclusive definite answer.
Any input is greatly appreciated.

Did you follow up and install the 123ignition distributor? I also have a M180 MFI engine and am looking at 123. My thought was while the petronix works, it was installed by previous owner, I wanted to explore controlling advance under certain circumstances that were controlled by OEM devices that have failed and are not easily replaceable. On the right fender there is an electro mechanical device to change the advance to promote cooler running under certain circumstances. The BBB has the information so I was thinking the 123 distributor would be the way to go. Also, I was impressed by the timing accuracy demonstration. Maybe some increased performance would be an added benefit.
Brad

[Frank Reiner]

Originally Posted by bracurrie

Did you follow up and install the 123ignition distributor? I also have a M180 MFI engine and am looking at 123. My thought was while the petronix works, it was installed by previous owner, I wanted to explore controlling advance under certain circumstances that were controlled by OEM devices that have failed and are not easily replaceable. On the right fender there is an electro mechanical device to change the advance to promote cooler running under certain circumstances. The BBB has the information so I was thinking the 123 distributor would be the way to go. Also, I was impressed by the timing accuracy demonstration. Maybe some increased performance would be an added benefit.
Brad

bc:

As a general matter, the distributors used in the M180 thru M130 engines will operate quite well without any of the vacuum devices that were added for emissions control purposes. The centrifugal advance alone will usually deliver a satisfactory curve for a stock configuration engine. Setting total advance to about 36-38 degrees BTC is a good starting point. Any pinging will be a clue to retard a bit.
Both the 123 units and the Pertronix module utilize a Hall-effect pickup, and both control dwell angle electronically; spark quality is effectively equal. The difference is in the method of controlling the advance curve.

BBB? Better Business Bureau?

[bracurrie]

Originally Posted by Frank Reiner

BBB? Better Business Bureau?

Big Blue Book

[Benz Dr.]

Originally Posted by benznorthny

true to a certain extent "if it ain't broke" but the technology is ancient with points.

Is that so? I've been rebuilding Bosch distributors for 25 years and they're anything but. 50 year old technology is hardly ancient. Ever look at a 300SL ignition system? Dual coil, dual point, with a very high tech rotor. This was racing tech at the time in a street driven car.
My own car has a 300SE distributor which is also dual point but is single coil. This is a true dual point system where each point set fires three spark plugs. One set fires one three and five while the other set fires two four and six. Each set of points fires half as often as a single set so generally speaking they last twice as long. This type of distributor can spin to very high RPM as each set of points tends to cancel out any deflections. Also, the cam lobes are much less pronounced leading to less point float.

New, completely electronic distributors, will preform well because they're a total system. The main problem with old distributors is they become worn out and fall out of adjustment. Most can be rebuilt and will function better than most units from the same time period because they're high quality. And, because most people tend to want something quick and handy, they go with the easiest solution which is electronic.

[bracurrie]

Originally Posted by Benz Dr.

New, completely electronic distributors, will preform well because they're a total system.

I thought you could get a hotter spark too.
Brad

[Mike D]

Spark depends on the coil. Weak coil = weak spark.

[JMela]

I rebuilt my 108’s pertronix-ed distributor years ago (using a nice kit from Benz Dr.) but was looking w some envy at the 123 distributors. I’ve halfheartedly been looking for a used one to try out.

Cosmetically, that billet look isn’t a good one for older cars, IMO, but likely nobody else cares.