No More Points in the Forklift

Realizing how much I need and depend on the forklift has me making it more dependable.  I started in changing it over to an electronic ignition a few days ago and got it running early this morning.  It has a lot more power now and no more points to mess with.

A company by the name of Pertronics makes these kits for all kinds of older cars, trucks, generator, welder, + tractor engines.  It takes less than an hour to install and works like a charm.  All you need to do is remove the original point plate and install the new plate, then slide a magnetic trigger on the main shaft, everything is already set up.  I called them before I bought a kit for more clarity and they are really helpful.  I opted to pull the distributor, take it apart to check everything and blast it to make sure nothing had play in it, or got missed.

There are a few other musts...

  1 - If you have copper core non-shielded plug wires they will mess things up.  To stop interference with the module you'll need resistor plug wires.  NGK makes a set that is Made in USA, numbered for each cylinder, and is top notch.  Both ends are stainless inside, the plug boot ends are silicone sealed from the factory, and they have a lifetime warranty.  They come in a lot of configurations but I opted for a 4 cyl set with the angles on both ends because mine is in a tight space.

  2 - It requires a coil with a 3 ohm resistance or more on the primary winding (checked between + and -), and no ballast resistor.  Most internally resisted coils have these specs, the ones that use the ballast resistor are usually 1.5 ohm or so resistance on the primary.

  3 - On 6 cylinders you may have to change the rotor, standard part numbers for some of today's brands and pics are in the instructions.  The instructions are also very nice and thorough.

I still need to put split loom on the plug wires, remount the coil bracket and put a new coil on, cover the coil wires to the coil, put new plugs in it, and do some other tidying up under there but that's a job for tomorrow afternoon when the rain comes in.  It is running + starting perfect, and has more power than ever, prob better than new because of a higher voltage coil, the electronics, and everything being new.

I'll put up a few more pics when it's done tomorrow. 

First group of pics here is tear down, inspection, and putting all the original parts back on the plate to keep in case needed for an emergency at another time.  Don't forget to position the rotor forward, and mark the distributor and surface near it for easy reassembly...   

 

Pics here are of some of the new parts, putting them in, and getting everything ready for a test run.  Will put up a few more pics tomorrow when it's all done.

 

Another mission done.   I tried a lot of places for the new coil but the lift control block was in the way, so the best place for it ended up to be where I moved it to a few months ago when redoing the propane system. 

The last pick of it was one from Jan 29, 2016.  It's come a long way since then, and I can't even believe it's been here over 7 years. 

 

Good Job, worth the effort.