Technical Questions

Which type of HT leads do I need to use with 123ignition?

It is always possible to use your original HT-leads for the original look. Even when your engine has solid copper core cables it would work with a 123ignition. For the best performance we advise "carbon tension leads". These cables have a little resistance and very good isolation. Of course you can buy these leads at 123igntionshop.com. See here which sets we sell.


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Which coil to use with the 123ignition unit?

Which ignition coil is best to use with your 123ignition strongly depends on which engine you have:

- With a Citroen 2cv: DO NOT use other ignition coils than the standard (black) ignition coil. The manufacturer recommends that you immediately purchase a new black 2CV ignition coil and new silicone ignition cables with your new 123ignition. The brown VISA coil will damage your 123ignition due to the very low primary resistance.

- With the 2 cylinder DAF or FIAT engines you can continue to use the used ignition coil or another coil with approximately 3 Ohm primary resistance. We recommend the 123 Blue Coil. With 4 cylinder engines you can use the original coil or another coil with a primary resistance of at least 1.0 Ohm. For normally used cars we advise you to use the 123 Blue Coil. It may be better to use a 123 Red Coil for a rally car or other application where high revs are often driven. However, this last coil cannot be used if you want to drive with contact points.

- For 6-cylinder engines, we recommend that you replace your ignition coil with a so-called 'high performance' ignition coil because of the short charging time at higher speeds. Make sure that the ignition coil has a primary resistance of at least 1.0 Ohm (or more). We recommend using a 123 Red Coil.

- With 8 cylinder engines, we also recommend that you use a 'high performance' ignition coil in connection with the short charging time at the higher speeds. With an 8 cylinder it is important that the ignition coil has a primary resistance of at least 0.6 Ohm (or more). We recommend that you use a special ignition coil for the V8.

The manufacturer has pointed out to us that there are many complaints about fake "Lucas Sport" or "Lucas gold" ignition coils, so we do not recommend using them.


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It looks like, after a few kilometers/ miles driving, the engine misfires. What to do?

In some cases a very unstable boardnet voltage can cause misfires. The 123ignition is protected against high voltage peaks and goes in protection mode for a split second when a spike is detected. Most of the time this error occurs when the car battery is charged full again and the voltage regulator starts to work. This problem can be caused by a broken alternator / dynamo or bad voltage regulator. Unfortunately this is impossible to measure with just a standard voltage meter because we talk about high voltage spikes of micro seconds. You could easily test this to drive a while without working alternator / dynamo. Use a fully charged car battery and make sure no other important systems are driven by the dynamo belt, like the coolant pump!!!


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It looks like my engine misfires in the high rpm range, what can cause this problem?

The car battery has to put enough energy into the coil for a powerful spark. In the higher rpm range the time to do this is very short, so all conditions have to be perfect for good performance. Make sure you are using the right coil for your engine, see: "What kind of coil do you recommend?" Resistance somewhere in the primary circuit can cause a lot of ignition problems as well, think about the following: - Coil and ignition wiring: Use good connectors and cables of good quality - Ignition key: Make sure the dashboard ignition key is in good condition ( test to power the ignition/coil direct from the battery ) - Ground connection of the distributor: Make sure the distributor makes a good electrical connection with the engine.


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What kind of sparkplugs do you recommend?

Always use the spark plugs for your engine specified by the manufacturer of the car!


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What kind of tablet or smartphone do I need for the programmable 123/TUNE+?

The app for the programmable 123TUNE+ is available for iOS and Android. Please make sure your device offers Bluetooth 4.0 low energy and an up-to-date operating system (Android 4.4 or newer)


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What PC operating system does the programmable 123/TUNE (USB) run on? 

The 123TUNE runs on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista & Windows XP (Service Pack 2). Unfortunately there is no MacOS or Linux version available. Note: USB A ---> USB mini cable not included.


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Combination Tune+ Bleutooth and Android 7.0

With Android phones, the android operating system is often adjusted by the manufacturer so that this works well for this particular phone. It turns out that the combination of Low power Bleutooth and Android 7.0 does not always work well, which of course we find very annoying. If it affects you, you really have nothing left but to wait for a software update from your telephone manufacturer. We do not know which phones are going well and which are not.
- Works with Android 7.0: Doogee S60
- Does not work with Android 7.0: Motorola MotoG5


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Timing of the spark [video]


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Installation sparkplug leads [video]


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Check installation 123ignition [video]


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How does the vacuum advance work (and why do I want that)?

How it works:

When much is required of the engine, it is more likely to ping (poor mixture) than if the engine is running effortless (rich mixture). If we give more pre-ignition to an effortless running engine, the efficiency will increase and the engine will use less fuel.

The vacuum in the intake manifold is a measure of the load on the engine. (floor it up the mountain = gas valve open -> little underpressure. Cruising down the mountain = gas valve partially closed -> a lot of under pressure/vacuum). This means that if there is a vacuum in the intake manifold, we can advance the ignition a little.

Why you'd want this:

In summary: through the use of vacuum advance we can decrease the fuel consumption, the combustion will be cleaner and the efficiency will improve.


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What does the blue Led of the 123/Tune+ show us? [video]

LED on: the 123/TUNE+ is ready for a connection

LED off: the 123/TUNE+ is connected

Flashing: the 123/TUNE+ must be reset


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How do I connect a 123ignition to an MSD Digital 6AL?

See this page


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Will my tachometer (RPM) work with the 123ignition?

Yes, by far most of the tachometers work in combination with a 123ignition. RVI type tachometers manufactured by the Smiths Company, will need to be connected differently. The red wire must be connected to the switched plus of the ignition switch instead of the ignition coil.

The reason: the current passing through the ignition coil, to create a spark, is measured by the RVI tachometer. It is the current for the computer in the 123 ignition that runs through the tachometer that is causing the wrong indication.


Solution: The power needed to run the computer in the 123 ignition will no longer pass through the tachometer if you connect the red wire (positive) of the 123 ignition to a directly switched positive.


How: this switched positive can be found with a test light by, for example, measuring the fuses and switching the ignition on and off.

If you have another type of tachometer that responds '' wild '', it is best to put a diode (1N4007) in series with the tachometer. Note, the line on the diode must point to the tachometer.


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