123 reliability

[merrill]

Hello
before ordering and installing a 123 on my car i read a lot of posts on this forum.   
One thing that stood out was some were going to keep their old unit in the car in case the 123 failed.
Out of curiosity i emailed 123 and asked about reliability of the unit.
below is the response

"The chances of the 123ignition breaking down are very small.

We sell over 20,000 ignition systems a year.

We get 100/150 back every year that need to be tested.
In the vast majority of cases it turns out that the 123ingition is not defective but something else is going on.

Very often the 123ignition is seen as the cause of a problem, which I can understand.
But there appears to be something else going on. There are many factors that affect the operation of a fuel engine.

If we do encounter / discover something that needs our attention we try to solve it immediately.
We do our production ourselves, so we can take action quickly and solve things."

hope this information is helpful

[dirkbalter]

I am running a 123 in both of my cars without any problems so far. About 7 years in a 108 and 1 1/2 yeas in the pagoda. I believe, once set up right, these units are more reliable and require less to no maintenance.
I also have a regular "rebuild" 051 distributor that works fine but I do not want to deal with points, dwell angles ....as these are arguably, not  the same quality they used to be.

[stickandrudderman]

I've fitted probably 50 of these and never had a problem.

[Cees Klumper]

I installed mine about (can't remember exactly) 16 years ago and, touch wood, never had an issue.

[mdsalemi]

DOAs on electrical items, when they happen, are kind of rare.

Failures of electrical/electronic items usually happen fairly quickly if it’s a result of a faulty part, bad soldering/board or something similar. Usually within the warranty period.

Three members here posted quite successful stories of multiple installations over long periods of time.

Though I have a rebuilt 051 distributor with a Pertronix installed (since 2011) should there be any failures on my setup , a 123 will be ordered quickly, with confidence.

[ctaylor738]

I have been a proponent of 123 both because of its electronic technology, and because you get a brand new distributor to replace an old one with worn out bearings and an advance curve 'way out of spec.  I have probably installed a dozen of them in cars ranging from a 1953 300s to Pontons to 280sls.

I have encountered two failures.  In both situations, the engine would simply not "rev" beyond idle speed.  One was in a 250sl and it failed shortly after installation.  The second was a 2012 model from a 230sl that Gernold was working on. 123 tech support claimed that could not possibly be caused by the 123 but because I am a 123 "dealer," I was able to get 123USA to install new circuit boards in both and that fixed the problem. 

123 has also advised me to ground the units using the tapped 6 mm hole in the bottom of the distributor.  This has not yet made its way to the installation instructions.

I had one other suspicious failure.  A 190sl with a 123 that I installed with a Bosch blue coil ran flawlessly for a couple of years and suddenly would not start due to no spark.  I did all the usual checks, and finally sent the 123 to 123USA.  They tested it and could not find a problem.  Upon its return, I installed it with the additional ground, but still no start.  Out of desperation, I tested the coil wire and found it had 5k ohms resistance.  I replaced it with a zero ohm wire and the car started instantly and has been running perfectly for six months.  Are 123s more sensitive to ignition resistance as they age?

Cheers,

CT

[wwheeler]

I had a 123 in my W111 for about 10 years. In the last year starting became more difficult and less consistent. I checked the spark at the plug and seemed weaker than I remember. I still have my 051 which was rebuilt when I swapped for the 123. I plopped the 051 in and the spark was significantly brighter and starting returned to normal. Literally, the only thing I did was swap distributors.

So yes, to me it seems a possibility that the 123 could loose its punch over time. Mine was not grounded and could be a solution. I am using the red coil and still using the correct resistor for that. The 123 does not need the resistor, but a friend says that the coil does and it will slowly burn out over time without it. I also worry about the heat fading the electronics in the 123 over time.

I did enjoy not worrying about points, but have a distributor machine and so replacing points and setting them is a breeze for me. Luckily, my dizzy was in good shape and not excessively worn. Just my experience for what it is worth.   

[merrill]

some interesting responses in this thread.

1. can someone share how to ground the 123?   
2. wwheeler - interesting point on the resistor. 
       123 recommends a blue coil no resistor, wondering if using a red coil with correct resistor makes
        sense.  not just for the coil but the 123?


thanks in advance

[wwheeler]

Pretty sure back when, 123 recommended the red coil and no resistor (1.8 ohm?). They may have changed that based on feedback. Does omitting the resistor slowly degrade the coil? I don't know but I suppose it could.

I don't recall seeing any improvement when I switched to the 123, but rather just never had to deal with points again. But then again my dizzy was in decent shape. I DID however see an improvement going back to the 051. I checked my records and I installed the 123 in 2008, so 16 years ago (Time sure flies).

I probably should send the 123 in get it checked out to see if they find anything. Maybe one day.

[ctaylor738]

Make up a jumper wire long enough to run from the 123 to a ground point.  You can use the allen head cap screw at the front of the cylinder head or the the negative battery terminal.  Remove the 123 and attach the wire to the 123 with a short M6 screw in the threaded hole on the bottom of the 123. 

If you want a more authentic look, you can use a braided copper strap instead of a jumper wire running to the screw on the head.

Cheers,

CT