Luckless_Pedestrian

New member here, old guy with an old rotary... FB, 12a, completely stock... So, during the last couple of rides this year before I put the car up for the winter I began to get symptoms or what could be a failing ignitor... rough running, no power, odd tach behavior. Would happen randomly for 30 seconds to a minute and then clear. I haven't yet done a full debug, so I know it could be several other things... but just in case, I did a quick search for current availability and cost. First results I got was from one of the go fast folks and they are asking $400+ each!!... Ouch!... Then I saw some Ebay listings that had them for around 70 bucks a pair... So what is the current situation with these? I'll assume the ones on Ebay are knock offs... Are they any good? reliable? Stay away? As it's been years since my '7 was anything close to a daily, I haven't had to think about this stuff for some time... so I'd appreciate any info on sourcing ignitors... options... Thanks.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

welcome to the board.

i will assume you want to keep the car stock, so i won't mention any options other than replacements for J109s.

so far, i've never had to buy ignitors (knock on wood), so please consider that tidbit with what i have to say. at this stage in the game, if you're finding a pair of direct replacements for $70, then give it a shot. yes, they are not/probably not the same quality, but we're talking about electrical components, so there's no absolute guarantee that the $470 OEM one can't crap the bed in a year or two either. i know a lot (probably the majority) of them have held up for 40+ years, but some have died way before that amount of time. even if you only get 5 years out of the $70 ones, i think it's still not that bad given the delta in cost.

as you said, the car is not a daily driver, so those were my thoughts. i know many may not agree. i also know getting stuck out on the road is also no fun. however, as i said, those are my thoughts.

that said, here's a link for another possible alternative:
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...nitor-1163804/

Luckless_Pedestrian

Thanks for the input... Yes, my desire would be to keep the car stock, however, I also want to keep it on the road... so if retrofitting some other ignitors (or other mod) is the most reliable and cost effective path I would not be opposed to doing it. I'm guessing the OEM J109 are no longer being manufactured and are rare (hence the price)... Hopefully when I get a chance to fully debug the problem it will turn out to be something else...