Blue coil, red coil, black coil??

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Laldog

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I'm thinking of replacing my ignition coil.

I have replaced the points with a Pertronix module, and I'm assuming this is important.

Other than that, does it make a difference to buy the Bosch Red coil?
 
laldog said:
I'm thinking of replacing my ignition coil.

I have replaced the points with a Pertronix module, and I'm assuming this is important. Other than that, does it make a difference to buy the Bosch Red coil?
Click to expand...


General consensus seems to be: (1) Red or (2) Black followed by (3) Blue.

Over the years I have used each version without issue on several makes and models, including injected e9's.

http://www.type2.com/library/electrip/boignp.htm

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/BlueCoil.html

http://www.356registry.org/Tech/coil-blueblack.html


There are many other after market options, including Petronix, MSD, Accel, Mallory, Jacobs . . . .
40001_example.jpg
http://www.pertronix.comprod/ig/flame/coils/40000_volt.as
 
If you still have the ballast resistor don't use the blue coil, it has an internal resistor. The black coil is now red, either a red case or a silver case with a red label, they are identical and designed for use with the external resistor.
 
+1 - if you have the ballast, go red, if not, go blue (built in ballast).


HB Chris said:
If you still have the ballast resistor don't use the blue coil, it has an internal resistor. The black coil is now red, either a red case or a silver case with a red label, they are identical and designed for use with the external resistor.
Click to expand...
 
One thing I´ve learnt is not to go the higher voltage coil route with the early E3/E9 ignition. I´ve been running the pertronics for a long time now and at the beginning, thinking it a good idea, did the other suggested upgrades as well: Flamethrower coil, no balast.
I ended up with ignition cables that had carbonisation and burn marks in the connectors (manily distributor-side, worst on the main cable) and very poor running. Seems the original (even if new, fresh) wires and connectors are not well suited to handling higher voltages. Went back to stock coil and balast with the pertronics and never looked back.
I believe the original blue Bosch coil is hard to get these days but W&N sells a replacement black Beru coil that is a good replacement. run it with the balast resistor.
 
Tierfreund said:
One thing I´ve learnt is not to go the higher voltage coil route with the early E3/E9 ignition. I´ve been running the pertronics for a long time now and at the beginning, thinking it a good idea, did the other suggested upgrades as well: Flamethrower coil, no balast.
I ended up with ignition cables that had carbonisation and burn marks in the connectors (manily distributor-side, worst on the main cable) and very poor running. Seems the original (even if new, fresh) wires and connectors are not well suited to handling higher voltages. Went back to stock coil and balast with the pertronics and never looked back.
I believe the original blue Bosch coil is hard to get these days but W&N sells a replacement black Beru coil that is a good replacement. run it with the balast resistor.
Click to expand...

a word of advice on your wise words:

w&n is not selling beru(unfortunately), but bremi, so consider it
i bought the cables-set and coil from w&n and i hadto throw themaway, especially the cables were so bad, also bremi,
now i replaced everithing by beru, and works fine

incidentaly, bmw is also giving you the bremi connectors for distributor cap and sparks, schleich !
regards
 
Blue or Red

As has been stated before, if you have an external resistor use the red coil without use blue. You should be able to find either coil, keep in mind the red coil has higher output than blue.
Red coil, Bosch part # 00013 or 0 221 119 030
Blue coil Bosch part # 00012 or BC12
 
deQuincey said:
a word of advice on your wise words:

w&n is not selling beru(unfortunately), but bremi, so consider it
i bought the cables-set and coil from w&n and i hadto throw themaway, especially the cables were so bad, also bremi,
now i replaced everithing by beru, and works fine

incidentaly, bmw is also giving you the bremi connectors for distributor cap and sparks, schleich !
regards
Click to expand...


You´re right of course, it´s bremi. My bad. I didn´t know though that bremi should be avoided.

Any suggestion as to what manufacturer makes the best quality igntion components, cables, distribute caps, finger, connectors, coils?

Bosch, Beru, Bremi? Which is best?


Brings up another subject:

The quality of W&N parts.
I like the guys at W&N, they´re friendly, knowledgable and helpfull. Also some hard to source parts I got through them, but I wonder about the quality of some of their parts.

Any comments on the quality of parts from them?
 
Last edited:
Red vs Blue with ballast resistor thrown in..

I'm a little unclear as to why I am advised to go with the Red coil over the blue.

It would seem to me that eliminating any part (in this case the ballast resistor) from the ignition process would serve to simplify things and reduce the variables (and thus potential problem).

I also understand that the Red Coil outputs more power, which some people claim can lead to additional problems. I don't plan to race my car and I'm quite with the stock output, which leads me to my question.

Other than keeping things original and the way it left the factory, is there any compelling reason (performance, quality, longevity) why I should NOT use the Blue coil (and eliminate the Ballast resistor)

BTW, my car does have a Pertronix unit installed.
 
laldog said:
I'm a little unclear as to why I am advised to go with the Red coil over the blue.

It would seem to me that eliminating any part (in this case the ballast resistor) from the ignition process would serve to simplify things and reduce the variables (and thus potential problem).

I also understand that the Red Coil outputs more power, which some people claim can lead to additional problems. I don't plan to race my car and I'm quite with the stock output, which leads me to my question.

Other than keeping things original and the way it left the factory, is there any compelling reason (performance, quality, longevity) why I should NOT use the Blue coil (and eliminate the Ballast resistor)

BTW, my car does have a Pertronix unit installed.
Click to expand...

Practically speaking, this is more a matter of personal preference. Either coil would probably be more than adequate for your purposes. (If you are more concerned about the heat produced in your ballast resistor, as suggested by your other post, than maybe blue will give you peace of mind. Depending upon who you ask, the red coil's features and output are roughly equivalent to the black coil with which your car was originally equipped. It is not original, but you are probably not running 195 mm Michelin XWX's either.)

The difference of a greater output offers a greater reservoir of reserve voltage for those times additional voltage might be helpful in firing a wider gap or a fouled plug. Not exactly on point, but you probably don't need a larger fuel tank either. The extra weight, size and capacity is unnecessary if you have no reason to use it and can always find a station. Same with a larger battery. It is unnecessary if a battery of lesser cranking capacity can do the job. Same with a larger radiator . . . .

michelin-xwx-photog_10.jpg

 
sneaky resistor wire

Remember, if your car is a '74 or later model (like mine, built in 11/73) it will have a resistor wire instead of the external ceramic resistor. I'm using the stock original black coil, have kept the resistor wire and run a Pertronix. It works great,
John
 
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