Anyone have a Crane XR700 fail?

[wake74]

Just wondering if anyone on the list ever had a Crane unit go bad. I'm still tracking my high speed miss down. It's getting better. I believe I resolved the carb problem. Still having an ignition related miss (tach jumps).

I probably should not have located the XR700 box on the passenger inner fender well towards the back to near the distributor. Maybe with the high ambient temperatures, and all the manifold exhaust heat I have damaged the unit over the last 6 months.

Anyone know if the XR700 either works or it doesn't, or can it have a performance issue?

Thanks!

Glenn

[Supergeek]

I bought my 02 with a crane system. Ran great until the black plastic disk that spins with the dist. cracked. One of the metal clips that hold it on the dist. shaft broke and it caused the disk to hit the optical pick-up. I had a set of points so I replaced it with that. Ive never heard of the actual ignition box failing. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[Mike87]

My first 02 came with the Allison version of the XR-700. I thought it was great, at first. After the fourth time it failed, Allison refused to replace it! They fixed the failed one and returned it to me. I still have it in a box somewhere. I never went back. What failed was the black box or some part of the black box, not the optical portion in the distributor.

After many years and one 02 later, I have gone to Pertronix to replace the points. Yes, I have had one of these fail as well, but not nearly like the XR. And if they do fail, the conversion back to points is simple.

[02fanatic]

My '72tii had Crane XR700 installed when I found the car wrecked. It had sat outside over a winter and when I bought the car, installed a battery and new plugs, it started on the second crank! I doubt points would have even had spark! That's a strong testiment to this system in my book.

I know very little about the system, so when it fails I'll probably buy a new one or simply install points.

John

[johnny]

When I got my 02 it would not start when hot with the 700. I went back to points and never had the problem again.

[Harv]

I never had a problem with one. However I did have the chopper wheel crack once. I think I wrapped it with safety wire and made due. I think it's still working on my old Volvo.

John

[BillWilliams]

is installed in the worst place possible, on the firewall just behind the distributor and above the header.

[MatthewCervi]

I had one go bad, presumably because I didn't have any resistance in the coil circuit (using a red coil). I understand their phone support is great in explaining how to set it up, but I think their printed directions could be more clear (i.e. just say how many ohms of resistance is required) because if you don't realize you have a problem you don't ever think to call.

I just ended up going back to points. They may not be perfect, but they don't catastrophically fail. I ended up ruining the ring gear on my flywheel because the Crane was firing randomly as it died.

[wake74]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds pretty unlikely that I'm having a problem with "the box". I'm definitely having an ignition problem, as when the car stumbles the revs change, this is especially evident at idle. It has gone to zero a couple of times at stop lights which isn't too good.

I've tried both the coils I have in the garage, and that didn't change anything. I've got an old black Bosche coil, and an aftermarket MSD coil that I've had kicking around for awhile. I'm running the stock ballast wire.

[RandyMolson]

I'm running the stock ballast wire.

Did you try bypassing the ballast wire with a parallel standard wire, at least for troubleshooting? The ballast wire on my 76 looked like an accident and I ripped it off the first time I saw it.