My new motor initially produced 100 psi oil pressure for the first 400 miles or so. It has since settled down to 35-40 @ idle and 80 @ speed. Seems I read on this forum that is normal for a new motor. I was tempted to fiddle with the adjustable oil pressure valve but resisted the urge.

I'm very satisfied with my 1-2-3. Not a black box—very straight forward w/ lots of tuning options if you're a tinkerer. Glad you got it running.

Yeah, I figured 100psi is too much.  Maybe that would slow down my leak as well.  I do have an adjustable pressure relief valve I could install.  
Well, you guys were right, the Pertronix coils are too much power for the points system.  Both my points sets are not worn at the red plastic where it rubs the cam though.  Maybe the points welded together from the higher voltage.

Dogscarf

Good glad it is running but 100psi oil pressure is too much you should be around 75 to 80lbs on a cold start. Check that the pressure relief valve is working and moving freely.

Update:  Threw in the old original coil and original distributor with points.  Fired right up for 15 minutes at 2000rpm or slightly over.  Oil pressure 100psi.  Temp: normal.  I do have a massive oil leak between the gearbox case and engine near the front right corner (flywheel side).  I cannot tighten the nuts down as they are 5/16 and cannot fit a socket in there.  Will have to remove starter and get a wrench in there.  Got a small coolant leak as well.  Don't know where that it coming from.  At least it is running.

Dogscarf

Get the engine running satisfactorily with points before you move on to electronic ignitions.  That will assure you that the basic ignition system is ready to go.

As Malcolm said, if you accidentally put a ballast (1 to 2 Ohm) coil on the car with the direct 12V wiring I suggested earlier, then too much current will flow through the points which could indeed make the heel block soften and/or melt.  Make sure you have the 3 Ohm coil installed with the points and let us know if the points closing problem goes away.

OK,  I will try it next with my 3 ohm Pertronix coil.  I do have grease on the cam lobes.  The lobes are clean and polished.  I have a Pertronix on my big Healey 3000 and it works fine for the past 4 years.  Don't know why two units have gone bad on my Mini or never worked at all in 1 minute of motor cranking.  Simple, only two wires to coil.

I'm almost getting to my limit here of tack welding the points to the distributor backplate to keep them from moving.  

I thought about getting a 123 dist. but I seem to be having very bad luck with electronic ignitions and don't see how that would be any different.

Dogscarf

Just a long shot. I worked on a friends Mini and he kept losing the points gap but i was not present for the outcome. He told me he had the wrong coil on it and it kept burning up the plastic heel on the points letting them close up. Like i said i was not there and don't even know if this is possible but when you changed back to points did you change back to the original coil as well ? Like i said just a long shot.

One of the best upgrades i did on my mini is switching to pertronix igniter 2, not 1 but 2.  Well if you dont need you pertronix sell it to me. Points is just unpredictable. I dont like it.

Please don't take this wrong but did you inspect the distributor 4-lobe cam when fitting the points?  Are all the surfaces free of rust and debris that could be abrasive?  More importantly, did you apply a thin film of grease to the 4-lobe cam?  The 25D series distributors do not have the oiled felt wick used to lube the dizzy cam like 45D distributors.  You have to put a bit of grease on the cam.  If you don't, the plastic heel block on the points will wear down until the points won't open.

Once you have the engine running OK on the points distributor you can revisit the electronic ignitions.  

Randy- order a 123 distributor and be done with it!!! i put one in my 1380 and 
never looked back, it's worth the money

Update,...I got the engine to run for about 1 minute this time before it died.  Took the cap off and sure enough, the points were closed.  Put it in gear and turned the engine over and the points would not open.  25D Cooper S distributor, new points.  I will pull the dist. out and reset the points.  I tightened the S*** out of the screw for the points this last time and they still closed on me.  ????? I have worked on points and gapped them on cars for years and I have never seen anything like this where they work the way shut.  Thoughts?  

I will order an Aldon distributor tomorrow.  

Dogscarf

OK,  I got it to start and run for a while like 30 seconds.  It sounded smooth too.

Dogscarf

Just in case.  I think it was mentioned earlier.  But make sure you're reading right to left.  cyl #1 is on the right. I've seen this mistake made. folks are used to reading left to right. I know this probably isn't the issue,  but it happens.  

Thanks for the advice.  As of this writing I have tried again and again to get a spark from the Pertronix II unit to no avail.  I have returned a prior unit that I had as it was bad as well.  This is the newer Pertronix II as well.  I'm going back to points.  30 years ago I had an Aldon yellow distributor on my 1967 Cooper S and it was great and never gave me an issue.

Now, I have reinstalled my old Cooper S distributor with new points.  I now have a spark that is firing on number 1 cylinder next to the radiator.  Number 4 cylinder valves are rocking with exhaust closing.  The bolt on my flywheel is at TDC.  I have advanced the spark 5 degrees.  Next I will try to start the engine.  Cross my fingers......................
Dogscarf

I have had two cars with ignition issues recently. One a new build that had a dead cyl. on number 2. I moved the new wires around, I moved the new plugs around changed new cap and rotor button to one from running car. Compression test, valve adjustment all good. I was thinking of removing Pertronix when on a lark I removed the magnetic ring turned it 90 degrees and the dead cyl. moved. I replaced the ring with one from another dizzy and picked up all cyl. The other lost spark was due to a burned coil wire age unknown. 

I currently have a Authi project with running at speed issues. I called Jeff at Advanced Dizzys and I listened to 22 minutes of do not use a Pertronix in your dizzy. According to Jeff who does 1500 Lucas dizzys a year, claims the new ones are very problematic. The magnet rings are incorrectly made ( phased wrong and fire between posts in cap ) it seems issues with the pickups as well. He said they will replace them if you talk to right person. As more and more things are made someplace quality becomes an issue. 

I realize your points dizzy is another story. Looking at your pics. I'm wondering where the drive spindle is in relation to cam. I have bought a couple of new dizzys with the drive dog installed 180 out. You do know direction of dizzy rotation? Steve (CTR)

This sounds like no improvement since your last thread about this.  From memory... these are Ignitor-2 distributors aren't they?  Let's start over.  Do not shotgun this by buying new parts.

Set the points gap and reinstall the points distributor and one of the 3 Ohm coils.  
Which distributor has points?  Is it a 25D or 45D series?  It matters as far as installing the points.
Go back to basic wiring... not even the car's ignition wiring.
Run a short 16 AWG wire between the side of the distributor and coil (-).  Do NOT hook up the tach.
When you are ready to start the engine (and not before) run a temporary wire from coil (+) to the solenoid terminal with all the brown wires on it. 
Set the static timing to 5 to 8 BTDC.
Again, do not fit the white wire to coil (+) until you are ready to start the engine and remove that wire to stop the running engine.  Leave the coil (+) wire disconnected when you don't want to start the engine.  This is important.

If you have a properly adjusted and functioning set of points, a good condenser, a good coil, and the proper firing order... the engine should try to fire.  Remember that the firing order of 1-3-4-2 is COUNTERCLOCKWISE looking down on the installed distributor cap.  Cylinder #1 is the water pump end of the engine.  You MUST identify WHERE the rotor is pointing when cylinder #1 is at TDC on its firing stroke BEFORE you fit the spark plug wires to the cap.

Let us know which distributor you have with points.  When you get the ignition set up as above let us know.

Fellow Minioids,  Alas, I still cannot get my 1275 S Morris Mini started.  New motor, all rebuilt.  Carbs rebuilt, new dist. and everything.
I have tried three different distributors and three different coils.  They all checked out as good.  The coils are all new Pertronix.  The distributor that is currently in is a Pertronix with new wires and new coil at .8 ohms.  My other two coils are 3.0 ohms and 1.8 ohms.  One of the distributors I have tried is a standard 'S' distributor with points.  The car fired on it some but would not start.  Now there is no spark with the Pertronix dist.  Enclosed are two pics.  The loose B/W wire goes to the dist with points.  It is the same wire as to the positive side of the coil (shows continuity).  The coil shows 11.6V when the ign is on.  No spark at any of the plugs when dist. is rotated.
So, what resistance should be shown when a VOM is placed across the pos and neg of an electronic dist. when it the rotor is turned????  Both of my electronic distributors show 0????
 Carbon bush is in the dist. cap.  firing order 1,3,4,2.
Dogscarf