So this is a really weird one and i'm wondering if anyone else might have had a similar experience. I have a pertronix distributor and coil on a 289 in a '64 ford. the whole set up is about 6 months old. The motor just quit whilst driving down the road. The motor would fire with the key in the start position, but die once the key was released to the run position. Went out and checked voltage at the coil and it had about 2V in the run position and full battery voltage in the start position. Took the hot wire off the coil and it had full battery voltage in the run position. Touch it back to the + terminal on the coil and it would drop to 2V. bench tested the switch and checked all the wires and everything is in correct working order. Tested the coil. Had correct primary resistance and did not appear to have a short to the coil housing. hooked everything up with the coil not mounted to the manifold and the car started and ran just fine. Grounded the coil bracket and the problem returned. Observation would say that the coil has an internal short even though testing said otherwise. I'm gonna grab another coil tomorrow. What are your thoughts on the situation? I gotta call pertronix tomorrow about warranty.
I use a Pertronix coil with the module. Be careful mixing and matching. They have good support in my experience.
I have run 2 Pertronix Ignitions for a long time now, I did have a right out of the box bad coil when I installed one of them, but it was replaced and has ran perfectly ever since. Sounds like a bad coil to me that heats up and shorts out. Was your coil ohm's matched to your ignition?
Maybe the OP left it in the circuit not realizing its function, or that it wasn't needed with the Pertronoix?
I'm running a Bosch Blue Coil with mine. I sent Pertronix customer service an email asking about the coil, and was told it was a great coil to use. I run it without a ballast resistor and it's been performing flawlessly for years.
With the right coil, they don't. But Ford was still using a ballast resistor in '64, or more properly, a resistor wire, that's built into the harness. Unless the OP went in and altered the harness to remove it, it's still there. These wires do go bad by the way, had a '70 Mustang that it failed on. A PITA to fix....
I've had the same problem with points ignition, on an old Ford truck. It would start and run with the key turned to start, and when you'd let it go to run, it would die. It was a bad solenoid (inner fender mounted). Did the same thing on an OT GM column switch. Hold it to start and it would run, let it go to run and it would die. I doubt it is the ignition system. Check the switch or the solenoid.
I have never had a problem with any of the Ignitor II kits. If this is an Ignitor I kit, you will need to run a resistor of some type. The unit doesn't take more than 8 amps I think. Also, it doesn't have a fail safe if the ignition switch is left on when the motor is not running. This will fry the unit. I have only used the Ignitor I kit once. This was before they came out with the Ignitor II. I fried my unit by not running a resistor of some sort.
8 amps is correct, but that doesn't necessarily require a ballast. Pertronix recommends keeping the ballast when using an Ignitor 1 and the stock or OEM ignition coil. They recommend removing or byp***ing the ballast when installing their Flamethrower coil. What the Ignitor 1 does require is a primary circuit resistance with at least 1.5 ohms. If you do the arithmetic and use 14.5 volts (instead of say, 12) it is closer to reality and it comes out over 8 amps, but an ignition coil in service is not "on" continuously. It pencils out to around 6.5 ohms or so using a 60% duty cycle. Have been running an Ignitor 1, Flamethrower coil with direct battery voltage and a Ford generator charging system for 20 years. Works great. Unless of course igntion is left in the RUN position without the engine actually running. This can/will fry the module AND roast the coil, spewing its contents eventually. To be fair this will also roast contact points, if they happen to be closed.
I'm pretty sure we have a bad coil. anyone know of an application for a .6 ohm coil so i can go grab one at my local instead of having to drive out to the pertronix vendor?
Probably not the problem but keep in mind a digital volt-ohm meter can give you some false readings because there isn't a load on the circuit, the old ****og meters used energy to make a readings and it'd give you enough of a load to get a true read. The new digitals will show voltage when there really isn't any - like when you are reading your coil ckt. The ohms will be dead nuts on, just beware some voltage readings might be too good.
The pertronix coil has the correct resistance so you do not need and should not use a ballast resister with it.
Be careful, that's not strictly true. Pertronix makes a few different units, including a 3 ohm, 1.5 ohm, and 0.6 ohm coil. The OP hasn't told us what flavor of Ignitor and Coil he has, but their 0.6 ohm coil and Ignitor 1 module used together would draw over 20 amperes
Is that what you have now? Or? There probably isn't anything wrong with the coil. I agree it sounds like an ignition switch. The 0.6 ohm coils are designed for use only with the later Ignitor modules.
Helps to read the whole thing.. It does sound like it's shorted to the case? Make sure you're using the correct coil with the correct Ignitor module, and deleting or byp***ing the ballast just makes sense as it is one less thing to worry about. Just don't exceed the current/amps spec, or it will roast something. This may be what happened.
yes, for the record, the coil and module are matched. I talked to the pertronix guy and he seems to agree that the coil is shorted. I didn't do the install. I got the car this way. What are the chances that the installer over-tightened the clamp on the coil bracket and squished things up inside? not that it really matters at this point, just thinking out loud...
I have a II and use the stock ballast resister with their coil. No problems in 5 yrs. Before that lost 2 offshore condensers.
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