One for the electrical gurus- I have been having gradual issues with the way my 53 Ford runs and have finally traced it down to the Ignitor Module of my Pertronix system. A little background. I have an early SBF engine with the Autolite distributor using the Ignitor I conversion kit. If not familiar with this system, it uses a ring with spaced magnets on the rotor to "switch" the coil on and off via Hall Effect sensors in the module. There is a procedure on the Pertronix website on how to test the module both in the car and bench test. As the Magnet passes one sensor, the module switches on, sending 12 volts to the coil. As the magnet passes the second sensor, it should switch to zero, causing the coil primary field to collapse, sending a spark to the plugs. Both in car and bench testing resulted in readings of 12.22 volts on, and 12.18 volts off. The tech folks @ Pertronix are stumped as to why the engine still ran, although not well. Any theories?
Sounds like Magnetism in the wrong place. Take a feeler gauge and test the Dist shaft and see if it has magnetic draw. Could be a constant signal messing everything up.
The function you described is a huge over simplification of how the pertronix module works. It is not a simple trigger that replaces function of the points.
As far as I can tell the the magnet provides timing information the electronics that then provides a trigger pulse to the coil. They are two seperate functions. The big advantage is it gives a constant duration pulse to the coil regardless of engine speed so you can run with a much lower coil resistance without generating excessive heat. One problem with high energy ignition systems is that they are brutal on coils. If a plug lead is disconnected for any reason and can't fire a plug all that energy has go go somewhere and can start to breakdown the insulation in the coil.
What type of coil are you using? I had a similar problem with a 302 in my '54 Ford, when the tech guys at pertronix suggested a hotter coil, 40,000 volts. HRP
^^^^ Danny, I am using the Pertronix Flame Thrower coil, 1.5 Ohms, 40,000 volts, that is supposed to be used with the Ignitor. The old one checked out @ 1.6 ohms, but I replaced it anyway. The tech folks at Pertronix explained that the Ignitor I module is just a ON-OFF switch, and should read 12V on, Zero Volts off. Ignitor II and III has additional electronics as described by 29 Gizmo and uses a .6 Ohm coil.
My Buds ‘64 Chevelle , just did some strange stuff . No spark ,sit for 15 minutes , fires up runs great . Shut it down , no spark for 15 minutes . I’m not a fan of Pertronics . I know people swear by them , but , I know of 4 that are strange birds to fix . I have talked 3 of the 4 to return to points and condenser ,without one issue after swapping back to old tech .
I have a Efire unit in my '32 flathead. Never got it to run right. I ran a wire from the module out of the dist. to a ground. Engine ran perfect after that. Might work for your situation.
I have Pertronix in 3 of my cars and soon to be a 4th one. I won't comment on the Good Luck I've had because that's when something comes up. Combined I have over 100K miles without a single issue. I've lost track of how many I've installed for Customers and so far, haven't had to send a Roll Back to the rescue. Maybe it's because I make sure everything else is up to a good standard, maybe just luck so far. When in doubt I've found there 1-800 line to be very helpful. Whatever it is that's working I have no plans to go back to Breaker Points any time soon.
I'll bet better grounding, because of paint/chrome, would solve most if not all electronic ignition issues. I've never had Mallory or Pertronix module problems after many years and thousands of miles with the distributors battery grounded.
I agree, it sounds like a ground issue. I had a similar issue happen with a Pertronix I in my old '54 Ford car with the 223, as well as with a Unilite in my old '56 Ford truck with a SBC. Both were bad grounds or poor ground connections. Splitting off the existing grounds and adding another to the engine block solved those issues.
Based on the majority of feedback, I went ahead and verified the ground. The distributor plate has a good ground. The bench test involves removing the module and grounding the mounting plate directly to the negative post of the battery, the positive lead of the module as well as the positive side of the meter to the positive side of the battery, and finally the negative side of the module to the negative side of the meter. Hand rotate the magnet in front of the module. Got the same readings as in the car. Pertronix agrees the module is bad, but as I can't figure out why the engine would run. Gremlins? Edit- I am going to install an additional ground when I replace the module tomorrow.
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