Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Pertronix Problems - How Common? #2330464
07/03/17 12:45 AM
07/03/17 12:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline OP
master
markz528  Offline OP
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
MY first time using a Pertronix conversion. Its in my daughter's 67 Coronet with a fresh 383.

Fresh motor - went to start it up a few months ago and could not get it to fire with the Pertronix ignition. The distributor is a new Mopar Performance electronic unit that I bought about 20 years ago and never used. Called Pertronix and verified that I was not missing anything. Even ran a jumper from the battery directly to the Pertronix module.

Rebuilt a points distributor and it fired right up with the points.

So now that the motor has a little time on it, I put the Pertronix back in to troubleshoot the problem. I did get it to fire but had to move the distributor A LOT to get it to fire.

Checked the phasing and at 10 degrees BTDC the rotor is already past the distributor cap electrode. That's not good and I can't leave it like that.

Anyone else have this problem? Do you think it might be in the MP distributor or Pertronix?


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330472
07/03/17 01:10 AM
07/03/17 01:10 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
Happy Birthday RapidRobert  Offline
Circle Track

Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
eng off, turn the housing till the magnet is dead even with the nearest tooth & see if the rotor is under or near a cap terminal (MP dist). On the petronix get it that same (relative) position (poised to fire). holler back.


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: RapidRobert] #2330478
07/03/17 01:19 AM
07/03/17 01:19 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline OP
master
markz528  Offline OP
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
Originally Posted By RapidRobert
eng off, turn the housing till the magnet is dead even with the nearest tooth & see if the rotor is under or near a cap terminal (MP dist). On the petronix get it that same (relative) position (poised to fire). holler back.


Can't do that with the Pertronix. They use an optical sensor and there is no way to visually see when it should fire. Pertronix verified that for me.

What I did was set the timing to what it should be. Shut it off and rotated the engine till it was 10 degrees BTDC. I expect the rotor to be pretty dead on or slightly before with the cap electrode not past it.

That is how I preset timing when I don't have a baseline and how I set the points distributor up.

I believe that Mopar had phasing issues at one time but I don't know if MP distributors were included and if the distributor shaft was at fault or if it was a reluctor problem.


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330479
07/03/17 01:25 AM
07/03/17 01:25 AM
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
7
71birdJ68 Offline
master
71birdJ68  Offline
master
7

Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
Which Pertronix do you have? I, II, or III? Did you set the air gap, and if so what did you use? If a II or III, did you bypass the ballast?

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330480
07/03/17 01:26 AM
07/03/17 01:26 AM
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,285
Pacific NW USA
CompSyn Offline
pro stock
CompSyn  Offline
pro stock

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,285
Pacific NW USA
I can't speak into your specific issue, but I had my stock points distributor re-curved. I was interested in going to a Pertronix kit but the site member who did my distributor re-curve told me that for whatever reason, Mopar distributors and Pertronix kits have issues with spark scatter on a high number of distributors he's done. This on the ignitor 1, 2, and 3 kits.

Believe it or not, he said the Accel race points provide reliable spark up to 8,000rpm, which is what he uses in the PSMCDR class.

He's talked to Pertronix extensively about it but they had not resolved the issue the last time I talked to him.

That said, I'm going to try running points.

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330485
07/03/17 01:30 AM
07/03/17 01:30 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
Happy Birthday RapidRobert  Offline
Circle Track

Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
rotor phasing ain't affected by initial or mechanical timeing, it is set in stone & changed only by vac adv. As you know RP is where the rotor is clocked at when it fires & if is is impossible to set the housing to that firing point then drill a 1/2" hole in the top flat area of the dist cap 2/3 of the way inbetween the center cap terminal and the #1 cap terminal (2/3 closer to #1) & start the eng & idle & shine your timing light straight down in the hole to freeze the rotor position just like you are setting timing & see if the rotor is pointing at or nearly at the cap terminal. vac adv (if used & I would) will shift it CW on a BB when you plug it in to manifold to activate it. use a junk cap if you dont want to drill yours but it does help evacuate ionized air molecules which can promote crossfire. EDIT from reading the above posts it for sure could be an air gap or other Pertronix specific issue. Holler how it turns out.

Last edited by RapidRobert; 07/03/17 01:33 AM.

live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330548
07/03/17 09:18 AM
07/03/17 09:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,363
Abilene, Texas
F
fastmark Offline
master
fastmark  Offline
master
F

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,363
Abilene, Texas
I installed a Petronix 3 on my car and it did not fire right out of the box. I installed my point dist to get the car running. I called tech and I had it wired correctly so they sent me another. I have yet to install the new one I don't have much faith in them right now.

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: fastmark] #2330600
07/03/17 11:55 AM
07/03/17 11:55 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
Happy Birthday RapidRobert  Offline
Circle Track

Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
I have a P III on the shelf, I sure hope it is OK when the time comes.


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330639
07/03/17 12:55 PM
07/03/17 12:55 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,544
md
M
mopars4ever Offline
I Live Here
mopars4ever  Offline
I Live Here
M

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,544
md
My friend put one in his chevy and it lasted about a year .He put the points back in.

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330641
07/03/17 12:56 PM
07/03/17 12:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline OP
master
markz528  Offline OP
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
This one is a Pertronix 9CH-181 Ignitor II.


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330650
07/03/17 01:06 PM
07/03/17 01:06 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,544
md
M
mopars4ever Offline
I Live Here
mopars4ever  Offline
I Live Here
M

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,544
md

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330655
07/03/17 01:10 PM
07/03/17 01:10 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline OP
master
markz528  Offline OP
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
Originally Posted By markz528
Originally Posted By RapidRobert
eng off, turn the housing till the magnet is dead even with the nearest tooth & see if the rotor is under or near a cap terminal (MP dist). On the petronix get it that same (relative) position (poised to fire). holler back.


Can't do that with the Pertronix. They use an optical sensor and there is no way to visually see when it should fire. Pertronix verified that for me.

What I did was set the timing to what it should be. Shut it off and rotated the engine till it was 10 degrees BTDC. I expect the rotor to be pretty dead on or slightly before with the cap electrode not past it.

That is how I preset timing when I don't have a baseline and how I set the points distributor up.

I believe that Mopar had phasing issues at one time but I don't know if MP distributors were included and if the distributor shaft was at fault or if it was a reluctor problem.


I take that back. This is a hall effect not an optical like I thought. It does have a reluctor but you still can't see when its lined up.


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330659
07/03/17 01:18 PM
07/03/17 01:18 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,178
Someplace you aren't
S
SomeCarGuy Offline
I Live Here
SomeCarGuy  Offline
I Live Here
S

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,178
Someplace you aren't
Is it running badly? Or are you just concerned about phasing? I had a Petronix 2 on several cars that worked super well. It's been at least a dozen years since I bought one. Who knows about quality these days?


I want my fair share
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330660
07/03/17 01:19 PM
07/03/17 01:19 PM
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
7
71birdJ68 Offline
master
71birdJ68  Offline
master
7

Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,443
Morristown Tn.
Which one do you have? And what did you use to set the gap with?

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2330665
07/03/17 01:22 PM
07/03/17 01:22 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
Happy Birthday RapidRobert  Offline
Circle Track

Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
In that case if it will start, I'd drill a cap & check RP with your light then we can work on fixing it if needed or if good, then continuing onward for the culprit. My P III was pricey I sure hope it ain't junk


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: RapidRobert] #2331721
07/05/17 01:29 AM
07/05/17 01:29 AM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 598
Glendale, CA
whuston383 Offline
mopar
whuston383  Offline
mopar

Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 598
Glendale, CA
9500 miles in a 63 Fury 318 poly with Pertronix Ignitor III and Flamethrower Coil. Bypassed the ballast resistor. Installed the first one that arrived from Jeg's. Absolutely no issues to speak of. Starts easy and runs great every day to work and home.


Wow. You say you have a Sports Fury? Talk about rare.
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: whuston383] #2331741
07/05/17 02:13 AM
07/05/17 02:13 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert Offline
Circle Track
Happy Birthday RapidRobert  Offline
Circle Track

Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
That's good to hear.


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2332764
07/06/17 10:02 PM
07/06/17 10:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
markz528 Offline OP
master
markz528  Offline OP
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,267
Morrow, OH
Well I have to say thus far they have provided excellent customer service. They gave me a RMA to send the distributor to them and they will test it and correct it. No questions asked.

I will keep you posted on the results.


67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph
67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph
69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2332771
07/06/17 10:13 PM
07/06/17 10:13 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,605
Pgh, PA
B
Bull1tt Offline
top fuel
Bull1tt  Offline
top fuel
B

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,605
Pgh, PA
Wow. They will take the distributor and test it? There's some customer service!

Re: Pertronix Problems - How Common? [Re: markz528] #2332774
07/06/17 10:17 PM
07/06/17 10:17 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,605
Pgh, PA
B
Bull1tt Offline
top fuel
Bull1tt  Offline
top fuel
B

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,605
Pgh, PA
Wow. They will take the distributor and test it? There's some customer service!

Page 1 of 2 1 2






Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1