Pertronix has caused a problem???? HELP??

[Cee Jay]

Cee Jay Im running a pertronix and no resistor in a Vacuums advance distributor, It seam to run best @ 12* advance... Joe

Joe, and/or anybody, you can just call me "CJ" and not "Cee Jay", as it is my name. Cee Jay is just a screen name. It looks like I may be forced to actually buy one of those fancy dancy timing lights to check/set timing. Joe, is there some bushing to replace in the original dizzy so that the diaphram housing doesnt wiggle? It just seems as though there would be some vaccuum leak there, but I dont think that there is a leak. I just dont like the wiggle, as it doesnt seem right.

 

[Dusty 66]

yep I tried to tune by ear at first.... the timing light and vacuums gage showed me I was way off...
CJ don't know about a bushing....you might have to pull the dissy to see where the wiggle is coming from maybe your octane adjuster is may be way out, or loose I think a simple fix... better out of the truck thou...don't ask me how I know

and check you may be off by one tooth too... done that :whoops:

 

[MarcoPolo]

You might check here, I don't know. Check the model# on the dizzy.

Did my Pert 2 weeks ago with the resistor. Works great.

 

[laguna80]

Adjust the coil????? You lost me there! Are these coils adjustable???

lol sorry I meant distributor.

 

[Cee Jay]

Hmmmm. I am now going to have to check that "extra" screw and make sure that it is not binding the rotation of the cam plate. I dont remember if I checked for binding before or after I put that in. Supposedly, it is not necessary anyway, so why not remove it, huh? Should improper/binding vaccuum advance off of idle make it hesitate? I will let ya all know manana if it changes anything. I will try to get some pics and specs too. Thanks for all of your help today/tonight.

 

[D'Animal]

I am not running a resistor.

 

[fj404life]

Should improper/binding vaccuum advance off of idle make it hesitate?

Yes it will. My dist was gummed up and not advancing. The PO set the advance to far just to make it run ok. Once timing was set proper it ran horrible stuttering and hesitating under any accel. Took the dist apart, cleaned and lubed. Runs super now!

 

[Pighead]

Hmmmm. Should improper/binding vaccuum advance off of idle make it hesitate?

Yes, of course it will. And, IIRC, adding a pertronix usually fixes things. So, you've added a vac advance dizzy with a Pertronix in it...same exact setup I got.
And I got no problem. For 15 years. Sounds like operator error. If it runs, it's not the Pertronix. They either run or they don't.
Time it by ear? Used to work, not so much with the Pertronix. It's different and I (we) often run a bit advanced.
So, Timing light is one clue...advanced is another....

 

[Dirt Bomb]

The early coils were designed to run on a full 12 volts where a
ballast resistor coil runs on less and uses 12 volts for starting.
A solid state device will have somewhat more resistance than
a good set of points. In order to get get more spark voltage
with the Pertronics I think you need to use the Pertronics coil
or a ballast resistor coil.

 

[Pin_Head]

Whether you need a ballast resistor or not depends only on what type of coil you have. If you have a resistor type coil, you need an external ballast resistor. It often says "resistor type" on the coil. Running a resistor type coil without a resistor may cause it to over heat and fail.

The type or brand of coil has very little to do with the actual spark voltage, as all coils are capable of putting out much higher voltages than typically encountered in a running engine. The engine running conditions and the spark plug gap determine the spark voltage.

 

[Von Chaos]

I have installed pertronix on my '74 runs great! I would check the timing w\ a timing light ( i don't know about this timing by ear) I always set the timing at full advanced seems to work better. It sounds to me like you have carb adjustment problems. When was the carb. last rebuilt? also it wouldn't hurt to change plugs and wires.

 

[Cee Jay]

Let me clarify a few things. It ran PERFECT before I changed to the "correct" dizzy with Pertronix installed. I had no carb problems. Also, I have a coil that is a NON-RESISTOR type and actually says on it "DO NOT USE A BALLAST RESISTOR". I twiddled with it all weekend and cant get it to not hesistate and the hard starting appears to have become WORSE! It flies along on the highway nicely at high RPMs, just hesitates at low idle acceleration and takes longer to start. I removed that "extra little wire" in the dizzy and that made no difference. I advanced and retarded the dizzy manually 100 times or so and it makes NO DIFFERENCE. I can clearly get the range of motion of the dizzy to go from obviously retarded and rough running to smooth, to rough/missing/advanced too far, so I am very sure that I am not "off a tooth or so" and that it is installed properly. This is killing me!!! I may switch back to points and see if the problem is still there. If it is, it is one of those Toyota ghosts and I will have to go to the carrb, which was FINE before. If it is gone, I will still be thoroughly baffled.

Your help is greatly appreciated. If one of your inputs makes it better, I will be forever grateful.

Thanks, CJ.

 

[Cee Jay]

Here are some pictures of the alleged culprit(s) :

 

[Nomis]

Few more things to check:

- The timing should be set with the advance port plugged - meaning there is NO advance when setting the base timing.

- How much vacuum are you pulling at idle and is it steady? Check at the manifold or the brake booster.

- Does your dizzy advance diaphragm hold a vacuum - if not this would cause a vacuum leak and would be especially noticeable at idle.

- How are your plug wires - any cracks that may be arching to ground? Easy way to check is run the engine in a dark place and check for arching - sparks shorting out to surrounding metal in the engine bay.

If you do not own a timing light and a vacuum gauge - now is the time to pick one up. They are not that expensive and will be a valuable diagnostic tool now and later on down the line. If you do not wish to do this at this time - install your old, known good, points dizzy and run it in the meantime - IMHO.

 

[Dusty 66]

CJ what going with the top of your rotor?

Noticed burn between the contact and the pointer ?

Looks like you might you might have not been seated all the way of the dissy

kinda odd

or may be a crack in the cap ?

Just a thought Joe...

 

[Cee Jay]

Joe, that was the dizzy, cap, and rotor that were on the '66 when I got it and it ran well. The cap appears to be in perfect condition. I am going to get another setup just to be safe. The rotor was originally placed on the shaft poorly, such that the plastic "guide" on the inside of it is marred, and now there is a little rotational play in it because of such. Since someone had asked, the wires are very new looking, and the plugs look newer as well, though I have not checked them. I have new ones to put on, but it ran so well before this dizzy swap that there was really no need.

 

[Cee Jay]

In the first picture of my dizzy above, what is the purpose of the larger flat head screw that is next to the vaccuum diaphram??? Maybe that is something to adjust to fix my vaccuum diaphram wobble?