Pertronix in, won't start

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thanks for your input! I greatly appreciate it. I'll check that out.

Right now though, I'm just trying to get a damn spark from the coil(s) I have... Either I'm a complete idiot (which I am) or both coils miraculously shorted out.

I'm calling the mechanic down the street tomorrow to have him check it out. :)
 
Alright, heres my latest update. Still haven't got the mechanic to come check it out yet...

Bought a new coil, and got a spark from it, so apparently both my coils had gone bad, even though one was new and one was working when i took it out.

Took out the pertronix, made sure nothing was burnt, soldered my connectors on to ensure a good connection. Put a starter pack on the battery to make sure it hasn't been worn out, (its at 12.3V now).

I rigged up a timing light to ensure I was NOT going to get a spark with the pertronix setup.

Nope, no light when cranking, only got a quick flash when I turned the key to the OFF position. Assuming this actually broke the current from the low voltage to the high voltage coil side.

Now I'm figuring the pertronix unit is bad?

I'm going to install my points back in, and if they work, then I would have got a bad coil and a bad unit, if thats the case, Im one unlucky guy. :D
 
spark-key off

I'm not familiar with the unit so I looked up an install and found this

"Using the plastic air gap gauge as a feeler gauge, set the gap between the magnet sleeve and the Petronix module. Don't worry about getting it perfect. This measurement is not as important as a point gap setting. Just get it in the ballpark and it will be fine."
because you got spark when you shut the key off that says the coil is getting primary voltage and the secondary windings are intact cause you got a flash turning the key off.

That would suggest the problem is in the triggering--which instead of being physical is magnetic now


Have a look at the adjustment of the gap on the magnet.
 
Hey Bsmith, nice find!

Pastic air gap gauge? Not familiar with that.

I can't really see how I would set the vertical gap between the unit and the magnetic cover. Hmm, I'll go out and have alook.
 
Yeah, I have no idea how to move the pertronix up or down..?
Any ideas?!
 
here is a pic of the adjustment

173 0310 Pert 12 Z Photo

here's a pic of the adjustment, I would guess the center piece is magnetic at certain points working like a proximity switch if you know those

this is on a mustang but I imagine they all work the same

seems you would have to be close enough to trigger it but not touching looks like .030 on this feeler gage
173_0310_pert_12_z.webp
 
FIXED!!!

BSMITH : You're the man! Thank you!!!!

The center plastic/magnetic pickup was not centered on the shaft, I just adjusted the plate a little, and it worked first try.

The truck is running VERY smooth, and sounds GREAT!!! I will sleep well tonight! ahha.
 
Nice one, finally! You around today?
 
I'm trying to install a Pertronix Ignitor II on my F motor and I think I have the same problem as green bomber had. My question is how do you adjust the distance between the black shutter wheel and the ignitor module? Doesn't seem to be adjustable.

I definitely have a lot more than .030 between the wheel and the ignitor, just not sure how to bring the ignitor in closer, any suggestions?
 
I had similar issues trying to install the petronix 1665A into my '69 with the stock coil. I had a small miss in the ignition and couldn't track it down. Tried starting it several times and wasn't getting any spark. I made sure I was never leaving the ignition in the on position for more than a few seconds. Double checked all the wiring and polarity and all looked good. On about the 4th or 5th time turning it over, I started smelling something burning. Quickly pulled the battery cable, and the petronix had burned out.

Decided to get the flame thrower coil and bought a 2nd 1665A. Still wasn't getting any spark, but no smoke either. I was really close to giving up and going back to points, but decided to try the petronix II 91665A. Note: when I took off the 2nd petronix 1665A, I could see a small burn mark on the side.

Made a short prayer and tried turning it over. I was definitely getting spark now (yay!), but it wouldn't actually start (lots of spit and sputter). Found TDC on #1 and rechecked all the plug wire ordering and all looked good. Loosened up the dizzy and decided to try giving it small twists. Tried turning it over again and BOOM, she came back to life. Put the timing light on and made a few tweaks to the dizzy and she was purring nicely and the miss was gone.

Took her out for a spin and she definitely had more pep and ran smoother than she ever had since the frame off resto. It's only a 3 speed, but it ran smoothly at 60mph @2800 RPM. I'm glad I stuck with it and the petronix II 91665A and flame thrower combo worked nicely for me. Just passing along some of the frustration and solutions I ran into in case others run into the same situation.
 
HTown FJ40 said:
I had similar issues trying to install the petronix 1665A into my '69 with the stock coil. I had a small miss in the ignition and couldn't track it down. Tried starting it several times and wasn't getting any spark. I made sure I was never leaving the ignition in the on position for more than a few seconds. Double checked all the wiring and polarity and all looked good. On about the 4th or 5th time turning it over, I started smelling something burning. Quickly pulled the battery cable, and the petronix had burned out.

Decided to get the flame thrower coil and bought a 2nd 1665A. Still wasn't getting any spark, but no smoke either. I was really close to giving up and going back to points, but decided to try the petronix II 91665A. Note: when I took off the 2nd petronix 1665A, I could see a small burn mark on the side.

Made a short prayer and tried turning it over. I was definitely getting spark now (yay!), but it wouldn't actually start (lots of spit and sputter). Found TDC on #1 and rechecked all the plug wire ordering and all looked good. Loosened up the dizzy and decided to try giving it small twists. Tried turning it over again and BOOM, she came back to life. Put the timing light on and made a few tweaks to the dizzy and she was purring nicely and the miss was gone.

Took her out for a spin and she definitely had more pep and ran smoother than she ever had since the frame off resto. It's only a 3 speed, but it ran smoothly at 60mph @2800 RPM. I'm glad I stuck with it and the petronix II 91665A and flame thrower combo worked nicely for me. Just passing along some of the frustration and solutions I ran into in case others run into the same situation.
Click to expand...
Do you have a pic to see what you did. I’m looking into this setup myself.
 
RodrigzCrzr said:
Do you have a pic to see what you did. I’m looking into this setup myself.
Click to expand...
Hey @RodrigzCrzr, here's a pic of the distributor wiring and inside of the dizzy. Pretty simple, red from petronix on coil positive and black on negative. The other wire on coil positive is from my ignition. The other wire on negative is from my tachometer on the Dakota digital dash (OEM setup won't have any other wire on negative). The picture inside the dizzy shows hows it was installed (straightforward, just followed the petronix instructions). That picture shows the condenser still connected to the outside of the dizzy, but it's not connected to anything. Just couldn't get a screw driver back there to remove it.

20230228_124448.webp


20230228_124411.webp
 
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