My original coil did work with the Pertronix but I got much better
performance by replacing it with a Lucas Sport coil ($28 at Jordon's).
I was able to increase the spark plug gap; the big, fat, hot spark fires
up the engine even in the coldest weather now. You shouldn't have to
replace your distributor however.
Ron
58 MGA
Mike Gianandrea wrote:
> Hey Greg,
>
> I have gotten pretty excited about putting the Pertronics in my TR4, but
> your message sort of takes me back to my original reservations. In
> reading your message, it would seem that replacing the points only is
> only part of the job, thus it would seem that for proper performance,
> one should replace the points, coil, and distributor, is this correct?
> Also, I have Draeger gauges (not sure they read acurately now) in my
> TR4, am I likely to have a problem with these? If I'm going to make a
> change, I prefer to do a complete and correct job, and have my car
> hummin. What are your recommendations?
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gregory Tatarian" <gtwincams@gmail.com>
> To: "North Bay British Car Club" <nobbc@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 8:10 AM
> Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Petronix ignition testing
>
>
>> I have a few observations and some experiences with Pertronix:
>>
>> First, the ignition timing will change after conversion. The trigger
>> point
>> of the unit is different than with contact points, and most likely your
>> timing will be REALLY advanced, so keep that in mind.
>>
>> Next, the coil resistance is very important, and must be matched to the
>> existing wiring in the car and the type of Pertronix used (Ignitor vs.
>> Ignitor II vx. Ignitor III). Specifically, cars with ballast resistance
>> wires will affect the coil resistance selection, as will the conversion
>> unit. Most of the conversion units for our cars are Ignitor (not II or
>> III),
>> but new distributors come with II or III versions, so be careful there.
>>
>> One effect of changing your ballast wire/coil configuration is your
>> tachometer; using a 1.5 ohm coil instead of a 3.0 ohm coil after
>> removal of
>> the ballast wire will often result in a tachometer that does not read
>> correctly - often 2x the actual reading. In many cases, your
>> tachometer will
>> bounce around no matter which coil/wire/Ignitor combination is selected.
>> This is due to the older type of triggering used in older cars. If you
>> have
>> Smiths gauges, for example, and have an RVI movement tach, you will be
>> likely to have issues. If you have a later RVC tach, it will almost
>> certainly perform properly, due to the compatibility in circuitry with
>> electronic ignition. Old tachs can be converted, but that's easier
>> done in
>> England than here, though there are one or two shops that handle the
>> conversion.
>>
>> What I have found is that it is generally safer to use a 3.0 ohm coil
>> with
>> our without a ballast wire and have the Pertronix see extra resistance
>> than
>> to use a 1.5 ohm coil without a ballast wire, even if that is the
>> preferred
>> configuration, unless you convert your tach.
>>
>> There are other considerations when converting to Pertronix, and we can
>> cover those at the tech session if that's a popular subject.
>>
>> FWIW, I have Pertronix units on the Elan and TR6, and they function
>> flawlessly, and have since being installed. I don't keep a spare set of
>> points, but I do have a spare Pertronix. I've had plenty of points and
>> condensors fail or wear prematurely, so always used to keep spares of
>> those,
>> although they are cheaper in comparison; I just always expect that
>> something
>> will fail, and I'm not disappointed when it does. Hmm. Cynical of me...
>>
>> Spark on!
>>
>> Greg Tatarian
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 7:50 AM, Walter Kilchherr
>> <wkilch@sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>>
>>> I've heard nothing but good about Pertronics, it improved my Sprites
>>> performance. BUT, I've heard you can kill them by leaving the
>>> ignition on
>>> too
>>> long without the engine running. It does hurt to have the old parts
>>> in your
>>> car just in case.
>>>
>>> Walter
>>
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