> 2) They are very voltage sensitive. If your car, for whatever
> reason, is
> getting less than 11.5V to your Pertronix unit, it will work
> intermittently if at all.
Just a side comment ... it seems the Pertronix is not the only electronic
ignition with this problem. My Stag was already fitted with an Allison when
I got it. Not long after that, the alternator failed on my way to work.
Should have had plenty of juice in the battery to get me home with no
alternator, but as the battery voltage shown on the dash indicator dipped
below 11v, the engine started sputtering and backfiring, and died completely
just seconds later. Fortunately I was close enough to coast on home from
that point, but I sure am underwhelmed with the "reliability" of the Allison
!
Points, BTW, will typically keep running (although not terribly well) down
to 6v or even below. I have driven cars equipped with points when the
battery voltage was so low, that the headlights were too dim to see the road
! Still ran pretty good, at least well enough to get home.
Since the points will work, obviously the problem is not that there isn't
enough juice to run the coil. Since it was easy, even in the early 70s when
the Ignitor was designed, to build electronics that would run fine on 6v
(and not overheat on 12v), this voltage sensitivity indicates a poor design.
Randall
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