> So, maybe we should avoid the pertronix units?
> -Tony
Yes, they're junk. Here is my annual diatribe about Pertronix ignitors
(copied from my post a few months ago to the 6-PACK list):
The benefits of the Pertronix Ignitor are more theoretical than measurable
in the real world. In fact, I have had so many quality and technical issues
with the Pertronix over the years that I refuse to sell them even when
requested.
Before starting my own parts business, I worked for a much larger East Coast
British car shop that sold the Pertronix units when they first became
available for British cars between late 1997 and 1999. The units had a 30%+
return rate and overall at least half of those that purchased the units had
major issues that needed replacement parts from Pertronix ... the other 30%
just got fed up and returned them.
The basic issues of the Pertronix are these:
1) Horrible quality control in production. The magnetic collars are the
weakest point, often suffering from tops which are improperly glued into
place and come loose during operation. Missing magnets or incorrectly
polarized magnets.
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.
3) Even when all supporting systems are functioning perfectly and the
Pertronix unit displays no quality issues, there is often a stumble or a
miss in the powerband around 3000RPM. This particularly applies to the TR6,
as I remember fielding a few technical support calls specifically form TR6
owners and this problem.
4) Pertronix reduced their warrantee from 36 months to 30. A dead
giveaway that they would rather cut their losses on warrantee issues than to
build and provide a proper product.
I even ran a Pertronix unit in my 1974 TR6 during the summer of 1999. The
first problem I encountered was that the magnets were not polarized
correctly in the collar, two of the six were incorrect. A new collar from
Pertronix solved that issue. Then I had the mystery miss in the power band,
which was pretty annoying but I could deal with it. Then I had an
alternator fail, but I still had to make it home, a task which would have
worked fine if I had points that were still installed.
So at the end of the summer, points when back in, I feel the idle quality
and powerband smoothness that properly adjusted points provide is equal or
better to a 100% properly functioning Pertronix unit. The sole benefit of
the Pertronix is that people do not have to "worry about points"... but
instead you have to worry about the Pertronix.
Moss will admit they had lots of problems during the same period of time
with the Pertronix, they also claim Pertronix has fixed all the issues. I
doubt it, nothing I saw on new units made me change my mind about the
quality. You won't know if the magnetic collar is a problem until you
install it. I prefer points, check and adjust them twice a year, replace
them every 18 to 24 months and you should have no problem.
--
Kai M. Radicke
Wishbone Classics
www.wbclassics.com
Ph: 215.945.7250
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