[Healeys] Beware Pertronix

[Bob Spidell]

Per,

A Pertronix switches current 'upstream' of the coil, whereas points switch current to ground 'downstream' of the coil. 
Therefore, a Pertronix requires a ground lead on the downstream side of the coil to complete a circuit when the 
Pertronix is in the 'charge-the-coil-and-fire-the-spark' state.  You can easily run a ground lead to any good spot in 
the engine compartment--for a car without the cutoff/ground switch this is what you'd do--but you'll lose the (minimal) 
anti-theft feature from the cutoff switch.  If you move the coil ground (w/b wire) to the battery side of the cutoff 
switch--this only requires a larger terminal on the wire--you can retain the anti-theft capability.  The wire doesn't 
provide power to anything, it's still a ground lead only it's providing a ground lead for the Pertronix and not a 
mechanism to short the coil (when the cutoff switch is in the 'off' position the Pertronix has an open circuit to ground 
and can't produce a spark).

Pertronix uses the same lead for power that would otherwise go directly to the coil, thence to the points and ground.

Bob



On 7/29/2012 2:37 PM, Per Schoerner wrote:
> Hi
> So, when you install a Pertronix you need to use that cable for something it was not intended for. e.g. to provide 
> power to something? Why on earth would you want to do something like that? I mean, you already have power in the thick 
> cable coming from the battery switch in the boot.
>
> Per
>
> Bob Spidell skrev 2012-07-29 15:09:
>> re: "... to  keep the switch functional I had to move the white w/blk
>> stripe to the batt term... "
>>
>>
>> That's what I did when I installed a Pertronix in my BJ8 many years
>> ago.  Worked a treat.
>
>


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Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

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