[Spridgets] Pertronix failure now understood.

[Robert E. Shlafer]

You mean....nothing lasts forever?? 

That's it....I want my money back. :)

Cap'n. Bob      '60 :{)


-----Original Message-----
From: corvallis at peoplepc.com
Sent: Saturday, September 5, 2009 8:28 AM
To: spridgets at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Pertronix failure now understood.

Capacitors (condensers) do get old and die, as do semiconductors (diodes and
transistors.) Resistors usually don't, but can get friend by too much
voltage or amperage which heats them and causes the resistance binding
material to crack. ...bill in oregon
===================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: spridgets-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:spridgets-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Dean Hedin
Sent: Friday, September 04, 2009 8:47 PM
To: Spridgets
Subject: [Spridgets] Pertronix failure now understood.

I guess it was inevitable.  My Pertronix failed.

But I figured out how it failed and I have a workaround.

Let me first explain the symptoms.  
I converted my Bugeye to an alternator several years ago.  In doing this I
had to transfer the guts of an
electric tach into the origianl Bugeye mechanical tach.  This all worked
fine, even with the Pertronix.

In the course of getting my car back on the road recently I've been
experiencing some hesitation issues.
In addition, the electric tach stopped working.  It was intermitent at first
then quit completely.

While troubleshooting the hesitation, I decided to disconnect the electric
tach wire from the coil so 
as to eliminate it from the equation.

After doing so the car would not start.  Very strange.  Disconnecting the
tach wire should not have killed things.

Here is what happened.  The condensor inside the Pertronix module failed.
The input capacitance of the line into the tach
is what was allowing my car to run.  Disconnecting that wire, no more
capacitance and no spark.

The tach died because the lack of a real condensor caused a high flyback
voltage to the tach input.
I'll have to pull the tach out and see if I can fix it.

To get the Pertronix working again, I just connected a 0.22uf 250v capacitor
from the negative lead of the coil to chassis ground.

I'm not sure this is how other Pertronix units have failed but anyone else
who has a failed Pertronix might want to try this fix.

What killed the capacitor inside the Pertronix?  Not sure.  I carefully
photographed all my wires before I disassembled things 
last year and used these as a guide for reassembly.  I think it was just age
that killed it.

My hesitation issue turned out to be carb related.   

I will drive the car with this fix until I finish building this unit:
http://www.molla.org/DIY-CDI/SC-DIY-CDI-article-hires.pdf
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