Oh No Sparty is Sick!
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
Oh No Sparty is Sick!
David brought Sparty to me to correct a few small items. I fixed the fuel gauge and wipers and almost have the headlight doors working perfectly. A few other minor issues. I have not had a ton of time due to the weather. I have a small 2 car garage and in order to work on it mine has to go outside. Well today we went above freezing so I dove back in.
David was telling me the car would just cut out while driving like someone turned off the ignition. He had an old Pertronix and I have seen them go bad. So in went the latest Pertronix. Started right up but Fter running for about 15 minutes and getting fully warmed up the problem comes around. I was just driving slow through the hood and it died. Put it I. Neutral and while coasting it fires right back up. So it is very momentary and while sometimes die for a split second th e keep running. In the driveway it died a few times. So I checked voltage at the coil to see if it was dropping out voltage. Ahh we have 16.2 volts. WTF. Coming off alternator we have 19.2. Voltage regulator on a brand new rebuild has to be crapping out. Now that's an easy fix but could the over voltage at the coil be causing it to drop out momentarily. Other than that the car is running fine when it is running.
David was telling me the car would just cut out while driving like someone turned off the ignition. He had an old Pertronix and I have seen them go bad. So in went the latest Pertronix. Started right up but Fter running for about 15 minutes and getting fully warmed up the problem comes around. I was just driving slow through the hood and it died. Put it I. Neutral and while coasting it fires right back up. So it is very momentary and while sometimes die for a split second th e keep running. In the driveway it died a few times. So I checked voltage at the coil to see if it was dropping out voltage. Ahh we have 16.2 volts. WTF. Coming off alternator we have 19.2. Voltage regulator on a brand new rebuild has to be crapping out. Now that's an easy fix but could the over voltage at the coil be causing it to drop out momentarily. Other than that the car is running fine when it is running.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 11,183
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From: North of Toronto - Ontario
I know if the volts drop the pertronix shuts off exactly as your describing. When I first installed one it ran for about 1/2 hour then when I turned on the lights it quit after a few minutes (draw on the batt I guess) Start right up, then quit as soon as the revs dropped to go into gear. Repeat repeat repeat.
Wouldn't be surprised at all if it has same issue with the volts being too high the same way.
M
Wouldn't be surprised at all if it has same issue with the volts being too high the same way.
M
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Here is an odd condition that has caused me the same problem:
make sure that the distributor feed (out) wire does not have cracked or broken insullation on it INSIDE of the distributor. As this wire gets flexed around (more after it warms up!), it can actually short out on the distributor housing and provide serious ignition misses or even engine cut-off. And, as it is intermittant, it is VERY hard to find.
Another possibility is that of a poor ground from the distributor. Most folks don't know that the 'grounding circuit' for the distributor is the distributor housing-through the hold-down clamp-to the engine block. If you put paint (insulating properties) on the engine block and/or the hold-down clamp, there will be a POOR grounding path and low coil (and/or Pertronix) voltage will be the result.
make sure that the distributor feed (out) wire does not have cracked or broken insullation on it INSIDE of the distributor. As this wire gets flexed around (more after it warms up!), it can actually short out on the distributor housing and provide serious ignition misses or even engine cut-off. And, as it is intermittant, it is VERY hard to find.
Another possibility is that of a poor ground from the distributor. Most folks don't know that the 'grounding circuit' for the distributor is the distributor housing-through the hold-down clamp-to the engine block. If you put paint (insulating properties) on the engine block and/or the hold-down clamp, there will be a POOR grounding path and low coil (and/or Pertronix) voltage will be the result.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
I doubt if it is the Pertronix units and both units are doing exactly the same thing. As for the insulation I doubt if it is cracked because both units are brand new and one had about 100 miles and the latest one has about 15 minutes of run time. I will check the ground when I get home later this week. David is sending me another alternator as we need to get the voltage back to normal range.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
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From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Gordon- Is the pertronix pulling power from the yellow speckled coil wire? If so switch it to direct switched power. That wire is resistance wire and will drop voltage as it heats.... and thus kill the pertronix.
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Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
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From: Forked River NJ
It was when David had it done up originally. When I put the new one in I wired it to an ignition source so it is getting full voltage which right now is about 19 volts!! Once I get the new alternator in it should be back down to normal voltage.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
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From: Fremont CA
Try running any aftermarket ignition in a " overvoltage condition " and most wont return to work another day....I'm surprised the unit still works, says a lot about the robustness of the design. Way back in my foolish days of Z/28 ownership, I ran a MSD6 with a TI ignition as a trigger source, the car at times ran like CRAP.....come to find out the MSD was super voltage sensitive and anything under 12.3VDC would tax the ignition timing setting throwing it off...as years went on, I observed this many other times on MSD equipment, the newer series are supposed to be much improved. I have seen Pertronix units run reliably well below 12VDC thresholds with no change in timing settings.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
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From: Forked River NJ