Petronix Ignitor installed

Bee Jay · 06-02-2001, 12:01 PM

I had a choice Thursday, invest in a dwell meter, or upgrade to a pointless system. I just installed the Petronix, took all of 15 minutes. No grinding, no wire cutting. I immediately took a test drive. WOW!!! What a diference, especially above 4500rpm. The backfiring that I blamed on the carbs, went away. What gives? This only replaces the points right. Does it give a hotter spark or something? The points were new, and I think they were still adjusted correctly. (no dwell meter, last set when we fired up the new engine, using Wyane's meter)If I get the g-meter for father's day,(Tom, tell Sylvia), I am going to reinstall the points, and do an ab comparison. Maybe I won't need that MSD after all. I am a very pleased customer.
Bee Jay

Rouser · Rouser's Garage

Yep, same results when I installed a PerTronix unit in a friends '73 2.0L fuelie.

He had an annoying pip-popping when it was warming up, and an occasional off-idle rumble while taking off. No more; he couldn't BELIEVE the difference!

Jake Raby · 06-03-2001, 03:17 PM

You still need to check the ignitor's dwell, after the install...I have seen them way off..

The new ignitor is far from a quality unit, about 1/4 of all we get, direct from the source, are bad, and will not even fire, open circuits are also problems..Always!! keep you old points in the glovebox, waliking because of an ignitor is not uncommon..

SteveStromberg · 06-05-2001, 06:17 AM

I agree with Jake I had one fail near Big Sur it just quit, luckly I keep a spare Dizzy in the pile o parts in the trunk and soon we were on our way. Steve

Bee Jay · 06-05-2001, 08:06 AM

Hey Jake. I never knew you had to check dwell on the Petronix. What do you set it too? I gues you adjust it by changing the gap between the magnet and the pickup. What does changing the dwell do, I mean if the dwell is way off, do you get a weaker spark?

Doug M · 06-05-2001, 09:19 AM

The Crane Cams optical ign. is a much better system and very reliable. I have used them both and the Crane unit is worth the $
I would hate to carry all the spare parts that I think I could need, a trailer full maybe!!??
Doug

Bee Jay · 06-06-2001, 06:41 AM

Jake, you were right. The dwell was only about 25 with the recommended .030" gap. I reduced the gap to .020 and the dwell is up to 50 degrees. I finished late last night, so I don't know what that does to the performance.
Bee Jay

Bee Jay · 06-09-2001, 02:19 PM

Like I said the car ran great, for about a week, and then it started to intermittantly run like a dog under load. I checked the float levels, the fuel pump flow and pressure and I made sure nothing had climbed up my tailpipe. I then replaced my brand new Bosch blue coil with an old black one that I borrowed. Voila, it ran great again. Is my blue coil bad, or does the Pertronix not work with this coil. What coil should I use? I plan to install and MSD box later.
Bee Jay

[This message has been edited by Bee Jay (edited 06-09-2001).]

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

The Blue coil is now the standard stock replacement coil. The Pertronix should work as well with it as with the old black coil.

To me, this says your blue coil is bad.

--DD

Bee Jay · 06-09-2001, 08:25 PM

Thanks Dave.
That's what I figured. I'll take it back to Tom Monday. Is the blue coil the best way to go, or is there some other popular choice for the 914.
Bee Jay

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Well, I usually dislike the word "best"... But the blue coil is certainly one of the easiest and most available replacements. It just drops in, assuming you figure out the mounting issues. (The blue coil is smaller than the old coil, so you either wrap something around it to fit the stock bracket, or you use the supplied bracket and use some washers to make sure it stays put.)

--DD

Jake Raby · 06-10-2001, 06:13 PM

There are 2 Bosch Blue coils....

One of them is the real thing, and has a part number on the bottom, and the other is a mexican built, piece of JUNK!! It even says on the box "manufactured FOR Bosch, not by Bosch..

I throw about 3 of these away every week, and I have had atleast 15 cars towed into the shop in 6 months, from them..
If the coil has no part number, and it sounds like liquid is floating around inside it, throw it in the dumpster, and buy the real thing, or a 30 year old original..