Pertronix Ignitor: with or without new coil?

[Mazeing]

I have one on my 170c.i. and love it. No more points to set and turned a cold natured beast into a easy starting cold weather truck. I didn't buy a new coil, just installed the part under the distributor cap. Well worth the money.

Sold me ;D! I have to run in 1st for about a mile to get my beast warmed up enough that I don't have to heel and toe at every stop sign in the morning!

 

[joshm121]

I just went through this and after a lot of heart ache got it all worked out in the last week or so. If you use the ignitor you MUST have a 12V coil, pertronix or not. If you have the original Ford coil then is not intended for 12v. You have a ballasted resistor (either an actual resistor, or in my case a thick red wire labeled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE) that drops the voltage, and after heating up will give the pertronix problems. Mind would cut out somewhere around the 20 minute mark. I eventually used the ignitor, and pentronix coil, and cut out the ballasted wire. I just dug through the wires until I found it (like I said thick red wire labled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE), cut it out and replaced with a standard No. 12 wire. Now I'm running like a champ! Good luck!

 

[daddycreswell]

I just went through this and after a lot of heart ache got it all worked out in the last week or so. If you use the ignitor you MUST have a 12V coil, pertronix or not. If you have the original Ford coil then is not intended for 12v. You have a ballasted resistor (either an actual resistor, or in my case a thick red wire labeled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE) that drops the voltage, and after heating up will give the pertronix problems. Mind would cut out somewhere around the 20 minute mark. I eventually used the ignitor, and pentronix coil, and cut out the ballasted wire. I just dug through the wires until I found it (like I said thick red wire labled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE), cut it out and replaced with a standard No. 12 wire. Now I'm running like a champ! Good luck!

I am fixin to install my Pertronix, so what you are saying is I have to remove the resistor from OEM coil before this will work right? I haven't looked at my wiring yet, but where did you find the red wire at? Pictures would help me alot. I've never installed one of these before.

 

[Mazeing]

I am fixin to install my Pertronix, so what you are saying is I have to remove the resistor from OEM coil before this will work right? I haven't looked at my wiring yet, but where did you find the red wire at? Pictures would help me alot. I've never installed one of these before.

I installed a CenTech wiring harness and it came with a resistor ballast so I just need to get that out of the circuit if I go with the Flamethrower coil. The ballast is a white piece about 2-1/2" - 3" long with spade connectors on either end. I don't remember seeing a resistor wire before replacing the harness.

 

[oleguy74]

I just went through this and after a lot of heart ache got it all worked out in the last week or so. If you use the ignitor you MUST have a 12V coil, pertronix or not. If you have the original Ford coil then is not intended for 12v. You have a ballasted resistor (either an actual resistor, or in my case a thick red wire labeled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE) that drops the voltage, and after heating up will give the pertronix problems. Mind would cut out somewhere around the 20 minute mark. I eventually used the ignitor, and pentronix coil, and cut out the ballasted wire. I just dug through the wires until I found it (like I said thick red wire labled DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE), cut it out and replaced with a standard No. 12 wire. Now I'm running like a champ! Good luck!

you might have had other issues.my pertronix has ben running fine with res wire for 10 years.

 

[DirtDonk]

Oleguy is right. You don't necessarily need to replace a good coil. And how you connect the Ignitor depends entirely on what type of coil and how much voltage is delivered to it.
Josh changed his for other reasons, but not because it had to be 12v to be compatible with the Ignitor.

The bottom line is that it's the Ignitor that must have the full 12v no matter what coil is used, to operate reliably.
What that means is that if you are running an 8v coil (like the stock one) you cannot take the power for the Ignitor off of the coil's positive side. Instead, you have to find an alternate source of power that's on with the key in RUN only.

The reason this gets confusing is that the instructions from Pertronix show the most convenient way to connect an Ignitor module's Red wire is to run it to the positive side of the coil.
It appears in the diagram that this is acceptable at any time, but what they actually say in the text, and show in the diagram, but is not always clear until you look more closely at it, is that you need to hook the Ignitor to the battery side of any resistors. This gets the full 12v to the Ignitor module, while the coil still gets the reduced voltage.

So, for the Centech Mazeing mentioned, connecting it to the coil + side is perfect if no ballast resistor is used.
If a stock, or stock-type coil is retained, the ballast resistor is still used, but the Red wire is connected to the side closest to the battery.

Even Pertronix sells Flamethrowers with resistance values that make them compatible with stock resistor wires, so if you're going to be eliminating the resistor you have to choose the correct one of their 12v compatible coils. It will have more internal resistance built right into the coil itself.

I've heard here that it doesn't effect performance, but I've read in ignition books (I think?) that using a 12v coil with the full available voltage (without a resistor) is better for delivering a longer more reliable high-powered spark to the plugs.
Guess I'll have to go back and re-read the book. It was actually a fairly interesting, good reading book put out by Jacobs Electronics years ago.
Check it out if you ever have the chance.

Paul

 

[joshm121]

Yeah, I actually blew my coil out during the whole process so had to change it, and I guess I should have worded differently (forgive me I'm new).

If you are going to power the ignitor from the positive side of the coil ( like I did ) it has to be 12V. The resistor drops the voltage on the original coil. Several guys on here, and the tech support at Pentronix said it is a common problem on Fords and should be removed.

Sorry, I don't have pictures, but I found it by laying in the floor board and looking under the dash. There was a wire coming off the ignition switch with an aprox 3in white bullet connector. On the other side of the connector was the thick red (maybe more pink) wire that read DO NOT SPLICE OR CUT that ran all the way to the firewall plug. it had a black sleeve at one time, but had worn away enough on mine to be clearly identifiable. I just spliced before the bullet, then ran a new wire and tied back in on the other side of the firewall plug.

 

[75bronco08]

just put one in today with coil and i have centech wiring harness.i just used the blue wire that feed the balist resistor had 12v and hook to pos side of coil.hit the key fired right up.now to finish couple more thing back on the road.

 

[.94 OR]

I'm not so lucky I guess.

I literally smoked the ignitor without getting the motor to light up.

Looks like a call to someone is in order to get a replacement part.


For a solid 12V power source that is keyed on, can I tie into the circuit that goes to the "other" small post on the starter solenoid? I check it and it shows 13V when the key is on. I'm not sure what all that circuit does on the solenoid, but I think it would work and minimize the wiring under the dash to find a keyed source that is not the resistor wire.

 

[eastbaybronco]

i have a new in the box coil and almot new dizzy on the cheap if it helps. went efi... i actually gave away my engine intake and carb just cause i was so happy to be free from it. let me know if u are petrinixerested

 

[BRONCONY]

this is funny! i just did one of these installs today on my 302. i got the regular igniter but also got the flame thrower. in stalled it all, pretty easy and straightforward, but i put the ignition wire on the negative side on accident and smoked it. so with a trip to the auto parts store got a new one for free hooked it back up the right way and she pers like a kitten! very simple and good upgrade!

 

[mcknight77]

YMMV, but I've run the Ignitor with and without the Petronix coil on several vehicles. In every case the engine ran better with the higher voltage Pertronix coil. Some times it only cleaned up a pesky rough idle, in some cases it produced significantly more power. The bottom line is you may or may not need the extra voltage depending on your engine setup. But, in every case I've used them, the Pertronix coil made a difference in idle and power.

 

[.94 OR]

Who covered it under warranty?

I may have cooked my new coil too. It got too hot to touch after I put the new module in.

What fun, and it still doesn't fire.

 

[Coldbear]

You have to remember that the Pertronix 1 doesn't like to sit not running with 12 volts going to it. For instance sitting at the Drive In listening to the Oldies with the key set to Accessory. I always carry a spare used module for dumb times like this.

 

[DirtDonk]

Luckily if you use the normal ignition wire it’s only live in the ON position. But with so many of these things being rewired, and with so many other wires here and there looking convenient to use, it’s easy to get them mixed up.
This is a very old thread, but it’s good to dredge these things out now and then and add more information.

 

[NAZbronco]

I just installed the flamethrower coil and distributor with the bypass switch on the resistor wire. Fired at the fist touch of the key and running better than it has in many years. Just finished new water pump, fuel pump and alternator tomorrow. You mush have something wired wrong.