1956_ Pertronix ignitor 1 & flamethrower coil issues

[peter dantzer]

Hi Just installes Pertronix Ignitor 1 and a matching 1.5ohm flamethrower coil in my 56 thunderbird.

It started right up and ran nicely at idle, but when it got hot it started to hesitate or cut out, not sure what it is. In the end to such an extent that I was afraid of not making it home.

Checked the wires, the rotor, the timing, everything is in order. I have full 12v on the device. At high rpm 14v or something like that.
Good ground on the ignitor moduel.
Even moved the coil away from the manifold to cool it down.

I am out of idears, it was a brand new system bought at Mac's - can it be faulty ?

Before the conversion, I had no such problems.

Any idear will be higly appriciated !

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[CSPIDY]

Have you rechecked your gap on the pickup coil?

 

[peter dantzer]

Have you rechecked your gap on the pickup coil?

it not adjustable. Pertronix module fits exactly in the original skrew holes and the 2 fix points.
But i will extimate the distance to credit card thikness.

 

[peter dantzer]

- just checked the distance, 0 .6mm - also went for a short drive - running well for the first 5 minuttes, then as it heats up it starts hessitating, feels like ignetion cut out for a fraction of a second getteing worese as it gets hotter.

 

[Pearl 94]

I had a minor problem on my '66 when I installed the same unit. Found that I needed a spacer on the shaft under the Pertronix rotor to raise it to the exact same height as the pick-up. After that, no problem, works great.

 

[1957Bird]

Not to ask the obvious, but have you reached out to PETRONIX themselves. My guess is probably not the first time they’ve heard this. Mine works awesome

 

[peter dantzer]

Not to ask the obvious, but have you reached out to PETRONIX themselves. My guess is probably not the first time they’ve heard this. Mine works awesome

You are right - just found that Pertronix has a support page.
Thanks

 

[Douglemmo]

HI,

I have the Ignitor 11 and Pertronix Coil 11 on both my T-Bird and Mustang, both work great. A small piece of plastic comes with the ignitor which is used to set the gap between the ignitor and the magnetic collar that fits on the distributor rotating shaft. The ignitor is adjusted, using the plastic spacer to have a gap between the ignitor and the plastic collar, using all of the holes that the points used, just like the points. If, after talking to the Pertronix tech people and they don't come up with something, I suggest the following. Coils can malfunction due to heat. I would put the old coil back in place and run it, if the "new" coil is defective, this should prove it. Any coil should work so long as it has a resistance of over .5 ohm. I have found that my coils run at about 170F.
Good luck.

 

[peter dantzer]

HI,

I have the Ignitor 11 and Pertronix Coil 11 on both my T-Bird and Mustang, both work great. A small piece of plastic comes with the ignitor which is used to set the gap between the ignitor and the magnetic collar that fits on the distributor rotating shaft. The ignitor is adjusted, using the plastic spacer to have a gap between the ignitor and the plastic collar, using all of the holes that the points used, just like the points. If, after talking to the Pertronix tech people and they don't come up with something, I suggest the following. Coils can malfunction due to heat. I would put the old coil back in place and run it, if the "new" coil is defective, this should prove it. Any coil should work so long as it has a resistance of over .5 ohm. I have found that my coils run at about 170F.
Good luck.

Thanks, will try - Pertronix thinks it's a ground wire problem.
From battery to distributor base plate, a maximum resistance of 0.2 ohms is allowed.
Apparently, too high a resistance in the ground wire can pick up noise and interfere with the electronic.

 

[Douglemmo]

Let us know how you make out and what you find

 

[peter dantzer]

The problem is solved

It turned out that the rotor retainer clip was rusted away.
The rotor could therefore move upwards when the engine got hot and at high revs.