[PMD1969]

Well I finally found the problem with my 69FB Sprint. There were no points left ! LOL After nearly 30 years of no work or maintenance on the distributor I took it apart to install a 1162A Pertronix. The condenser had a frayed wire and the points were nearly gone. I am surprised it ran that way but it started right up every time.

The Pertronix install was brick simple and I am disappointed that I waited this long to do it. I found the 1162A at Ebay for $69 and free shipping which they got it here FAST. A few things that happened were the sensor cup didn't want to go on and had to be gently tapped into position. The cap does not need to be filed or cut and the vacuum advance does not need to come off.

So far the hood tach, which is a repro from 20 years ago is working. The exhaust note changed considerably and the unburned gas smell is not near as bad in the garage. I also changed the plugs (AC R44XLS) and gapped them to 40 to see if there is an improvement. After it warmed up it didn't bog at all which is surprising since I have yet to get the carb tuned correctly. It winds up quicker and the idle is nice and smooth, more than it has ever been.

The weather is bad here so I can't take it out to put it under a load. As soon as it clears up I will post back to give a seat of the pants report.

[tom s]

Remember it needs 12 V constant.If you have a resister wire,by pass it and run a 12V.Tom

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by tom s

Remember it needs 12 V constant.If you have a resister wire,by pass it and run a 12V.Tom

No resistor wire. Thanks.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Been running on it for years and love it.
I do keep a standard set of points set up on a distributor plate in my travel box, just in case

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hamlin

Been running on it for years and love it.
I do keep a standard set of points set up on a distributor plate in my travel box, just in case

You had posted this advice before and I have done the same. Thanks!

[TheSilverBuick]

I put one in my Thunderbird because the points wouldn't hold their adjustment. Best thing ever for that car. Meanwhile my old Firebird and my Centurion never seemed to required any maintenance on the points, maybe every ~15,000-20,000 miles or so for an adjustment, so I left the points in them.

[UnchainedGTO]

Make sure you change out your coil to a 3 ohm unit as well. I didn't make this switch right away and had some issues when the car was driven for more than 5 miles at highway speeds.

[rexs73gto]

I've used the same coil & the same std, coil wire for 25+ years & i know it would most likely run a bit better if I used the 12 volt wire direct but it runs good & starts right up & have had no problem since I put it on, so I find no reason to change it. But it do carry a set of unipoints already adjusted & ready to go just in case, but haven't had to use them yet.

[77 Canamman]

Never had any issues with excellent quality old issue Delco points/condensers. I have had two friends that had the Petronix fail after a heat soak at a car show. I'm not impressed with them.

[Brad Pringle]

I have had the magnets in the top pickup fall out while on trip to Woodward. Kinda shocked because motor had less than 500 Mile on it. It misses really bad when that happens! LOL. I cant be the first with that problem. Should change to a diffent system before the rest of the magnets fall out!

[My442]

I have run Pertronix units for about 14 years.

Never an issue.

Need to give the unit a full 12 volts, and use the recommended coil.

Cleans up the idle, and runs better.

I currently have the Pertronix III unit with the rev limiter.

The lobe sensor unit is the best design.

[george kujanski]

Follow the install instructions... IIRC, the module power is connected to 12V directly, but the coil (+) should still get fed thru the existing resistor wire.

Not using the resistor wire with the 1162A kit ( Ignitor) and a std coil, will increase the current thru the output of the module. The install instructions (last time I looked) show that the resistor is still used to feed the std coil. A std coil has about 1.8 ohms of primary resistance, a replacement coil with a higher primary resistance can be used without the existing resistor wire.

George

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

Follow the install instructions... IIRC, the module power is connected to 12V directly, but the coil (+) should still get fed thru the existing resistor wire.

Not using the resistor wire with the 1162A kit ( Ignitor) and a std coil, will increase the current thru the output of the module. The install instructions (last time I looked) show that the resistor is still used to feed the std coil. A std coil has about 1.8 ohms of primary resistance, a replacement coil with a higher primary resistance can be used without the existing resistor wire.

George

I ran the red wire to the "+" on the OE coil. Should I run the red wire to a switched positive somewhere? I does seem to run fine as I took the car out for a 20 mile drive. I ran it through the gears and ran the motor to 5k.

[george kujanski]

The important thing is to use the existing resistor wire (or a resistor ) in the harness to feed the coil (+) with the standard coil, per the instructions. Without the resistor the coil current, (and therefore the current that is switched by the module) is higher.

The red wire provides power to the module itself, and the instructions show it connected to a switched ignition wire on the opposite side of the resistor wire. The purpose is to supply +12v to the module at all times, connecting the red wire to the coil (+) certainly is simpler, and seems to work ok for you.

Thing is, with a resistor in series with the coil, the voltage at the coil (+) terminal changes from +14v to about +9v or so, when the module is driving the coil, so in that configuration, the module will see a fluctuating voltage for it's power.

Granted, the instructions show the ideal connections, and it certainly is easier to connect it the way you did, which is how most users do it anyway.

The important thing for reliability is to use the resistor wire with the standard coil, per the instructions, in my opinion.

George

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

The important thing is to use the existing resistor wire (or a resistor ) in the harness to feed the coil (+) with the standard coil, per the instructions. Without the resistor the coil current, (and therefore the current that is switched by the module) is higher.

The red wire provides power to the module itself, and the instructions show it connected to a switched ignition wire on the opposite side of the resistor wire. The purpose is to supply +12v to the module at all times, connecting the red wire to the coil (+) certainly is simpler, and seems to work ok for you.

Thing is, with a resistor in series with the coil, the voltage at the coil (+) terminal changes from +14v to about +9v or so, when the module is driving the coil, so in that configuration, the module will see a fluctuating voltage for it's power.

Granted, the instructions show the ideal connections, and it certainly is easier to connect it the way you did, which is how most users do it anyway.

The important thing for reliability is to use the resistor wire with the standard coil, per the instructions, in my opinion.

George

I ran the black wire to the " - " on the OE coil and the red to " + ". I can run a 12V switched wire from the fuse panel to the red wire if it will make it run better or give it more reliability?

Just for a spare I am going to restore the original points and condenser and keep them in the car.

[My442]

Run a full 12 volts to the coil - no resistor.

It will work with the resistor, but works best with the full voltage.

Per the Pertronix help line technician.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Did you check dwell vs RPM? could be an eye opener for the OHC6 dizzy croud.

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by My442

Run a full 12 volts to the coil - no resistor.

It will work with the resistor, but works best with the full voltage.

Per the Pertronix help line technician.

From a visual check the wire from the OE harness to the "+" post on the coil does not have any resistor that I can see. The wire should be coming straight from the panel on the firewall.

Is this something that I could a volt meter to and get a reading?

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Did you check dwell vs RPM? could be an eye opener for the OHC6 dizzy croud.

I am not sure what that means?

[rexs73gto]

The staock wire harness for your car has the resistor built into the wire. It's similar to the fuseable link wires in the system , you can't see that either.