I have a few observations and some experiences with Pertronix:
First, the ignition timing will change after conversion. The trigger point
of the unit is different than with contact points, and most likely your
timing will be REALLY advanced, so keep that in mind.
Next, the coil resistance is very important, and must be matched to the
existing wiring in the car and the type of Pertronix used (Ignitor vs.
Ignitor II vx. Ignitor III). Specifically, cars with ballast resistance
wires will affect the coil resistance selection, as will the conversion
unit. Most of the conversion units for our cars are Ignitor (not II or III),
but new distributors come with II or III versions, so be careful there.
One effect of changing your ballast wire/coil configuration is your
tachometer; using a 1.5 ohm coil instead of a 3.0 ohm coil after removal of
the ballast wire will often result in a tachometer that does not read
correctly - often 2x the actual reading. In many cases, your tachometer will
bounce around no matter which coil/wire/Ignitor combination is selected.
This is due to the older type of triggering used in older cars. If you have
Smiths gauges, for example, and have an RVI movement tach, you will be
likely to have issues. If you have a later RVC tach, it will almost
certainly perform properly, due to the compatibility in circuitry with
electronic ignition. Old tachs can be converted, but that's easier done in
England than here, though there are one or two shops that handle the
conversion.
What I have found is that it is generally safer to use a 3.0 ohm coil with
our without a ballast wire and have the Pertronix see extra resistance than
to use a 1.5 ohm coil without a ballast wire, even if that is the preferred
configuration, unless you convert your tach.
There are other considerations when converting to Pertronix, and we can
cover those at the tech session if that's a popular subject.
FWIW, I have Pertronix units on the Elan and TR6, and they function
flawlessly, and have since being installed. I don't keep a spare set of
points, but I do have a spare Pertronix. I've had plenty of points and
condensors fail or wear prematurely, so always used to keep spares of those,
although they are cheaper in comparison; I just always expect that something
will fail, and I'm not disappointed when it does. Hmm. Cynical of me...
Spark on!
Greg Tatarian
On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 7:50 AM, Walter Kilchherr <wkilch@sbcglobal.net>wrote:
> I've heard nothing but good about Pertronics, it improved my Sprites
> performance. BUT, I've heard you can kill them by leaving the ignition on
> too
> long without the engine running. It does hurt to have the old parts in your
> car just in case.
>
> Walter
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