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pertronix headache


john510

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Im having trouble getting my 71 510 to run after installing the pertronix module and 3 ohm coil exactly as the directions say,i got nothing no spark no pop ,nothing.It does run if i use my old mallory mark 2 voltmaster coil with a ballast resistor,it will also run when i take out the mallory and put in the pertronix 3 ohm with the ballast still hooked up,but im fouling spark plugs and something isnt right as far as power on the top end.The carburetors were fine before i attempted to convert to electronic ignition.With points it ran fine.I know this topic has been beat to death but i would really like to figure it out,i would like to know where the black and white wire goes,and the black and blue,and the black and green,i have looked at every picture and read every post trying to figure this out its probably so easy im looking to hard for a solution,thanks and merry christmas to all,john ps its a stock ballast resistor

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on my 510 wagon I am using the pertronix and pertronix 3 ohm coil and the red wire from the pertronix goes to the positive on the coil and the black goes to the pertronix to the negative of the coil. now the wires coming from the harness that went to the ballast resistor what seems to look like the black goes to the negative on the coil and the blk/blue and the blk/grn go to the positive side. and then there seems to be one left over black wire I have capped off. I am not using the ballast resistor.

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. I would use the stockPOINT coil and ballast. as in drawing below.

 

But if you use the 3 ohm Pertronix coil remove the ballast and hook up the blk/wht together with the blk/blu at the plus side coil. this makes sure it gives the 12volt during the SRART position. its in the HOW TO section 72wagun did a write up. Black of pertronix module to the - side coil thats it.

 

you wont use the blk grn if using the 3 ohm coil. The blk/grn is a contuniation after the ballast resisitor.

 

 

Personally I think it would be better to use the stock set up as when you use the stock set up During START you bypass the ballast reisitor and your really doubling the current as it only see 1.6 ohm during this time to give a HOTTER spark.

Using the Pertronix 3 ohm during coil even during START its seeing # ohm thus not really givin a hotter spark.

pertronixstockcoilsetup_thumb.JPG

Edited by banzai510(hainz)
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alright,i followed your instructions hainz and it fired right up,it runs much better throughout the rpm range,idles more like it used to and so far has not fouled any plugs,im going to drive it around a little more just to make sure i have this problem solved,my tach also seems to work better ,no jumping around ,i will put up pictures of this car when i can get the wife to help me out,in the last year or so i put roughly 7000 dollars into it and havent even touched the drivetrain yet,once again thank you very much

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Thanks Hainz for the diagram. my wires are sort of faded. I may switch back to my bosch coil and ballast resistor as I did not see a big improvement or maybe none to using the pertronix coil. all it did mainly was clean up the engine bay. to me it seemed maybe the bosch may have been better.

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nothing wrontg with the pertronix coil. its just 3 ohms to clean up the engine bay in my opinion.

I still think keeping the stock coil and ballast will aid in cold weather STARTS as it by passes the ballast to give the 1.6 ohm coil more current during Start as the starter is drawing alot of POWER loading down the whole system.

But once the key is back to the ON position the voltage will see about 3 ohms resisitance and the system wont know the difference. Chrome or not.

 

The Matchbox is the way to go, but IM a big fan of the Pertronix. I havent changed a Cap in rotor in like 5 years now. I just clean the magnet ring every now and then. Ck the see the tape dont peel but otherwise Im fine with the reliability factor. If motor cuts out I look at the carb first. Unlike points it could be a condensor,points burnt, shaft wobble(worn bushing)

 

72 wagon wrote a write up and updated some drawings in "HOW TO" section on how to hook up

Edited by banzai510(hainz)
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

PAGING HAINZ: (because he's the man)

 

First, I offer some belly-aching. I bought my '71 goon in 2010. The previous owner didn't do very much to the car at all and claimed to be afraid of wiring. He didn't own it for very long. I suspect that the guy before him is the one I should blame my woes on. Since I bought the car, I have come to the conclusion that anything worked on by the PO was never more than 70% finished. The transmission bolts to the engine were loose with one bolt missing entirely. There is no engine plate covering the flywheel and bell-housing behind the oil pan. The bolts from the drive line to the differential where all loose and barely hanging on. The differential was only loosely bolted to the carrier. Some of the nuts on the intake and exhaust manifolds weren't even finger tight. The transmission cross member only had 3/4 bolts to the car. The driver door hinges had only 4/6 bolts intact. The list goes on, and I'm always discovering more surprises...

 

My question relates to the ignition wiring. I read through this thread and saw Hainz's easily understandable diagram. I have a Pertronix kit and a factory tach. I decided to compare his diagram with my car, and the following is what I found. I couldn't find any wiring diagrams showing how the factory tach was supposed to play into all of this. Hopefully someone can make sense out of it?

 

ExistingSetup.jpg

 

As you can see, the black/white wire has totally bypassed the coil. Right now the engine runs "fine," but I think I'm getting misfires, and the tach jumps around a little. I do have engine ping which sounds like a marble or rattle can. It is always present when I give the car gas at any RPM, and it goes away when I let my foot off. Retarding the timing doesn't do a thing accept make it run like crap, while still pinging. I'm definitely not running lean, and my blackened tail pipe and soot on the back of my car prove it. Valve lash is set to .006/.008 cold. I've tried running premium gas, and it doesn't help. It almost makes the engine run worse. I have even run premium gas together with an octane booster without any improvement. Blah blah blah...

 

My understanding is that I need to wire it up like the following diagram, but I'm not sure what to do with the tach wires? The engine won't fire without the black/green from the tach hooked up to the plus side of the coil.

 

PertronixCoilSetup.jpg

 

The car came with a Crane Fireball PS91 coil, stock ballast resistor, and single point distributor. I'm not sure if it is advisable to use the Crane coil with the stock ballast resistor and Pertronix kit? Here's how I figure it should be wired up, but again, I don't know what to do with the wires coming from the tach.

 

CraneCoilSetup.jpg

 

Any help is appreciated. Ratsun is awesome and is helping to keep this 510 alive. I'm just getting hacked off at my stupid engine...

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OK, so to hook up the FACTORY tach, with the tach not in line disconnect EVERYTHING that goes to the (+) side of the coil. Combine those wires together with the black/white wire of the tach. Connect ONLY the Black/green wire of the tach to the coil (+) side.

 

Conversely, you can use the (-) side of the coil. You can do that to see if one or the other affects running behavior. If no matter what causes misfires that don't happen without the tach, you're in trouble because the tach is CAUSING the problem. All the tach is doing is reading pulses off the wire via induction, so it doesn't matter which side of the coil its hooked up to.

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2nd drawing is correct if you have a 3 ohm Pertronix coil. No ballast is needed. Blk/wht and the blk/blu should work.

 

3rd drawing is correct if stock coil 1.6 or close ohm resisitance coil and ballast resisitor. Its really the bLK /Blu wire thats the Hot Start(12volt with key ON) you show blk/grn

 

tack dont run it ight now and see if everything works.

 

 

The first drawing shows a in SERIES type set up. I have only heard of these from Byron510 on the realm. He siad these a in series and a parallel version.

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datsunaholic:

 

So if I read you right, the following diagram would work with the stock tach?

 

CorrectSetupWithTach.jpg

 

I'm not sure if I follow you on the misfiring in relation to the tach? If it is misfiring and the tach is reading fine, then the tach is causing the problem somehow? When I hook up a timing light, it'll flash when the timing marks go by, but sometimes (maybe every one out of five flashes) it flashes on another spot of the pulley. Sometimes it'll flash three times in a row on a different part of the pulley... Is there a chance that the Pertronix unit has gone bad? I've got a new single point distributor to plug in. I'll try that out along with the correct wiring.

 

Hainz:

 

I'll try running without the tach hooked up and see if that fixes anything.

 

Here's the info on the Crane coil: http://www.cranecams.com/414-415.pdf It says .43 ohms of primary resistance and 3.0 kohms of secondary resistance. Should I stay away from it?

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Thanks for your input guys.

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Diagram is correct, per what I said.

 

But to determine of the tach is the cause, you have to run without it. If the symptoms remain identical it's not the tach.

 

Now, I just realized that the other problem could be in the wiring- if one of the tach leads is grounding out it'll be a dead short and nothing will work, but if it's intermittent then it CAN cause a misfire.

 

The firing off of the timing mark is not all that unusual... the mechanical and vacuum advance can cause it to float around, particularly if the distributor is somewhat worn out. Shaft wobble will do that too. If the pertronix was going out, it woulnd't cause mistimed sparks, just missing spark.

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Haha! Duly noted on the Crane coil. I told you the PO was out to get me...

 

And yes Hainz, your drawing was awesome, I just didn't know how my tach wires factored into it. I'll run it sans tach for the time being. Thanks for your help. And don't be jealous just because you don't have a stock tach like me. :rofl:

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