Hot Rods My Coupe Just Died out of nowhere!

I'd say the resistor has finally fried the Pertronix or scrambled it's brains.

 

The coil is Pertronix. I know that, because I just peeled the ugly sticker off of it two weeks ago!

It seems like we have ruled out the ballast resistor. I just checked for voltage on both sides of that ballast resistor with the ignition switch in the on position and came up with zero. If I am correct, doesn’t that mean that there is no voltage getting to the resistor, and that it must have something to do with the ignition switch? How do I check that?

Something tells me I should probably try to get another one coming my way. Anyone know where to get one of these ignition switches? I think it’s 1939 Ford.

 

Wait, what? You said earlier it fires but won't run. Now, you've got no voltage to the ballast resistor the Pertronix shouldn't have. It still fires but won't run, but you have no voltage to the coil? That doesn't make sense. If you have a multi-meter, or a test light, just test the ignition side of the switch.

 

Here is the latest group of readings...
Continuity from both posts on the ballast resistor to both posts on the coil, no voltage with switch on or off.

No voltage to the ballast resistor, either post.

11.93 volts to "Coil" terminal on the ignition switch.
12.23 volts to "Battery" terminal on the ignition switch.
12ish volts to the "Gauges" terminal on the ignition switch.

There is an 8 circuit fuse panel and all of those fuses are good.

Does this mean that there is an issue with the wire or wires that go between the ignition switch to the fuse box? I'm guessing one of the wires on the "Coil" terminal....OR does it mean that something is up with the switch and it's not sending the voltage out to the coil?

 

If you're not getting voltage at the ballast resistor with the ignition switch on or off and have voltage to various parts of the switch...either the switch is bad or the wire going from the switch to the ballast resistor is bad.

 

I was going to order a switch regardless...Do I need to try to find a 12v version of this switch? Will this one do?

https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/ca...MI5t7w3OTb-QIVwAeICR28nQ_JEAQYAiABEgJvV_D_BwE

 

So...now that I'm thinking about it...it still fires when I hit the starter switch because of the "auxiliary contact" in the starter solenoid sending voltage to the coil?

 

Don’t buy anything until you know what you’re fixing. Don’t buy a 12 V switch, a 6 V switch will carry twice the load as a 12 V switch. You simply need to run a jumper wire from the battery plus to the coil plus and see if your car starts then figure out where the break is from the coil to the ignition switch, fuse, wire short etc.

 

Bad- I'm a sucker because things take forever to get here, so one's on the way just in case...

You mean the actual positive post on the battery and the "+" post on the coil?

 

Yes. Simple Quick and accurate diagnosis.
I’ll check back in 10 minutes for your report that it’s running. And if not, we know the next direction to point you in.

 

With regard to Pertronix and a ballast resistor. Several years ago I converted a crab distributor to Pertronix. Having difficulties I sent the distributor to Bubba. He set up the distributor on his machine and advised I should use a coil manufactured in the USA. I still have the Pertronix coil but never used it. I think Pertronix coils are manufactured in China. I bought a USA coil from Bubba along with a ballast resistor and the 34 has been running perfectly ever since.

 

This one time at band camp..... no, seriously, we were at the lake. I had a 1979 Slickcraft boat with a 350 gm engine. It would start fine, idle fine, but as soon as I kicked it in gear it would die. I finally had a guy tell me it might be the coil. I removed the coil from my daily driver in the parking lot, and the kids water skied the rest of the afternoon. Put the coil back in the car to drive home again. Not saying that's your problem, but sounds somewhat familiar. Good luck.

 

I agree with a bad coil. I always have one around I use for a test, came out of a running junk car 40 years ago. I also have a couple of Ford solenoids in my trunk in case someone needs one when I am out and about.

 

How many miles have you been running this system? if it has been a long time and because the unit still works in the resister bypass mode I would say the total ohms resister plus coil are OK for the Petronix unit. I have a Petronix 1 in a 67 F350 with the orignal coil and resister that has 80,000 miles and has never missed a beat with the same plugs. I think we have another case blame the petronix. One other thing when the switch is in the run position do you have power to other stuff that should be on?

 

FYI--see alot of connections on that stock switch--they can't carry a great deal of load. You can set it up so it works to fire a relay and take the load.

 

SUCCESS!!!
I started checking for continuity and got a good trace all the way to the 30 amp fuse in the fuse panel. I started checking for continuity from the other side of that fuse slot back to the coil terminal on the ignition switch and got nothing. To throw in a little confusion, someone left a wire to that coil terminal that was snipped and taped on the other end... Anyway, I realized the problem was between the switch and the fuse panel so I found an old 30 amp fusible link I had lying around and jumpered that from the coil terminal on the switch straight to the wire going from the ballast resistor to the coil and if fired right up. Then I just spliced and connected and somewhat prettied it up. The way I see it, the only difference is that now it's not going through the fuse panel.

Many thanks to all of you.

To answer some other questions...the coil is good- I personally have about 1000 or so miles on the car the way it was...
I AM about to put a Ford solenoid in the trunk, just in case. Debating replacing the distributor with one of those new HEI units with an external coil.

 

Always good to hear the answer was found.

 

Glad to hear it’s solved. I read all the post, so I might have missed it, but when a ford with the old solenoid starts in the start position and dies when you release the key to run, that’s when it come off the resistor bypass, and the coil loses power. Sounds like that’s what you found. Those old solenoids rarely fail.

The 30 amp fuse link really isn’t a permanent solution to protect the wire, unless it’s a really large coil feed wire. And if the fuse panel wasn’t putting power thru, something is wrong there. Might keep looking when you have a chance, it’s a lot easier in the garage than on the road.
Enjoy the ride.

 

You can take that original switch apart and reverse the contacts . Youll see what I mean . . What ever you feel more comfortable with . The original has lasted this long and the contacts wear , you just flip the plate in the back .
. Get the 6 volt , it will be built to handle more current ( amps ) than a 12 volt .

 

From the way you describe it, you are also bypassing the resistor.

 

I am bypassing the resistor now, as it sounds like the Pertronix is supposed to get the full 12v.

I did nothing with the solenoid- I had a bad wire going from the ignition switch to the fuse panel. Everything else works.

 

It will use a full 12v with the right coil you need the right resistance It can be in the coil or a combination of the coil and resistor. I don't know how many miles you've run the combo if it's a lot I would leave it as is.

 

Bubba told me to run a ballast resistor using an Accel unit. He also recommends a Bosh coil

 

I hooked the resistor back in...Sunbeam's post (and some others) got me thinking that it's been there this whole time...Then I pulled up and OLD thread from 2009 on here where HotRodDon quoted an original Ignitor instruction sheet that said "If your ignition system currently has a ballast resistor, do not remove it."
In that thread he was lauded as the resident Pertronix Ignitor guru and was talking about coil resistance being a factor...and that he had over 20 years on his units without issue. Sounded good to me.

 

Still use mine 8 years. Pertronix said would be fine and it has been.

 

This will answer a lot petronix questions https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...3963EA6D0C8090FC9241396&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

Put the stock distributor back in it, Pertronix just have too many things to go bad. New stock dist, coil, and balast resistor and you should be set

 

My vote is coil. Can start, run, die. I've had 'em do that, on cars and even tractors. Easy check with another coil.

 

I don’t agree, I know guys who have had 20+ years of reliable service. Hundreds of Thousands have been sold and used like this. Notice his Pertronix was not the problem. Bugs pop up with everything especially in the aftermarket just look here in the HAMB with carburetors. If you believe everything you read no one would run an Edelbrock or Holley. etc.

 

They actually have fewer things to "go bad".

On a side note, when I turned wrenches for an equipment dealer I had to write up reports on each job, what the complaint was, the cause, and the correction (the 3 C's). If I wrote that something "went bad" my boss would chew me out; people "go bad", machines don't go bad, they fail in some way, but they don't go bad. I can't help but think of that everytime I see somebody post that.