Points have never let you down? I had a car die on me because the points gave out. (It's been 30 years so I can't remember exactly what the problem was, but I think a clip broke or came off because the points were basically coming apart.) And I had one that was missing and running like crap and it was because the spring was giving out on the points. Now, in both cases it was an easy fix (replaced the points), but I'm just saying that points are not fail-safe either. Cheap to replace, though!
I have actually had very good results using points to trigger an aftermarket box like the inductive type MSD or Crane, etc. The points last forever because they are flowing much less amperage and you at least eliminate the pickup issues. I don't always do it that way but it works well when you can't use a pickup type distributor for one reason or another.
I have run a couple problem free, I don't know anything bad that I can say about them. Both were home installs (one by me and one by Ryan) both vehicles sat outside summer and winter and both vehicles had to start in whatever weather, 100+ to below zero. Neither was the newer units like the II or III.
Does that include the units that die and get thrown away, and you never hear about them? Or just the ones that get returned?
no, never..... just buy a good quality set and some small maintenance once and a while i agree , they are not fail-safe , just have never left me stranded we fought and won WW2 and Charles Lindbergh flew solo over the Atlantic in 1927 on points......so they can be reliable
I put Pertronix in my 53 six volt 6 cylinder on the rebuild and have yet to have a problem after 5,000 miles. I am using the Pertronix III on the dual point Mallory I am putting in the 8ba flatty I am having built using the Pertronix III coil with no ballast resistor. The builder said the points would be just fine but I wanted the electronic reliability. I have a Bubbas distributor for a 8ba flathead that I kept when I sold another car I had. The guy wanted the "stock" look on the open motor. Make me an offer with a p.m. If you can use it. No instructions that I can find however with it.
Ran Pertronix in my 427 sideoiler over 10 years with no problems and now have one in my crab dist on my flathead. So far so good.
Which means that if you're going to sell a product, you might want to see if you can make it so good that it will work even if installed and operated by folks who don't bother to read the instructions (or can't understand them) What a concept.
Many products come with instructions that are remiss in providing adequate information. Points never let anyone down...they don't work/not work like a black box. They slowly go bad, giving you plenty of time to get home. I've done my share of walking past lonely corn fields when my MSD just stopped working.
I have always had really good luck with pertonix, but my old mans model a was eating them alive, everytime we tested voltages and grounds everything seemed o.k., finaly we replaced the cheap ignition switch he had in there, narry a problem since! BTW, pertronix was really great with us and never denied any warrenty!
I Keep an extra set of points in the glove box ever since I installed my pertronix. I don't trust anything electrical.
I have quite a few old fork lifts, (rigging co) and I converted them to Pertronix years ago but you have to watch the voltage to them and the coil, I have two clark 13K twin lifts and one the unit has been in for ten years the other about one a year.
RDAH, I have used the original Pertronix in several cars, including my wife's daily driver 302 Cougar. I have never had a problem with any of them. However, I don't discount that you have had failures. Not even gonna speculate as to why. What I will do is suggest that you may want to investigate alternatives, if only for your own peace of mind. I dunno what engine you have in your T but if it is Ford I suggest that you switch to a Duraspark dizz and use an HEI module mounted on a piece of aluminum for a heatsink. This is a bulletproof setup. The module allows you to eliminate the resistor since the module does the job of limiting current. If you find a 1976 or later MGB or MG Midget or other little British car in the junkyard they have a Lucas module that is just a small nifty box containing an HEI module. Makes a neat little housing. You could of course fab something smaller. Anyways, reliability combined with NOT being the same as the thing that broke. Win-win. On edit: I do not suggest that you use one of those cheap and god-awful looking aftermarket HEI distributors on a Ford engine. Not only do they look terrible, they often will not allow sufficient movement for timing due to the large case fouling on the water outlet and other manifold features. I tried one. Went back to my Fomoco dizz. Lesson learned.
They also can leave you stranded on the side of the road in Wyoming when you borrow your dad's old Dodge pickup to move with. At least that is what happened to the kid with his wife, ten week old baby and wife's girl sidekick a few years ago. I filed the points with the side kick's emery board and set the points with a match book cover and sent them on their way though. Points start degrading as soon as you start driving the car, guys forget that being a "tune up" mechanic pre mid 1970's was usually one of the top money jobs in a shop or dealership shop as the majority of cars were in every ten thousand miles for a tuneup which included points, plugs cap and rotor among other tune up items. That piece of crap mini van my wife has has close to 300K on it and most likely has all of the original ignition parts except spark plugs, cap, rotor and wires. Back to the original subject, the only issue I have with putting a Pretronix ignition in is that if it does crap out you might be stuck unless you do carry a spare or carry points and condensor so that you can swap them and go again. The chances of finding a unit at the closest parts house are fairly slim and waiting for a red label box on the brown truck at the motel you drug the car to isn't the greatest option. From experience ignition pieces that worked great on short runs around town for months or years often fail on a long road trip for one reason or another. That happened to me with a coil on my first road trip in the 48. Luckily Bob Davis of Waco (TSTI instructor at the time) bailed me out just north of the red river In Oklahoma on that one.
I have had two petronix units for over 15 years & never a problem. Maybe it's because they set on the shelf in the shop. Never to go on my cars. They are replacements for the two I had & one almost burned my vette & probalbly would have if my wife hadn't caught it in time. Boy what a mess & stink when the little black box melts. The car was setting in the driveway idling when the engine had quit & the other left me stranded along side the road in 100+ degree temps. Yeah pertronix replaced them but I won't install them. The newer ones may be better but I'll not test them to find out.
Ditto,...Used these continuously since 1984.....Still fire right up ! Get together with the company,..I keep hearing they're stand-up folks. 4TTRUK
Impossible. People are imbeciles, no matter what you do someone is going to look at the instructions, ignore them, wire it up backwards and fuck it up.
There has to be a better way.....although Pertronix is pretty good. Mallory is the one that's really bad. They finally figured out they needed to include this with their product, because (as my brother the EE says) they seem to believe that reliability and toughness are orthogonal. But just to be fair, I did destroy a set of points and some wiring recently by not paying attention when I hot wired an engine.
The "better way" is just buy a complete factory built new car and wring all the reliability out of it that is built in. But when a myriad of people, with varying levels of skill (and smarts), go about concocting and assembling a bunch of disparate parts into a drivable vehicle, that is when the trouble starts. Pretty easy to say, "they should be prepared for that"....and perhaps quite another to completely outwit a nitwit. Ray
You can't completely outwit a nitwit...but you can make an effort, at least. Add a few extra components so it won't blow out if it gets overvoltage, reverse polarity, no ground, etc.
I have never used a Pretronix yet but had issues with a Mallory unilte which got tossed for a Duraspark system,I always try to use the OEM electronic ignitions but I usually use motors they will work in. Unfortunately the GM HEI can not be made to look like a points system like the Mopar and Ford systems but I dont think the points that are made today are as good as in the days gone by so a electronic ignition might be the only way to go,the way the gas is made I am suprised points will even burn it so all my vehicles will be getting electronic ignitions which reminds me I need to call about some 235 parts so I can send a distributor to GMC Bubba to get converted.
I agree with Ray. I think the Unilites have gotten a bad rap due to this. I've used them for years without a problem. In the cases where I have seen them (not just Mallory's) fail, someone has used a non-internally resisted coil with some crap Auto Zone ballast, and/or has not taken the time to set up the wiring as it should be...especially the grounds.
X2! But some folks think they are ugly Not me kinda like that old U.S. Bonds song "If you want to be happy the rest of your life make an ugly woman your wife" Works for HEI's too.
I have installed over 100 Pertronix Ignitors. One failure, of an Ignitor I, due to the key being left on. Has to be something like 5,000,000+ road miles traveled collectively, since I started installing them. Good enough for me.
Oh, and come to think of it, if more than one of the same otherwise reliable product has left you stranded, it might be time to look for the problem elsewhere, it probably is not that product.
I carried the old points and condensor for my Chevy distributor for 13 yrs. after installing the Pertronix. In the meantime I put Pertronix in two other Chevys, and just recently decided I'd take the spare points and condensor out of the first car. Finally figured I was comfortable with not needing them.
I've been there and done that. I'm hoping I have better luck with the Igniter II than I did the Flamethrower II coil. It died after only 30 miles. I didn't bother contacting them, because I had bought the coil almost 2 years ago and had just gotten around to installing it. I figured they would give me a hard time. Besides, I don't think I want another. Jury is still out with me.
A while back I replaced a $420 aftermarket electronic ignition module on a Porsche 911. Their web site warned you not to use a dwell meter to set the points or you would burn out the module! No such warning appears on the module or anywhere else but the web site. To me this is a pretty lame design. I replaced it with a $5 Ford thick film module from a 1997 Probe. With matching Ford coil the ignition is now about 10 times better than a stock 1975 Porsche. I would have no problem using the Ford module on any points ignition distributor, just be sure to put the module where it will keep cool.
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