Petronix and generator

Threads from around 2000 reported high failure rates of 6 volt negative ground Pertronix; many blamed it on voltage spikes from 6 volt generators. I suspect the problem has been fixed by now, but you should check. Search Pertronix on this site.
 
I have heard elsewhere the early Petronix were affected by voltage spikes however I think this has been fixed. I have just installed a Petronix ML-181P6 (8cyl, 6v, pos eth) part number 5809P6 and it seems OK.
I am using this with a"Flame Thrower 2" coil, part number 45011, and I have found that it produces a 45kV approx spark which, by my experiments, requires the spark plug gap to be increased to .045" otherwise the engine runs very rough.
 
I just called Pertonix last week and talked to a tech. He assured me that a 6v pos grnd generator is fine. But he also strongly recomended tha I don't use solid core wire. He said it causes some kind of interference with the module. That said, I have 2 friends with 6v early Plymouths and no problem in over 8 yrs of service with the original copper wires. I will follow the mfg recomendations.
Regards, Don
 
I am running a pertronix on my 49 with their coil. Solid core wire and .025 on the spark plug gap. Probably got about 7k since installing it with a 6 volt pos grnd generator.
 
I gota agree with Frank, I've fitted a bunch of petronic setups on British stuff. Four and six cylinder sports cars and the like. Often fitted on a car with solid copper leads and a dynamo (generator), not had any problems with them.
I'd like to add, I fit them because the customer wants them, personally if, I say if you can find quality reliable condensers, there is nothing wrong with a good old points setup.
Also, never had to increase the plug gap as one mentioned above. Increasing the plug gap and therefore the resistance in the high tension circuit, makes the liklihood of a crossfire or a spark jump to nearest ground increase hugely. This can wreck the distributor cap or caps and rotor and leads.
I can see no reason why the engine would run ruff with a stock plug gap unless the engine was running real rich or fat. If it is really rich, with a stock plug gap, if you pull the. High tension lead off the coil and hold it so its not quite touching the high tension terminal , the rpm will pick up a bit as the higher resistance (the gap you just made) makes a more powerful spark.
The flamethrower coil may say X kv, but that's what it's capable of if needed, if the plug gap is stock and the rest of the ignition system is up to par and the engine is in good tune, it'll never need the huge X kv and won't supply it. It's good for economy tuning though as you can run a real lean mixture and have the power necessary to fire that very lean mixture. I would not advise using a. 045" plug gap, it will bring with it reliability issues of the ignition system. There's a reason those HEI Ignitions have a trash can size cap, it moves the high tension terminals further away from one another, to iradicate crossfire with large plug gaps resistive leads, boots, plugs, big smog era open chambers, often nonexistent quench and high voltage.
Sorry for long post.
Martin
 
I agree with Scooder about the reliable condensers. Put a echlin in my 49 and a motorcraft in my 66 mustang and both failed. I figured if I was going to use unreliable parts then I'd go electronic.
 
Why have supressor caps at the generator output become unfashionable...a .47uF cap takes a lot of the garbage and spikes away.
 
scooder said:
I gota agree with Frank, I've fitted a bunch of petronic setups on British stuff. Four and six cylinder sports cars and the like. Often fitted on a car with solid copper leads and a dynamo (generator), not had any problems with them.
I'd like to add, I fit them because the customer wants them, personally if, I say if you can find quality reliable condensers, there is nothing wrong with a good old points setup.
Also, never had to increase the plug gap as one mentioned above. Increasing the plug gap and therefore the resistance in the high tension circuit, makes the liklihood of a crossfire or a spark jump to nearest ground increase hugely. This can wreck the distributor cap or caps and rotor and leads.
I can see no reason why the engine would run ruff with a stock plug gap unless the engine was running real rich or fat. If it is really rich, with a stock plug gap, if you pull the. High tension lead off the coil and hold it so its not quite touching the high tension terminal , the rpm will pick up a bit as the higher resistance (the gap you just made) makes a more powerful spark.
The flamethrower coil may say X kv, but that's what it's capable of if needed, if the plug gap is stock and the rest of the ignition system is up to par and the engine is in good tune, it'll never need the huge X kv and won't supply it. It's good for economy tuning though as you can run a real lean mixture and have the power necessary to fire that very lean mixture. I would not advise using a. 045" plug gap, it will bring with it reliability issues of the ignition system. There's a reason those HEI Ignitions have a trash can size cap, it moves the high tension terminals further away from one another, to iradicate crossfire with large plug gaps resistive leads, boots, plugs, big smog era open chambers, often nonexistent quench and high voltage.
Sorry for long post.
Martin
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AMEN- AMEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:eek:
 
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