Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

[DRKizer]

Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

Has anybody had performance issues with the Pertronix HP distributor (non-vacuum advance) with Ignitor II module for Brit cars?

I've installed a new one on my Super Seven and have acquired an engine miss that seems to be associated with the rotor cap. I have tried several "blue" rotors and one "black" one. If I seat the rotor all the way on the dizzy shaft, I have an intermittent miss, most noticeable in low to mid range rpm. It occurs whether I'm running the Flame-Thrower II (0.6 ohm, high turns ratio) coil or a Lucas Sport (3 ohm, lower turns ratio) coil.

If I raise the position of the rotor (blue or black) on the shaft as far as I can (just 10 or 15 thou shy of going solid with the dizzy cap), the miss goes away. I don't know if the rotors are arcing to the shaft or if the distance to the Ignitor II module (taller than the old Ignitor module) or something else is the issue, but I'm not crazy about the idea of having to run the rotor just barely on the shaft.

Has anybody else seen a problem like this or have any ideas on how to nail down the problem?

 

[Michael Oritt]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

There is a discussion going on right now over on the Healey forum regarding this and other Pertronix issues. Some people are of the opinion that side-loading distributor caps cause a clearance problem with the rotors--I use both top and side loading caps on both of my Elvas with no difficulty (I have Mallory Unilites in the Healeys). Anyway, check it out here:

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/u...Dist#Post878518

 

[dougie]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

I use a side mount cap with the Pertronix on my race tuned-Lucas dizzy installed on my race 6-cyclinder Healey....never had a problem.


DSC09394 by dougescriva, on Flickr

 

[aeronca65t]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

What Dougie said:

I've run a side-mount cap and the same Pertronix unit for over 10 years. No issues.

I'm also running solid core, copper ignition wires, which is supposed to be a no-no, but no issues.

 

[Michael Oritt]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

The ignition signal from solid core wires will rapidly turn my Chasecam off an on <span style="font-style: italic">even when the camera deck is running on internal batteries and is disconnected from the car's battery and located several feet away from the vehicle! </span> Just sayin....

 

[DRKizer]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

Thanks Michael, for telling me about the thread in the Healey forum. I'll post over there, too.

The problem that I have may be unique to just the Pertronix "HP" dizzy with the Igniter II module. Mine is one with a top entry dizzy cap.

As an update, let me first say that the Pertronix customer support is great. They are very refreshingly responsive by comparison to the norm these days. After trading emails with an engineer there, he asked me to send the dizzy to him so he could check it out. No hassle requiring a RMA and proof of purchase etc... just send it and he'd look at it. As luck would have it though, he was unable to get the distributor to miss on the bench. He replaced the module and rotor anyway before he sent it back to me. I got it back last Friday and tested it in the car over the weekend, resigned that I must have a weak link somewhere.

I installed and ran the dizzy just as it came out of the box, with black rotor fully seated on the shaft. I also changed spark plugs and reduced gaps from .035" to .030" before a short test drive. The miss was still there, but seemingly not as bad. I opened the pug gaps to .040" and the miss was worse. I changed to a blue rotor, fully seated on the shaft. Same result. I raised the blue rotor on the shaft so there was a good 1/16" clearance between the underside of the rotor arm and the top of the Igniter II module, and... wait for it... the miss went away, just like before.

I then tried a trick that was suggested by Keoke at the Healey forum. I removed the metal spring in one of my black rotors that keeps the rotor tight on the dizzy shaft. I fully seated the rotor on the shaft using a narrow bit of vinyl tape over the top of the shaft to cause the rotor to fit tight. Wow. No miss. I repeated the test with another rotor, this time a blue one that had caused the miss before. Again, no miss while using the rotor fully seated with metal spring removed. Just a bit of vinyl tape on the shaft to make the rotor fit tight.

I can live with that.

Cheers,

 

[Michael Oritt]

Re: Pertronix Flame-Thrower "HP" dizzy for Brit cars

That's quite interesting. I have always wondered why no one ever thought to make clear plastic distributor caps so that one could see inside it while the engine was actually running and possibly detect arcing, etc.