PerTronix Ignition....tell me why I shouldn't

[Guest]

Ok, Alright, I have ranted and raved in the past about the virtues of sticking with the stock ignition in a TR6. But things have changed and I somehow think I need to "upgrade" to electronic igniton. Actually, I have a credit at TRF and I was just looking for a way to spend down the monies. Since my engine is much closer to a UK TR6 engine in performance, compression ratio, cam, etc. somehow I think that a PerTronix electronic ignition will give me the complete package. Indeed I looked briefly into going with a custom distributor (Mallory) but nixed that because of cost and not wanting to loose my mechanical tach. I had terrible experience with the old Crane systems and don't want to repeat that. The biggest downside to the PerTronix that I see is the fact that you cannot leave the ignition in the "on" position for very long because you will burn it up (same as the Crane, except the Crane 3000 series). Guess I will just have to disconnect it if I plan on doing any wire tracing, valve adjustments, etc. Other than that, what is the biggest downside to this setup and what are the advantages. I was told that converting back to points and condensor "one the road" is very doable and strongly suggested that one keep the parts available in the boot for an emergency. So, give me some thoughts, you guys. Or should I have just used my credit for some fuzzy dice (oh, that was Vicky Brit that sells those) or extra bags of Cleve nuts.

Bill

 

[trboost]

Hi Bill,

I think the best upgrade would be the MSD 6A coupled with their blaster coil (or equivalant) . This is a true spark enhancment that allows an easy , on the fly ability to by-pass the system in case of a failure..
The 6A is a multi-spark system that will use the points only as a trigger carrying very little voltage & lasting much longer.
Check out their site on line to learn about all the advantages.

 

[Kurtis]

Bill,

Like you I've resisted switching from points for a long time, but may soon take the plunge as well. The biggest disadvantage of an electronic ignition is its failure mode - no warning. Of course, if you carry a spare points setup with you, that shouldn't be a problem.

The only other significant disadvantage that I can think of is that you lose one more thing on the car to tinker with (points gap). And let's face it, the real reason most of us own these cars is so we can tinker with them.

Just think... one less opportunity to head out to the garage for a few minutes to spend with your beloved Triumph... one less beer enjoyed after a successful point set replacement and adjustment…

Hmmmm... I think I'll stick with points just a little longer... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thirsty.gif

 

[Guest]

I swapped because it was on sale...
10mins work to fit.
Works fine - but then the points were ok too.
I kept the points in the trunk but have not needed them so far. On a stock engine, I really didn't notice the difference truth be told...

 

[Kurtis]

I failed to mention what I believe is probably the greatest advantage of an electronic ignition system, and that is the fact that it is much less susceptible to the effects of a worn distributor.

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi Bill,

I agree with Mitch that you won't see much performance enhancement simply switching to an electronically triggered ignition. Going "pointless" just means a little less adjusting and maintenance, and maybe a little smoother running, but not much more.

One of the high voltage/multi-spark systems such as MSD, Mallory and others offer will give you more bang for your buck and can be triggered by stock points or electronic if you wish. Because the points are no longer carrying the full voltage, just a triggering load, they will last much, much longer and hold adjustment well. A multi-spark unit will give more complete combustion and should make the car stronger, quicker and more efficient. A lot of folks are able to go to cooler plugs with a larger gaps with this type of ignition, delivering a stronger spark.

I've heard of too many Pertronix failures to feel really comfortable with one. But, in fairness, this might be different on the 6-cyl., since most failures I've noted have been on the 4-cyl. TRs and seem to occur when the Pertronix unit is combined with particular coils. So, just take this as a red flag that it might be worth a little more research.

I plan to eventually switch to electronically triggered, high voltage/multi-spark ignition in my TR4... Probably a full Mallory setup, since I've got a Mallory dizzy already and I'd like to keep all the different components playing together as nicely as possible. I also like the option of using a rev limiter and the possibility of remotely adjustable advance. If I were buying a distributor today, I think I'd get the Mallory Unilite instead of the dual point.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[tr6lover]

i dont mean to rustle feathers here, but have you guys really thought about this? i mean all modern cars use a hall sensor which is what the electronic units are. they dont normally fail and i dont really see how the failure rate on the pertronics units could really be that high.

 

[jerrybny]

Bill, I have been using the Pertronix on my 73 TR6 for 2 years now. I've never had a problem. I've left my ignition switched on for extended periods why debugging and never had the Pertronix burn up. In fact I don't recall anything in the instructions warning about not leaving the key switched on. I also run with the Pertonix Flame Thrower coil which puts out 40,000 volts. I happen to have a spare Crane system in the trunk. It came with the car. I just perferred the Pertonix because everything is inside the distributor unlike the Crane which has an external box. I got a very good deal the pertronix ignition and coil thru TRF during one of their sales.

As always your results may vary.

 

[Paul Johnson]

Bought my 6 with Pertronix on it about 20,000 miles ago. No issues. Have also converted other cars and motorcycles to breakerless ignitions, and the result was always good. Not in terms of increased performance, but in consistency. It starts easy every morning, runs up toward redline always without breaking up and idles in hot rush hour traffic just as smoothly as on a cool day at a routine stop sign.

 

[LastDeadLast]

Bill,

I have a pertronix that I'm not using. If I can find it you're welcome to have it. I went through two old dizzy's before I gave up on old man Lucas and went to my current Mallory. I haven't looked back since. Yes the big down side is that I had to get my tach converted to electronics by APT Instruments, but it's rock ROCK solid now... no bouncing at all. I gotta say, going through 1st and 2nd gear, that mechanical tach is way slow ...Compared to how my tach reads now, I know I was hitting 7000K on a few shifts before I converted. Gotta love that lightened flywheel!

I'm about 99% sure that my old pertonix is good, but there's always that chance. If you want it, please PM me offline and I'll try to find it.

If you ever get interested in a Mallory, let me know and I can tell you where to get it to save a little $$ over the outrageous prices that Moss charges.

 

[swift6]

Bill, I've been using a Pertronix on my 6 since 1998, Have not had to touch the distributor since I installed it, except for cap and rotor changes. I used it for six months with a Lucas Sport coil and then switched to my Jacobs Electronics system. It has been triggering that system ever since. Zero problems. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif


/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Greg_Blake]

Classic Motorsports ran an applicable article in their March 2006 issue. It shows pre and post dyno runs on one of their project cars. Like most have stated, not big gains in HP. There is a vissible smoothing of the curve though. I ahve never run a car on a dyno but I imagine that smoothness would be noticable in everyday situations.
https://www.classicmotorsports.net/

 

[tdskip]

From my experience on my MGBs the difference in ease of starting and consistency of idle can be pretty positive. I'm slowly upgrading all of them to electronic ignition as a result, for what every that is worth.

 

[bobh]

I can vouch for the ease of going back to points...
On the second day of the Seattle to Huntsville drive we replaced the points with a Pertronix Ignitor. The next day my brand spanking new genuine Lucas rotor cracked, killing the ignition. We suspected the Pertronix had failed so we removed it and replaced it with the old points. When that didn't fix the problem we went back to the old rotor. We eyeballed the point gap, fired it up and drove another 3000 miles without problems.
After getting home I reinstalled the Pertronix. It's been running without problems.
If you run a hotter coil make sure you get the correct one for your model year. The later TR6 has a ballast resistor in the wiring harness. The earlier models did not.
By the way, I bought my Ignitor for $63.95 from carshop inc
https://pertronix.carshopinc.com/product_info.php/products_id/100/LU-166A

 

[skikir]

I have no idea of what kind of problems you could have had with the Crane system. I have an old alison (crane) 700? that I put in my 70 tr6, took it out when I sold it and put in my 68 CHEVY VAN and then took it out when I sold that and put it into my 74 tr6 and then put it into my "new" 72 tr6 when the 74 rusted out. Never skipped a beat and I bleive it does make starting easier seems to make more power. The only other thing added was an allison high output coil. maybe as a matched set made it more reliable but I swear on mine not at it.