TR4/4A Well, it had to happen at some point, I suppose...

[NutmegCT]

Ian - how'd you diagnose the Pertronix was the problem?

Thanks.
Tom

Well, I finally had an hour to spend with the car. After a little diagnosis with my multimeter, I suspected the Pertronix. I swapped some points back in, cranked for a bit, and thought I'd misdiagnosed my problem. I thought "what the heck" and gave it another try, and she fired right up!

I guess I just might have become another lover of points. This was the only time my car stranded me in the 19 years I have owner her...

 

[TR4A_IRS]

Ian - how'd you diagnose the Pertronix was the problem?

Thanks.
Tom

Tom,

For the life of me, I can't find the e-copy of the instructions I followed. I'd be happy to scan them and share them, tomorrow, However, the test is pretty simple. I grounded the high tension (or high voltage) lead from the coil and hooked up a voltmeter to the leads from the pertronix. When you engage the starter you may, or may not, get a voltage reading from the pertronix module. You should see a fluctuating voltage as the module "opens" and "closes." In my case, I got a continuous zero voltage. There are other failure modes as well.

I continued by doing a quick resistance test on the coil, and it passed that inconclusive, but helpful, test.

I swapped in some points and confirmed my diagnosis.

 

[DanB]

Could you have had the trooper block traffic with his car, blue lights flashing, and manually pushed it across the lanes?

I am familiar with the damage you speak of. Mine was hit in the rear one time by a girl in a camry who was checking the traffic to her right at a stop sign behind me (thinking I had pulled out). I had not, so it was a low speed crunch. As soon as it got it back from the body shop, I was getting ready to go to Cincinnati for British Car Day back when they had it at Edgewater Drag Strip, and accidentally bump started it in reverse (my driveway is steep) and it crunched into my van. I went to the meet with the car anyway. Ironically, that is the only time I ever got a trophy at that event. I think I got 2nd in class.

 

[TR4A_IRS]

Could you have had the trooper block traffic with his car, blue lights flashing, and manually pushed it across the lanes?

Dan,

I laughed out loud when I read this. Where I was stopped the highway is four lanes wide. No way Seattle drivers in rush hour traffic would allow that to happen.