Bob et. al. If you have a stock style coil that is not internally resisted, running a full 12V (14+V when running) will mean increased current runnig through the coil which means more heat which means a drastically shortened coil life, irrespective of points or electronic switching. At least that is my understanding. An EE like John Grady can explain more precisely. If you run an aftermarket coil with the Pertronix Ignitor, such as a Pertronix coil, which is internally resisted, then you don’t want the ballast resistor in the circuit. And yes, the Pertronix Ignitor module will function a lot longer if it is supplied by the 12V side of the ballast. Every few months or so we revisit the Pertronix issues on this listserver, and we have been doing so for at least the last 22 years. In that timeframe Pertronix has developed newer and better units (Ignitor 2 nd 3) and upgraded the base Ignitor 1. The majority of the problems with these are installation related, and always have been. But they can and do fail for a number of reasons with time and use. I did a video back in August about the Pertronix Ignitor I after 10 years or so of use in my J. Just my thoughts but might be helpful. It is found on our Club Website in the Tech Dept. or here: Pertronix Ignitor - YouTube Carl Bilter From: Bob Jasinski Ray et al, Thanks for posting this. So, I’ve had a Pertronix installed in my G since 2011, and have had zero problems and enjoy faster starting and lower idle speeds than with points. You stated “The first was failure to supply a constant 12 volts to the Pertronix unit, instead of the reduced voltage supplied (after startup) through the ballast resistors commonly used to reduce erosion of the original points”. I just pulled out the Pertronix installation instructions received with the unit and it clearly states in all caps “NOTE: A RESISTOR WIRE OR BALLAST MAY OR MAY NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THEY ARE NOT TO BE CHANGED IN ANY WAY WITH THE INSTALLATION OF AN IGNITER SYSTEM”. The wiring diagram (attached) does show the Ignitor (Pertronix) unit connected to the 12 volt side of the ballast resistor, running on 12 volts, however, you also state “ I also filled in the backside of the factory ballast resistor to provide constant 12V to the distributor as required by Pertronix”. Please explain why you did that? Is there a benefit to supplying full voltage (12V) to the coil all the time? My understanding is that the coil is only to receive 12 V when cranking, not running. Has Pertronix changed the instructions to now state 12V to the coil full time? Bob J From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Ray Melton Hello All - Regarding John Grady's and Dan Plotkin's experience - Like many of you, I was aware of the somewhat spotty reputation of some of the Pertronix ignition conversions, and I researched the many comments on multiple automotive boards. I spoke directly with a representative at Pertronix about my specific applications (1957 Chrysler 392 Hemi and 1967 Porsche 912). He readily acknowledged those complaints and said that the Company had made several incremental changes to improve reliability, and then (not defensively) explained what they felt was the source of most of the failures. The first was failure to supply a constant 12 volts to the Pertronix unit, instead of the reduced voltage supplied (after startup) through the ballast resistors commonly used to reduce erosion of the original points. Whatever is in the Pertronix Hall-effect magnetic sensor does NOT survive long with that reduced voltage. The other factor was that the Pertronix kit was adversely affected by the back-EMF Radio Frequency Interference inherent in early wire-core ignition cables like the ubiquitous Packard 440, and therefore RFI- suppressed resistor wires were required. He acknowledged that the instructions included with each kit did NOT adequately emphasize those requirements for 12v supply and resistor ignition wires (including coil), and agreed that he would transmit those recommendations to his upper management for clarification in future instruction sheets. He said that the Pertronix units would sometimes fail within six to 24 months if the correct voltage and ignition wires were not supplied; it was literally running on borrowed time from the outset. The rep also pointed out that some older coils may have experienced degradation (often through heat and vibration) that caused their resistance to exceed the specification range required by the Pertronix sensor. That is especially true with their newer Ignitor II kits, which require a coil with very low resistance, approximately 0.6 ohms, compared to the typical 3 ohms with most older coils. He also recommended the epoxy-filled versions of their coils for improved tolerance to heat and vibration. I suspect that if many of the previous complaints about failures were fully researched, we would find that the (admittedly poorly disclosed) operational parameters of the Pertronix kit were not met, either initially or during subsequent operation. Call Pertronix directly at (909) 493-5467 if you have questions; I found their representative to be quite knowledgeable, patient and genuinely interested in providing the best product for your application. (NO affiliation) https://pertronixbrands.com/ Ray Melton (Yes, I HATED adjusting the dual points on my '57, even with a dwell meter - crawling into the mouth of the "Whale", bracing myself on the carburetor for 40 minutes of trial-and-error inside the distributor, standing tippy-toes on a stepstool over the fender, YUK! ************************************************************************************************** On 12/1/2021 10:55 AM, Dan Plotkin wrote:
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