Anyone with Pertronix ignition? Can I get a pic of your wiring?

[boro92]

I just purchased and installed the pertronix ignitor and coil.

I'm aiming to bypass the ballast resistor, but really am no good at this electrical stuff.

Rather than leave it up to me, I'd be more comfortable seeing pictures of anyone who has this installed.

Is it safe to disconnect the ballast resistor all together? With that, I'd hook the ignitor up directly to the coil... But if I do that, there will be some extra wires left (I assume for the tach), and want to be certain that these go to the right places.

Any help is much appreciated!

[Arne]

First - please remember to tell us what year car you have. It can help.

Which coil did you get? The 3.0 ohm, or the 1.5 ohm? If you got the 3.0, you can bypass the resistor. If you have the 1.5, you need to keep the resistor in place.

The wiring is simple, and pictures don't generally show it all that well.

To bypass the resistor, you need to connect the two wires from the resistor to each other.

The pertronix ignitor has two wires.

• The black wire connects to the negative terminal on the coil.
  
• The red can connect to the positive terminal on the coil if you have bypassed the resistor. If you are still using the resistor, connect the red wire to the 12v end of the resistor. I can't tell you what color wire to look for since I don't know the year of your car.
  

If there is a condenser attached to the current coil, disconnect it and do not use it with the pertronix.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Arne

[boro92]

Hi Arne,

Your quick response is much appreciated

I'm sorry, I always seem to forget to post the car.

It's a '70 240z.

I am using the 3 ohm kit, so I can bypass the resistor. Just wanted to make sure and not fry anything.

First - please remember to tell us what year car you have. It can help.

Which coil did you get? The 3.0 ohm, or the 1.5 ohm? If you got the 3.0, you can bypass the resistor. If you have the 1.5, you need to keep the resistor in place.

The wiring is simple, and pictures don't generally show it all that well.

To bypass the resistor, you need to connect the two wires from the resistor to each other.

The pertronix ignitor has two wires.

• The black wire connects to the negative terminal on the coil.
  
• The red can connect to the positive terminal on the coil if you have bypassed the resistor. If you are still using the resistor, connect the red wire to the 12v end of the resistor. I can't tell you what color wire to look for since I don't know the year of your car.
  

If there is a condenser attached to the current coil, disconnect it and do not use it with the pertronix.

[Arne]

I'm sorry, I always seem to forget to post the car.

You could add it to a signature file, that way it gets added automatically every post.

[boro92]

Thanks, Arne! i appreciate the help.

Just to dot my i's and cross my t's, I included an image.

As per the noted instructions:

1) The ballast resistor is removed

2) the 2 wires originally going to the ballast resister are joined (that mound of...electrical tape)

3) The 2 original leads going to the coil are disconnected. In their place, 1 red and 1 black from the pertronix ignitor are going to their respective polarities

4) That green wire going to the positive terminal....not sure what that is, but it was connected that way originally, so I've retained that connection

Am I good to go once I have my coil mounted?

[boro92]

Hmm car wont start. I suspect I'm not getting a spark. Any input appreciated

[beermanpete]

You need to connect the wires that were on the ballast to the positive terminal on the coil (with the red wire to the Pertronix module).

You should have +12 volts at the positive terminal of the coil when the key is on.

By the way, the green wire is most likely the starter bypass. This is technically no longer necessary since you have remove the ballast but it will not hurt to have it connected.

[boro92]

Thanks for the response!

I have a green and a black wire that was on the ballast. This needs to be connected to the coil?

Just want to be certain here, because in Arne's first post, it was mentioned to connect the wires on the ballast to each other.

Right now (maybe hard to see from the image), I have the 2 ballast wires connected to each other. I also have 2 free hanging black wires (that used to be connected to the oil coil). I believe these 2 freehanging wires used to be the + and - on the old points? I don't have a volt meter, so I can check for voltage

I also happen to have a free hanging black wire by the dizzy. I believe used to be connected to the condensor.

You need to connect the wires that were on the ballast to the positive terminal on the coil (with the red wire to the Pertronix module).

You should have +12 volts at the positive terminal of the coil when the key is on.

By the way, the green wire is most likely the starter bypass. This is technically no longer necessary since you have remove the ballast but it will not hurt to have it connected.

[Zed Head]

If you have a voltmeter you can work from "first principles". The coil positive terminal needs power when the key is On and at Start. Turn the key to On and find the wire with power, connect it to the positive terminal. Do the same with the key at Start. I would do this anyway just to verify the wire colors are correct (for example, one person's green might be another person's blue).

[Doug Walker]

I installed the Petronix on my 1973 240Z-best thing I ever did! The car starts and runs perfectly =I went on line and found step by step photos that show the whole process, they might still be there , google Petronix Z installation or somthing like that. I kept the ballast resistor and installed a new Japanese made Lucus coil. Hope this helps.

[boro92]

I installed the Petronix on my 1973 240Z-best thing I ever did! The car starts and runs perfectly =I went on line and found step by step photos that show the whole process, they might still be there , google Petronix Z installation or somthing like that. I kept the ballast resistor and installed a new Japanese made Lucus coil. Hope this helps.

Yup, I found a good write up here:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?37452-Pertronix-Ignitor-1761-install-and-coil-evaluation

The problem is that I have 2 black wires left, and as I understand it, one of them needs to be connected to the (+) on the coil. This will be powering the coil. Without a volt meter, it's not possible for me to check polarity. Both black wires have spade ends, and one of the spade ends look deliberately bent. Is it safe to assume that the bent one is the (+) I need?

[beermanpete]

All wires that were originally connected to the coil need be connected to the coil, in their original locations. All wires that were on the ballast need to be connected to each other.

You should have +12V at the positive coil terminal when the key is on.

The negative terminal should fluctuate between +12V and 0V while cranking the engine. If you are using a digital voltmeter you might not be able to see this due to the sampling rate of the meter. If you have a dwell meter you should read this as a dwell angle of about 35 degrees.