Pertronix Ignition Install

[rosaaen89]

i decided to upgrade to pertronix ignition with the flame thrower coil 3ohm . i’ve tried to research on it and install it without the ballast resistor i made a jumper wire between the green and white/black and white. ran the other black/white to positive and the red from pertronix to the + and black to - on the coil. Tried swapping the black/white wires around and still won’t start up. Idk what is wrong with it now . it’ll crank and crank just don’t start 

[SteveJ]

First, here's how to make sure which black/white wire is which. Make sure you have the green/white and both black/white wires disconnected for this test.

When you have identified which black/white goes to the coil, make sure it and the red wire of the Pertronix are both mounted to coil positive. The black wire from the Pertronix should be on coil negative. Make sure the other black/white is firmly connected to the green/white. Check resistance between the distributor body and the car body. It should be <1 Ohm.

Then if the car doesn't start, you'll need to find a helper. Measure voltage to ground at coil positive while trying to start. It should be between 10 and 12 volts. Measure voltage to ground at coil negative while trying to start. It should fluctuate a lot if the Pertronix is functioning properly.

If the car doesn't start, take clear photos of the wiring around the ballast resistor and coil. Also make sure you haven't pull the coil wire out some from either the coil or the distributor.

[rosaaen89]

i have a black wire that runs towards my distributor that was connected to the points before . it runs towards the front of the car and turns into a red and black wire that runs with the harness that goes towards  idk if i should get rid of that entirely , connect it to something or tape it off

[SteveJ]

I'm not sure what wire you're talking about. Photos help a lot!

[rosaaen89]

when i get back home ill take pictures of all the wiring 

[rosaaen89]

 

[rosaaen89]

there’s two black wires running towards the distributor one wasn’t plugged into anything before was just dangling. other was connected with the points. one of them runs back to the harness and is connected with the red n black wire upfront 

[rosaaen89]

[SteveJ]

So does your car still have the automatic transmission?

The black wire that joins a red/black is only for an automatic. With the Pertronix, neither of those wires needs to be landed to an ignition component.

As I stated before, the black wire from the Pertronix needs to be on coil negative. The red wire from the Pertronix and the black/white (from the tachometer) should be on coil positive. 

Where you have the jumper between the green/white and black/white wires, make sure there is no chance either side can touch the fender. It could short the ignition to ground.

Did you follow the directions in the video I linked to make sure your wiring is right?

[Zed Head]

Check the fuses and fusible links associated with the ignition circuit.  You have exposed wires which might have grounded.  And the Pertronix Ignitor can get damaged if the power is left on.  Your wiring quality looks terrible.  Spend some time making sure each connection is solid and insulated.

There is a link in the Downloads area about how to test the Pertronix Ignitor.  Once you get your wiring correct you might check it out.  If you have power at the correct wires (test light or meter) and good grounds then testing the module would be on the list.

 

[rosaaen89]

that’s  good to know but no it’s a manual transmission . so should i just tape those off then?

 

yes i put the red pertronix on positive , black on neg. used a multimeter to see which black/white goes on positive and the one that did nothing i made a jumper wire and connected it with the green and white 

[rosaaen89]

yeah i know it’s a mess now i was gonna make it sure it started up fine before making it look all nice. I tried starting it up again after ensuring the correct black/white on positive and the green/white with black/white jumper. it just cranks and cranks won’t start at all so i’m not sure what to do now