[Guest]

Hi, I am fairly inexperienced with cars, but yesterday I bought a pertrnix ignitor and coil and I am having problems starting my car back up. I thought that I did everything right, but the car is making the cranking sound, but it never turns over and starts the engine. I have the ground wire connected, and the black wire fromt he ignitor onto the negative side of the coil and the red on the positive. The litle top that goes over the tube coming out of the middle oft he distibuter is on and the ignitor is screwed down to the rotor, or whatever then name of that piece is. What am I missing? I have a feeling that there is a simple soultion. the instructions mentioned something about an air gap, and I didnt do anything invloving an air gap, I didnt even know wat it WAS. so I assumed that maybe that it has something to do with this. the instructions also said that the ignitor installs the same way as points, so if someone could please tell me what they think my mistake is, or clearly explain how to install points, I would be eternally thankful!!!

 

[johnpro]

The air gap is the gap between the pertronix unit and the magnetic collar (you did install the collar right?). IIRC, the gap is .030 ... but it should say in the instructions.

There's been a ton of talk about whether or not you can hook the red wire to the + side of the coil. Apparently in their later instructions, and in an email they sent to one of the other VMFers, Pertronix now recommends that you don't do that (although the earlier instructions said to do that). While some of us have hooked it up like that (twice for me), some people, apparently with older wiring with more resistance must find a full 12v source for the red wire. This means running the wire through the fire wall to the red/green ignition switch wire before it connects to the pink resistor wire.

The first thing, though is just to make sure that you installed the collar, put the rotor back in, mounted the pertronix to the breaker plate (2 screws hold it in) and set the air gap.

If you always do what you've always done,
You'll always get what you've always got
http://www.classic-mustang.net/johnpro
http://www.classic-mustang.net/john66/mustang/pics/66fsides2.jpg<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by johnpro on 04/20/01 09:09 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Guest]

ok, well maybe I messed up on more than one thing! I dont know what a rotor even is so I cant say if I took it out or put it in right. But the main thing I am worried about is the air gap. Can someone please tel me how I set the air gap? with layman terms, because the instructions are very confusing to me. Thanks for your understanding.

-Patrick

 

[Guest]

ps I dont know what the collar is or if I installed it. Can someone describe it to me? Did it come with the ignitor package?

 

[Guest]

anyone?

 

[rich70]

Ok ... here we go complete with pictures!! This first one shows what your distributor should look like right before the cap goes back on. The numbers in the picture are 1. the rotor 2. the pertronics collar and 3. the plate which the pertronix unit attaches to. This plate is what is adjusted to set the air gap.
http://members.home.net/rrisc/dis1.jpg
The second picture shows an arrow pointing to where the air gap is. It's between the pertronix pick up and the collar. You set the air gap by loosening the mounting screws for the plate (#3 in photo 1) placing the little plastic feeler gage that came with your pertronix unit between the collar and pick up, move the pick up towards the collar until the feeler gage is pressed tight between the pick up & collar, then tighten the mounting plate screws down. Follow these steps & you should be all set. http://members.home.net/rrisc/dis2.jpg

Rich

http://members.home.net/rrisc/sig.jpg
If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right...
[colorurple] 1965 Fastback </font color=purple>
[color:red] 1970 Sportsroof </font color=red>

 

[Guest]

thank you VERY much for the pictures, that was extremely helpful. My ingnitor only came with the little black plastic thing with the wires comign out of it, there was not a "pick up" that came with my box. Can someone tell me if that is normal?

 

[rich70]

the little black thing with the wires is the pick up ..... the round kinda thing that goes on the distributor shaft (#2 in the picture is the collar) these are the 2 main pieces to the pertronix unit.

http://members.home.net/rrisc/sig.jpg
If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right...
[colorurple] 1965 Fastback </font color=purple>
[color:red] 1970 Sportsroof </font color=red>

 

[Guest]

I did not recieve the collar with my ignitor. There is a octogonal shaped collar presently on the distributor shaft, will that one do? or did I get ripped off here?

 

[rich70]

The pertronix collar sits down over the top of this octagon shape which operates the points on a normal points type ignition, if you did not receive a collar then yes you are missing a piece, and it will not work.

http://members.home.net/rrisc/sig.jpg
If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right...
[colorurple] 1965 Fastback </font color=purple>
[color:red] 1970 Sportsroof </font color=red>

 

[Guest]

Those were great posts. Good of you to help out so much, and by far the most detailed and informative post I've read to date!!!


1966 C-Code Convertible, 59 Edsel Villager
Charlotte, NC
New Cars Have No Soul.