Pertronix frustration

I purchased a new Pertronix Ignitor module and Pertronix Flame thrower 40 000 volt coil from Mick Motors on thursday.
Went to install them on Saturday and havent been able to get the thing running since.

I wired it up right with the red wire going to + and the black one going to -

but the engine just turns itself over and doesnt sound like its getting a spark...
I tested the main coil wire and there was no spark...that was the Pertronix coil so I changed back to my old one as it worked fine before.
Still doesnt work with old coil (havent tested for spark yet)
I think the module or the coil or both my be dodgy.
Does anyone have any other ideas what i might be?

btw its a 12v system with a 009

Sorry I cant help Izac, but can I ask how much you payed for the Ignitor and Flamethrower?
Looking at buying the same for my engine, looking for cheapest.
Good look with your problem 🙂

hey simon
it was about 150 for the Ignitor and 70 for the coil... not cheap 🤪 so i hope i can get it to work or get an exchange 😬

check the fuses

ignition doesnt run thro the fuses unless someones massacred the wiring

Izac are u getting power at the coil?
sorry to ask a stupid question but is the rotor magnet thing on the shaft installed right?

hey joel, thats exactly what idiscovered today - no power at the coil. whether ive blown that black wire that goes to the coil or something, i think it has to do with that

yes magnet is hammered down as far as it can go and rotor is in slot of shaft.

I installed a Pertronix unit today with no trouble but I am running it with a Bosch GT coil. I have heard that if you leave the ignition in the on position with the engine off you can fry the module.

Simon,I paid A$130 shipped for the unit from VW Parts Unlimited in the US. It took a week to my door.

Thanks alien8, thats some food for thought. How are you liking it since the installation?

alien8, yeah ive heard that too about the ignition but ive only left in on for short bursts of time and it hasn worked since i put it in. so I dont think thats it..

Joel wrote:ignition doesnt run thro the fuses unless someones massacred the wiring

where does the black wire that goes to the coil come from then?

it comes from the 15 terminal on the ignition switch
but it usually comes via the unfused side of the fusebox so that it also powers wipers, blinkers, brakelights etc

ok thanks man. im pretty sure all those things still work... can you think of a reason i wouldnt be getting power at the coil if those things still work?

have you got a test light or multi meter? trace the wire back untill u find why theres no power.

it may have been cut and re-joined somewhere between the coil and ignition switch

i struck this once next to the regulator
twitched together unsoldered and cleverly hidden by some electrical tape

be worth checking that the terminals havent pulled off somewhere along the line like fuse box etc

i will try and trace it back but it may be a bit difficult as i think i dissapears in to the fender for awhile...

is it possible to short this wire?

if the insulation had gone hard and brittle and cracked somwhere its possible its shorted out
and being unfuses means it will just melt the wire away and try to start a fire

but i doubt thats the case

being a sqaure it wouldnt be hard to run a jumper cable from the battery over the back seat to the coil just for the purpose of firing it up to see all else is ok

trickysimon wrote:Thanks alien8, thats some food for thought. How are you liking it since the installation?

I only fired it up for about 30 mins to cook the new paint on the headers and time the motor but it starts really well and runs smooth. Easy to install. Very happy with it so far.

Now, only if I could get rid of the 009 'flat spot'😂

izac wrote:I purchased a new Pertronix Ignitor module and Pertronix Flame thrower 40 000 volt coil from Mick Motors on thursday.
Went to install them on Saturday and havent been able to get the thing running since.

I wired it up right with the red wire going to + and the black one going to -

but the engine just turns itself over and doesnt sound like its gettinga spark...
I tested the main coil wire and there was no spark...that was the Pertronix coil so I changed back to my old one as it worked fine before.
Still doesnt work with old coil (havent tested for spark yet)
I think the module or the coil or both my be dodgy.
Does anyone have any other ideas what i might be?

it could be sume thing simple like a burnt out rotor in the distributor... VW rotors have a resister built in and they can fail...
also the main high tension lead from the dizzy cap tp the coil is faulty..

LEE

try running a wire straight from the battery to the + on the coil that way if it works you will know that there is a coil wire problem

Check the fuses
😂😂😂😂

greedy53 wrote:try running a wire straight from the battery to the + on the coil that way if it works you will know that there is a coil wire problem

yeah i got out an voltmeter today and tested somethings...
heres what i found out
- 12.3V coming from black lead
- 12V coming from inside of coil without coil lead
- 0.13 something volts coming out of coil lead when connected to coil and no spark
- 3.4 OHMs coming from old coil

so i am hoping it is a faulty coil lead. have bought a new one but havent put it on yet

and that coil should be good to use with 3 = ohms

we shall see

nup. put new coil to distributor lead on today and still no spark...

im stumped 😬 😠

btw i also put the points back in to see if that made a difference... wishful thinking... 🙅

so with points back in u still not getting fire?

are you sure then that this is the case?

izac wrote:yeah i got out an voltmeter today and tested somethings...
heres what i found out
- 12.3V coming from black lead
- 12V coming from inside of coil without coil lead
- 0.13 something volts coming out of coil lead when connected to coil and no spark
- 3.4 OHMs coming from old coil

izac wrote:btw i also put the points back in to see if that made a difference... wishful thinking... 🙅

try a hot wire from the battery to the coil them you will have power for sure then try it. dont leave wire on to long if motor not running.

Joel wrote:so with points back in u still not getting fire?

are you sure then that this is the case?

izac wrote:yeah i got out an voltmeter today and tested somethings...
heres what i found out
- 12.3V coming from black lead
- 12V coming from inside of coil without coil lead
- 0.13 something volts coming out of coil lead when connected to coil and no spark
- 3.4 OHMs coming from old coil

yep. the voltmeter came up with 12.3 vollts when i put it on that black ignition lead.

thats what is puzzling me... that i still cant get a spark even with the new Bosch lead i put on today.

its gotta be the most frustrating thing yet for me 🙅

Ian, yeah ive been thinking bout doing the jumper trick but i havent done coz ive been scared il start fire or something... but maybe il have to do that. the voltmeter says i do have 12V coming out in and out of the coil though, just not at the end of the coil lead

yeah the hot wire will bypass the ignition just in case you have a fault with ignition key on cranking. try this with the points in.
ps try this before you hot wire it ,with key on and red lights on dash use a screwdriver and put between points and you should get a spark across the points.

ok il have to do that then, is there anything i have to watch out for (like the jumper lead resting on things?)
cheers

got back down to it today...

I ran a hotwire from the end of the red wire that comes from the battery (to the regualtor) directly to the coil and..... nothing.

I got a good spark from this wire when i grounded it so it is getting plenty of juice. i also took the connector off the black ignition switch wire and grounded that... again got a good spark, so it cant be that wire that is the problem.

The only thing that I can think of now is the coil. I switched back to the pertronix coil and ran the hotwire there and nothing happened at the end of the coil lead when grounded. Is it possible that I have some how blown up 2 coils???

It cant be the coil lead because that is brand new...

Is it worth spending another $50 - 60 on a Bosch GT coil from supercheap?

hey mate you get it all sorted?
if not are you sure its all hooked up right? i have a square with 009 and pertronix and from memory there is a red and a black wire from the module and the red goes to positive on coil and the black goes to negative side of coil, the power wire should be going to the positive side of the coil. so 2 red wires going to + on coil and one black wire to - on coil. the power wire that should be goin to + side of coil should have 12v with the ignition on, if not check your engine fuse.

Well I bought a petronix and a flame thrower off George at the Nationals for $195. Hope I dont have the problems you were/still are having.

got it running on friday but only with points in... so i think the pertronix module must be faulty coz both coils work with points in.
its running rough at the moment though (static timed to 7.5* BTDC) so i am going to by a strobe timing light and time it properly to 30* advance at about 3500rpm. apparently that is the only way to time a 009 properly
so now im back with my old coil and old points! dont think il get my money back 👎 ... the flame thrower coil i was sold was actually a 1.5ohm (which is for drag racing or 6 & 8 cyl cars according to the Pertronix booklet) so little did iknow at the time i should have been sold a 3ohm coil...

anyway thanks for your help guys... even though i am a bit poorer now, at least the square is running! 👍

I remember importing the flamethrower from the US about 6 years ago, and getting a call from customs to find out what exactly a flame thrower was.

-M

izac wrote:got it running on friday but only with points in... so i think the pertronix module must be faulty coz both coils work with points in.
its running rough at the moment though (static timed to 7.5* BTDC) so i am going to by a strobe timing light and time it properly to 30* advance at about 3500rpm. apparently that is the only way to time a 009 properly
so now im back with my old coil and old points! dont think il get my money back 👎 ... the flame thrower coil i was sold was actually a 1.5ohm (which is for drag racing or 6 & 8 cyl cars according to the Pertronix booklet) so little did iknow at the time i should have been sold a 3ohm coil...

anyway thanks for your help guys... even though i am a bit poorer now, at least the square is running! 👍

Good to hear you got it running mate.

I would try for a replacement module and coil., If you asked them for a coil to go with that module, its totally NOT your fault. Should be a straight forward warranty job if instillation was correct,which by the sounds of it were.