stubs300
Senior Member
STOP! This statement means nothing if you hooked them up backwards. Are you sure the red is on the + side or not? Forget everything else to this point until you can confirm that! Good Luck
Pertronix trouble shooting
- Thread starter Biggredd2069
- Start date
STOP! This statement means nothing if you hooked them up backwards. Are you sure the red is on the + side or not? Forget everything else to this point until you can confirm that! Good Luck
Biggredd2069
Active Member
Stubs,
The diagram provided a couple replies back clears up EVERYTHING for me. I'm fully confident at this point. Had I had that at the beginning I wouldn't be here at all. I'll report back when done.
The diagram provided a couple replies back clears up EVERYTHING for me. I'm fully confident at this point. Had I had that at the beginning I wouldn't be here at all. I'll report back when done.
The wire in your circle is actually dark blue and that is the feed coming from the ignition switch ballast resistor.
The red wire AND this wire goes to the + terminal
Black wire to the other.
You have the red and the black wire switched. Switch them and the car will start.
Biggredd2069
Active Member
Thanks Big John,
I did realize that after all the replies. Thanks for being patient with me.
I did realize that after all the replies. Thanks for being patient with me.
Biggredd2069
Active Member
Well hell. Felt all super confident and completely failed. I've double triple confirmed the negative is going to the negative on the coil. The ignition wire is hooked up to the positive. I extended the positive wire from the igniter and tar it over to the ballast. I've tried connecting it to both sides. And it just cranks without starting. I have not tried pulling the wires out of the ballast and bypassing by connecting them together as im not fully confident I'd be doing it properly. Have a friend coming over tomorrow to look. What a pain the ***. This is my life.
The blue wire in the circle... Is the red wire and that blue wire on the same terminal now?
I'm wondering if you fried it by hooking it up backwards. I'm not talking about the + or - on the coil... The wire from the ballast resistor was already there. From the picture, the Pertronix is hooked up wrong.
Did you just switch the wires?
I'm wondering if you fried it by hooking it up backwards. I'm not talking about the + or - on the coil... The wire from the ballast resistor was already there. From the picture, the Pertronix is hooked up wrong.
Did you just switch the wires?
Biggredd2069
Active Member
The original picture is wrong. I corrected it. I don't think it was even getting power the first way. But it's possible I guess it's blown.
Here is how this needs to be hooked up.
Red wire and existing blue wire to + terminal.
Black wire to - terminal.
See the blue wire in the above drawing? That is the wire you are calling "black" in this picture.
Red wire and existing blue wire to + terminal.
Black wire to - terminal.
See the blue wire in the above drawing? That is the wire you are calling "black" in this picture.
The Goose
Senior Member
Dude use a light bulb pick to check positively which one has positive power w key on. If this is hooked up backward even for a minute it can roach the ecu or ecm ? er The pertronix deal that bolts under the cap. If it’s hooked up backwards long enough it can burn up like an old jiffy pop and it expands like a marshmallow left by the fire too long. Be careful man you can waste 68 bucks real quick if this happens. Good luck I hope you get this sorted out without too much more trouble. Hang in there.
Remember, If all our project cars never started again after we tinkered with them. The roads would be clogged with abandoned projects. You’ll whip it bud!!
Remember, If all our project cars never started again after we tinkered with them. The roads would be clogged with abandoned projects. You’ll whip it bud!!
Biggredd2069
Active Member
Not sure what I can correct. I'll get a second set of eyes on it. I have the black coming from the ingniter going to the negative on the coil. The "blue" wire is hooked up to the positive on the coil. The red wire from the igniter bypasses the coil and goes to the ballest resister. I've tried hooking it up on both sides of it. I popped the cap off to double check how things look. Unless it's fried I feel like its set up right.
The Goose
Senior Member
Did you set the gap with that little clear bar? If the gap isn’t correct it’ll spin and not start just like points.
Biggredd2069
Active Member
I did use the gap tool, yes.
67Monaco
Old Man with a Hat
When it when you crank do you get spark?
rexus31
Senior Member
Try this.
Black Pertronix Wire to the Negative side of the coil.
Blue Ignition Wire and Red Pertronix wire to the Positive side of the coil.
Leave the Ballast Resistor connected as it was/has been.
OK here is why it is not working. The wire that came from the distributor even though it is red goes to the negative side of the coil, that is where the black wire from the Petronix goes, the red wire goes on the positive side of the coil. The coil should be marked by the terminals. The ballast resistor needs to be bypassed, The unit likes 12VDC to run. Either put the two terminals together or splice the wires together or what most do is take the ballast off and jump it from the back if you can INSIDE the ceramic housing. Then it should run fine. Hope it helps.
^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^
If you have the red wire hooked to the wrong side of the ballast resistor, it's not gonna start.
Just looked at the Pertronix site and the Ignitor II has "reverse polarity and over current protection". That should mean that if you hooked it up backwards, then shouldn't be fried.
Pertronix has the instructions 100% correct. It is the easiest way to wire it. Optimally, you should be bypassing the ballast resistor, and that is easily done by putting a jumper wire between the two wires that hook to the ballast resistor. But that's not important right now as the car will still start with the ballast resistor in the circuit. Take any wires that you've added to the ballast resistor out and wire directly to the coil.
Here's how it works... We'll start at the ignition key. Turn it to the far right to start the car. That sends 12 volts directly to the coil. The car starts and you let the key off to "run" position. That sends 12 volts to the ballast resistor and the current runs through the ballast resistor to the ignition coil. When the current runs through the ballast resistor, it drops the amount of current down to make it easier on the coil and breaker points, but at the "start" position, we want as much current running to the coil as possible for the hottest spark.
So... Bypassing the ballast resistor is all good for your new Pertronix system in the ignition "run" position, but since you aren't starting at all, and the ballast isn't used when in the "start" position, that says it's just wired wrong.
One question that should have been asked... Did you leave the distributor in the car when you did the conversion?
Just trying to second guess what has transpired.
Just trying to second guess what has transpired.
Triple Pickle
Senior Member
Just a side note.. while you’re doing any wiring, unhook the battery. Then triple check you’re work before you hook it back up.
stubs300
Senior Member
He's already late to the party to accomplish that!
Triple Pickle
Senior Member
Well, you know, I get the feeling there might be a next time! Either that or make sure your insurance covers setting your own car on fire!
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