Sacbill
Hard Swinger
My recent problem is that the car will "die" at some point after achieving operating temperature. After sitting for a bit (sometimes just a few minutes), the car can start. It usually dies again after as little as 30 seconds or a few minutes.
My setup: 289 4-V, A/T, Ignitor I, and a Mallory coil.
After some discussion with other SFers, I decided to look at the coil. I measured the primary and secondary resistance of the Mallory coil against specs and it was 2x - 3x's higher than it was supposed to be. (Measured at both room temp and operating temp). This seemed to indicate that the coil could be the problem, since increased resistance would equal reduced voltage.
I bought the Pertronix Flamethrower (specs: 1.5ohm 40k-volt) for installation. Reading the instructions, it says to remove / bypass the resistor wire in the system. This got me to thinking...had I EVER bypassed the resistor wire in the whole time I've had the car? I followed their directions for evaluating for a resistor wire by:
* running a jumper from the Neg terminal of the coil to a ground
* Connecting the Pos lead on the voltmeter to the pos terminal on the coil
* connecting the neg lead on the voltmeter to a ground
* turning the ignition to the "ON" position.
* "Anything less than 12 Volts indicates a resistance circuit"...I measured 6 Volts
So, it appears that the pink resistor wire IS in place, and, yes, a visual check shows it's still there in the harness.
I have to interject here and note how I have the Ignitor connected: The black (-) wire is connected to the Neg terminal on the coil, and the red (+) wire is connected to the Pos terminal on the coil. Seeing this led me to look at Pertronix' recommended wiring for the Ignitor in such a system. The directions indicate the red wire should be between the ignition switch and the resistor (which I interpret as needing to be spliced in with the pink wire at the ignition switch). See Page 2 of Pertronix directions at this link.
So, it appears that I've been running both the Ignitor and the Mallory coil at less than 12Volts this whole time. (Hmmm, could that have been a problem? :confu)
It appears that my next action is to bypass the pink resistor wire. From research on SF, it appears that I do the following:
* Use a 14ga wire
* Connect the wire at one end of the pink wire (ignition switch) and the other end of the pink wire (where it enters the modular plug at the firewall)
* Cut each end of the pink wire and wrap with tape to avoid potential shorting
My questions:
*Are these steps correct?
* Exactly which kind of splicing connection is recommended? A butt-connecting splice? Side splice? Other?
* I see that the existing pink wire has black insulation around it ( I'm assuming this is a heat insulation). Does the new wire need the same additional insulation?
* I am thinking that I can maintain my current Ignitor wiring (red lead at the pos post of the coil), because the resistor wire is eliminated. Does that sound accurate?
* Am I missing anything else?
Thanks!
My setup: 289 4-V, A/T, Ignitor I, and a Mallory coil.
After some discussion with other SFers, I decided to look at the coil. I measured the primary and secondary resistance of the Mallory coil against specs and it was 2x - 3x's higher than it was supposed to be. (Measured at both room temp and operating temp). This seemed to indicate that the coil could be the problem, since increased resistance would equal reduced voltage.
I bought the Pertronix Flamethrower (specs: 1.5ohm 40k-volt) for installation. Reading the instructions, it says to remove / bypass the resistor wire in the system. This got me to thinking...had I EVER bypassed the resistor wire in the whole time I've had the car? I followed their directions for evaluating for a resistor wire by:
* running a jumper from the Neg terminal of the coil to a ground
* Connecting the Pos lead on the voltmeter to the pos terminal on the coil
* connecting the neg lead on the voltmeter to a ground
* turning the ignition to the "ON" position.
* "Anything less than 12 Volts indicates a resistance circuit"...I measured 6 Volts
So, it appears that the pink resistor wire IS in place, and, yes, a visual check shows it's still there in the harness.
I have to interject here and note how I have the Ignitor connected: The black (-) wire is connected to the Neg terminal on the coil, and the red (+) wire is connected to the Pos terminal on the coil. Seeing this led me to look at Pertronix' recommended wiring for the Ignitor in such a system. The directions indicate the red wire should be between the ignition switch and the resistor (which I interpret as needing to be spliced in with the pink wire at the ignition switch). See Page 2 of Pertronix directions at this link.
So, it appears that I've been running both the Ignitor and the Mallory coil at less than 12Volts this whole time. (Hmmm, could that have been a problem? :confu)
It appears that my next action is to bypass the pink resistor wire. From research on SF, it appears that I do the following:
* Use a 14ga wire
* Connect the wire at one end of the pink wire (ignition switch) and the other end of the pink wire (where it enters the modular plug at the firewall)
* Cut each end of the pink wire and wrap with tape to avoid potential shorting
My questions:
*Are these steps correct?
* Exactly which kind of splicing connection is recommended? A butt-connecting splice? Side splice? Other?
* I see that the existing pink wire has black insulation around it ( I'm assuming this is a heat insulation). Does the new wire need the same additional insulation?
* I am thinking that I can maintain my current Ignitor wiring (red lead at the pos post of the coil), because the resistor wire is eliminated. Does that sound accurate?
* Am I missing anything else?
Thanks!