Anyone using a Pertronics Distributor?

[19Walt93]

I used a Pertronics billet Ignitor II distributor in my 351 because I didn't have a Duraspark distributor and needed a steel gear to mate with my roller cam. I've tuned Ford distributors for decades but the Pertronics doesn't respond the way I'm used to. The centrifugal advance doesn't move until almost 2000 rpms and is all in by around 3000, then stays all in until the rpms drop below 1600. Changing to lighter springs got the curve started earlier but it stayed at full advance most of the way back down to idle. I want a smooth, linear advance curve, am I expecting too much from the Pertronics distributor?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I was a Pertronix dealer for many years... I mostly stocked and sold the ignitors but bought a couple distributors. I never put one on a distributer machine so I didn't see how smooth the curve was.

Their customer service was pretty good back then... maybe call and see if they can help.

 

[gw33gp]

I have two vehicles with the Pertronix kit that replaces the points in the stock distributor and they work great as long as you mate up with the correct coil and voltage. One is in a 428CJ engine. I have never used a Pertronix distributor, so I can't help you there.

 

[19Walt93]

I bought the distributor because of the luck I've had with their kits in Ford distributors. Their distributor has the advance mechanism under the rotor like a GM but it's springs and weights so I expected it to function like a Ford unit. Nope. According to the instruction sheet the advance is supposed to start at 1500, it's more like 2000 and it needs to stay at that rpm for a couple seconds before it moves. I don't understand why it's so sluggish advancing or why it doesn't back down proportionally. I guess I'll call them tomorrow.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I almost sounds like you got a bad one...

In my experience with them... I'd bet they will help get this issue corrected.

 

[19Walt93]

I almost sounds like you got a bad one...

In my experience with them... I'd bet they will help get this issue corrected.

I hope so. I bought it because I didn't have a 351 distributor and if I bought a reman with either points or Duraspark it would be no newer than an 86,then I'd have to buy a steel gear and change it. I've seen remans with too many roll pin holes for the gear drilled through the shaft already- the maximum is 2 holes.

 

[8thTon]

Sounds like it must have a lot of friction in addition to the springs/weights. So when you get up to the set point nothing moves until there is enough force to overcome that friction, and then on the way down it stays advanced again until the friction is overcome. Maybe take apart the advance mechanism and see if you can free it up?

 

[19Walt93]

I already did, it's lubed and moves smoothly, nothing binds.

 

[8thTon]

I already did, it's lubed and moves smoothly, nothing binds.

How about the advance mechanism? It’s hard to spin that fast enough to see how it’s working - double check that it’s not getting mechanically hung up somehow.