corerftech
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2021
- Messages
- 264
- Reaction score
- 110
- Location
- Memphis, TN
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Transmission
- Automatic
If your planning running a distributor conventionally on a 302 install, you will be money ahead as I have found out, using a Pertronix Billet with an Ignitor 2 module over what may seems a a a deal: Ford Chicom HEI (Jegs/Summit/Amazon, etc).
my sub $100 expenditure for a Jegs HEI on my 2001 5.0/gt40p engine has turned into a $600 expense over a few months.
Chicom distributors are not all made alike but I got a real winner and the headache, heartache, tears, arguments, second guessing and tuning issues are simply not worth it.
If you are running the GT40p head and want to run 87 octane, timing is an issue. The convention of 30-32 all in by 2500 rpm does not apply. Fast burn heads will only take 28-30 and not take it until about 3000 rpm. They will take 46-48 of vac at low speed and drive very well.
The chicom HEI had many defects and you don’t know to look for them until they slap you silly.
Thrust, vertical in shaft, far too large on all of them. Should be .020 and will be .060 to .100!
Gear lash- horrible. Gear will climb up and down the cam gear and retard as it does under accel.
Shaft bind at upper bushing. When it gets hot, and it will, it’s done. Will drive the next defect to the moon.
Advance plate bind-
Poor welding/too little clearance, causing the aforementioned heat to bind the plates. Grease WILL NOT help! Filing/honing will not help.
Weight travel atop plate-
Poorly punched, burrs, as well as the weights. Too thick. Causes the binding to be worsened. Must thin the center plate so that it can float in the pins freely.
Springs are junk-
lastly-
Upper bushing will be loose pressed. When the upper deck gets really hot, the housing will expand. This allows the poorly fit bushing to have some extra room and it starts to move DOWN. Remember the bushing is both a thrust and rotational device. As the bad drive gear forces the shaft up and down, it will pound the bushing deeper into the housing. This in turn allows the armature to hit the pickup coil and chew through it. The shaft slowly walks its way down into the housing destroying all in its path. Take it apart and fix it, lather rinse and repeat! Until the pickup coil is gone.
Pertronix-
Had mechanical advance limit straps, high quality springs, a sealed upper bearing, not a bushing. The shaft can’t move down. Correct clearance, correct thrust gap, a gear that doesn’t walk even a degree!
It’s smaller and fits better although I had issues with my selected manifold on vac advance can, nothing a grinder couldn’t relieve.
Set at 16 advance, 12 degree mech limited, for 28 degree total. I get butter smooth idle, clean exhaust, one click starts, and advance is done at 3250 with both black springs. At 2750 it is still too early for 87 octane. Better fuel may allow for earlier timing. Vac advance is adding 20 so I am at 46 cruising.
Oh and a warranty and tech support should you need that, not a Jegs 10 minute return window.
Jegs sucks.
I will add that it creates a noisy coil negative signal and needs a low pass filter installed. My MS TCU has an axm-110 conditioner that was happily producing good signal with the HEI, but this Ignitor 2 is a train wreck.
I will be installing a filter tonight, I guess GM owners have this issue with tach signals and Ignitor 2. This is the least of my worries. Not even a concern!
my sub $100 expenditure for a Jegs HEI on my 2001 5.0/gt40p engine has turned into a $600 expense over a few months.
Chicom distributors are not all made alike but I got a real winner and the headache, heartache, tears, arguments, second guessing and tuning issues are simply not worth it.
If you are running the GT40p head and want to run 87 octane, timing is an issue. The convention of 30-32 all in by 2500 rpm does not apply. Fast burn heads will only take 28-30 and not take it until about 3000 rpm. They will take 46-48 of vac at low speed and drive very well.
The chicom HEI had many defects and you don’t know to look for them until they slap you silly.
Thrust, vertical in shaft, far too large on all of them. Should be .020 and will be .060 to .100!
Gear lash- horrible. Gear will climb up and down the cam gear and retard as it does under accel.
Shaft bind at upper bushing. When it gets hot, and it will, it’s done. Will drive the next defect to the moon.
Advance plate bind-
Poor welding/too little clearance, causing the aforementioned heat to bind the plates. Grease WILL NOT help! Filing/honing will not help.
Weight travel atop plate-
Poorly punched, burrs, as well as the weights. Too thick. Causes the binding to be worsened. Must thin the center plate so that it can float in the pins freely.
Springs are junk-
lastly-
Upper bushing will be loose pressed. When the upper deck gets really hot, the housing will expand. This allows the poorly fit bushing to have some extra room and it starts to move DOWN. Remember the bushing is both a thrust and rotational device. As the bad drive gear forces the shaft up and down, it will pound the bushing deeper into the housing. This in turn allows the armature to hit the pickup coil and chew through it. The shaft slowly walks its way down into the housing destroying all in its path. Take it apart and fix it, lather rinse and repeat! Until the pickup coil is gone.
Pertronix-
Had mechanical advance limit straps, high quality springs, a sealed upper bearing, not a bushing. The shaft can’t move down. Correct clearance, correct thrust gap, a gear that doesn’t walk even a degree!
It’s smaller and fits better although I had issues with my selected manifold on vac advance can, nothing a grinder couldn’t relieve.
Set at 16 advance, 12 degree mech limited, for 28 degree total. I get butter smooth idle, clean exhaust, one click starts, and advance is done at 3250 with both black springs. At 2750 it is still too early for 87 octane. Better fuel may allow for earlier timing. Vac advance is adding 20 so I am at 46 cruising.
Oh and a warranty and tech support should you need that, not a Jegs 10 minute return window.
Jegs sucks.
I will add that it creates a noisy coil negative signal and needs a low pass filter installed. My MS TCU has an axm-110 conditioner that was happily producing good signal with the HEI, but this Ignitor 2 is a train wreck.
I will be installing a filter tonight, I guess GM owners have this issue with tach signals and Ignitor 2. This is the least of my worries. Not even a concern!
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