<VV> more on coil voltage

[jvhroberts at aol.com]

 This is one of those times when an old fashioned needle type analog voltmeter would be useful! 

As I recall, the Pertronix runs a fixed saturation, and shouldn't need a ballast resistor, and in fact, would benefit from not having one. GM HEI systems work that way, and none of those have a ballast resistor. 

 

John Roberts
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ramon Rodriguez III <corvairgrymm at gmail.com>
To: virtualvairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Mon, Oct 31, 2011 7:32 pm
Subject: <VV> more on coil voltage


I double checked the info from last time I raised this subject (struggling
some time back with the same car) and was reminded that quite a few of you
said that:

a) The voltage reading at the coil was not meaningful because of AC
characteristics
b) The purpose of the reduced voltage at the coil was only to protect the
points

If "b" is true then why does the pertronix ignitor 1 I installed
specifially say that it can't be used with a 12 volt coil?  Also it would
seem that if this is the case you could run your stock coil on 12 volts all
the time once you eliminated the points.  I'm sure it's at my end but all
these things just aren't adding up for me.

My father (who owned his own auto shop in the 60's and taught Auto
Mechanics at a well respected vocational school from around 70 till around
90) swears that the voltage should read between 7 and 10 volts at the coil,
and that if it is much over 10 it will overheat the coil.  Dad's memory
isn't what it used to be (he is coming up on 85 years old) but I wouldn't
expect him to be wrong on this.  My father wasn't just another grease
monkey, he was a very well respected high level automotive and aircraft
technician in his day.

I apologize if I come off as argumentative, I just want to get to the
bottom of this!  I've been tinkering with this particular engine/car for
almost two years now and I just can't get it quite right =(

PS- Symptoms I haven't been able to cure for anyone curious:  Hard starting
mostly when cold and a significant hesitation when accelerating away from a
traffic light or stop sign.  She runs great otherwise... pulls pretty good
for a powerglide car once it is moving.  I've "tuned" the hesitation out
many times now to where it was PERFECT, but the problem always comes back
within a couple hours or days... which is why I suspect an overheating
coil.  I think I might have solved the hard starting with my very recent
carb work.  I set every single linkage and clearance in both carbs
carefully to factory spec, and replaced the 52 jets that were in it for the
"correct" 49 jets, but now that the car is behaving very strangely again I
don't know if I fixed it or made it worse.  I'll have to get the ignition
system working right before I judge the carb adjustments I made.



-- 
Ray "Grymm" Rodriguez
Lake Ariel, PA
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