292 Quit today

[G-749]

Hello all , 71 C 50 with 292 ,68k showing, Monojet, Pertronix ll ,1600 trouble free miles , nearly daily driver, pulled up to the mailbox after 30 mle trip to Lowe's, got out to walk back to mailbox, quit like cut off with key. Called neighbor to meet me at mailbox walk home to get tractor, back to truck meet neighbor, pulled coil wire no spark? Pulled dizzy cap pulled button nothing obvious, put back together, no spark, hook up tractor, still won't crank after multiple tries no spark, 45 mins later 1 last try and it cranks drive half mile home. Anybody else have Pertronix ll do this ? Could this be something else, clear fuel filter full of gas,
Trust Pertronix? Any and all input welcome .
Cranked 70 C 20 Longhorn for 1st time since bought 2yr ago, maybe C 50 jealous?
Good luck on all your projects.

[Orange71shorty]

I’d guess ignition module if no spark

['68OrangeSunshine]

I had Pertronix Ignitor II on my 292. It would kill above 3000 RPM. It was about 7 years on the truck. Not sure how long it sat on the shelf after purchase before install? Out of warranty at time of failure.
I went back to points for a year before installing a Remote Coil L6 GM HEI.
Couldn't be better.
Go HEI.
Pertronix customer service is no good.

If you had HEI, you'd be right back on the road after a visit to NAPA.
Pertronix -- you'll be waiting for mail order parts for a week.

[54blackhornet]

I agree with Sunshine on the HEI !

[Rust_never_sleeps]

Originally Posted by G-749

Cranked 70 C 20 Longhorn for 1st time since bought 2yr ago, maybe C 50 jealous?
Good luck on all your projects.

They do crave attention sometimes, sorry

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by G-749

..................... pulled coil wire no spark? Pulled dizzy cap pulled button nothing obvious, put back together, no spark, hook up tractor, still won't crank after multiple tries no spark, Could this be something else, clear fuel filter full of gas,......................................

Good luck on all your projects.

Sure, could be other component failure, but the no spark condition is not even remotely associated with fuel system.. It is definitely an ignition system failure..

I abandoned Pertronix products years ago.. Nothing beats a GM HEI system.. A single part will fit dozens of applications. And the parts are available on the shelf under every "Automotive Parts Sold Here" sign.

[Rich69shortfleet]

Pertronix Ignitor I is the one to go with. Ignitor II has always had issues. Ignitor III is better. But the original is still the best and most reliable.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Rich69shortfleet

Pertronix Ignitor I is the one to go with. Ignitor II has always had issues. Ignitor III is better. But the original is still the best and most reliable.

Never had an Ignitor I. My Ignitor II burned out. A buddy tried an Ignitor III on his '72 Ford F250 w/429. The tach wouldn't work. He talked with Pertronix C/S Tech Line. They told him to switch to a P-II if he wanted a tach. Because it's basically a multispark unit, an electronic tach gets a confused signal.
The one worry with the Ignitor [I] was that if you left the key ON [not ACC] without starting, the module burned out. The P-II corrected this issue, but has other problems.
My Pertronix was a performance boost when I first put it on, but GM HEI's performance is just as good.

[PbFut]

Just to note here. The factory positive lead to the oem coil which is often used to power the HEI is a resistor wire. It is stainless steel and drops voltage to the end point to about 10.5 volts. Just enough to kill hei internals over time.

[G-749]

Wow , so much good info from folks , left this out in original post , also have the Pertronix Flamethrower ll coil ,45000 volt 0.6 ohm coil , wouldn't spark from coil to dizzy cap , this is where and how I checked for spark , wondering if the coil instead Pertronix ll Ignitor electronic ignition is the problem?. Don't have a tach ,but normal cruising speed for C 50 is 45 - 50 mph , 292 not screaming ,have touched 60 mph afew times just to see and it was straining a little, wondering just how many rpm was turning , will definitely put original coil in baggie and carry with me from now on, need to do the rpm calculation based on tire diameter and rear axle ratio. Also wondering about resistance wire thing with Pertronix coil.
C 50 has 2 sp rear axle ,6.8 n 8.5 , and I love using all 8 gears when driving in traffic, tend to wind low range engine rpm more just to get speed up quicker. Real bummer when u don't trust the parts runner truck , 15 miles one way to town.
Thanks to all who replied, any and all thoughts and input welcome.
Good luck on all your projects.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

You can check the coil for failure with an ohmeter
Not dead sure how to test a Pertronix trigger but IIRC you'll want it under load(from coil or resistor) or it'll cook itself

['68OrangeSunshine]

Even the Flamethrower II coil from Pertronix requires a full 12 VDC at all times. The Yellow 20 wire on the stock points coil [+] lead -- split off from the fuzzy white wire [actual resistor line] out of the Bulkhead Connector is no good for any electronic ignition.
Might work to start, and run for a while -- til the Iconel line heats up -- then it drops the voltage.

A new wire [12 ga is recommended] from a tap on IGN UNFUSED in the fuse box and running thru the firewall to the electronic coil Positive is required. It should have been stated in the Pertronix directions.
Better un fused.
The same 12 volt feeder can be used when upgrading to HEI.

Auto parts stores used to have a machine that tests GM Ignition Modules. Same unit thattests Starters and Alternators. Last time I was in AutoZone, they told me they will not check them anymore. [See ya.] A couple years before that the guy at AutoZone said he didn't know how to check the module. But the manager wasn't there so he let me try. Sayng ''if you can figure out this machine, we'll give you a job here.'' So I looked in their comicbook level manual wth the plastic sheets, found GM Modules, looked in the drawers for the right harness, hooked it up, and ran thru a pocketfull of modules. Some good, some bad.
But I never wanted to work there.
I don't know of any way to check the Pertronix modules.

[G-749]

Hello all , dug up the paperwork from Pertronix, Ignitor ll unit warranty is 30 months from purchase date
Flame Thrower coil warranty is , wait for it, 90 days, oh well, guess I will be in the market for a real deal
GM HEI unit. Should have read the fine print on the back page. Thanks to all who replied.
Good luck on all your projects.

[Rich69shortfleet]

If you are going HEI, be sure to get a really quality module. The old (1970s or older) GM modules are the best if you can find one, the next best in my experience, are you ready, is the Pertronix version.....

The typical parts store modules typically last less than a year.

[RichardJ]

Points distributor or HEI is a much better idea than Pertronix. Way,way too many people have problems with the Pertronix.

People that I've known that had the fewest problems, were guys that used a factory stock coil and the original factory ballast resistor with the Pertronix. The guys that worried about adding up the resistance were parked on the side of the road.

I put a wrecking yard HEI in my '67 in the late '80s. I was driving it many miles to work everyday and simply got tired of adjusting/changing the points every couple months.
The HEI ran off the factory ballast wire for more than 15 years. I did remove the yellow wire from the solenoid.
In the mid 2000's I changed the coil-in-cap HEI for a one year only, '75 external coil HEI when I added AC to the truck. The shorter cap gave more room for the compressor. It is also being powered through that same ballast resistor, 20 years later.
I drive this truck all the time. The new Ram 3500, 6.4 Hemi sits in the garage. I had a C4 Vette for 15 years, but never drove it either. That 292 GMC will run 75 any time I ask it, any day, without a whimper, with the AC ON.

I've driven vehicles that have had the alternator go out. The HEI will continue to operate down to about 9.5 volts before they misfire. The HEI will not suffer any damage operating under 10.0 volts. It will not like it, but an undervoltage will not hurt it.

The ballast resistor on my GMC drops the voltage 1.5 - 2.0 volts and the 10DN puts out 14.0 volts. That HEI doesn't care about any 'FULL 12 VOLTS", but it is actually getting it. It just doesn't need 14 volts.

Davis Performance Distributors (DUI) used to advertise that their distributors would still produce full voltage after 40 lap main events in saturday night stock car racing in classes that ran no alternator. Starting at 12.5 v, the battery would be down to 10-11 volts and still getting a win.

[tim_mc]

Originally Posted by Rich69shortfleet

If you are going HEI, be sure to get a really quality module. The old (1970s or older) GM modules are the best if you can find one, the next best in my experience, are you ready, is the Pertronix version.....

The typical parts store modules typically last less than a year.

I'll add that I use the Davis Unified Ignition Dyna-Module (Performance Distributors) in my HEI with very good success and much better performance over stock modules.

https://performancedistributors.com/...ories/modules/

[Rich69shortfleet]

Originally Posted by tim_mc

I'll add that I use the Davis Unified Ignition Dyna-Module (Performance Distributors) in my HEI with very good success and much better performance over stock modules.

https://performancedistributors.com/...ories/modules/

I've heard those are really good modules but have never tried one. After about half a dozen parts store versions, I went with the Pertronix one about 5 years ago and haven't had any problems since.

I DID have trouble finding a new HEI wiring harness. This is the harness that attaches to the module and the external plugs for power and tach output. Who would have thought those would be hard to find? My original broke to pieces at the plugs. I finally found one from Proform but the plastic was cheap and the plugs broke pretty quickly. Retailer replaced it for free with another Proform and it worked out better.

Does anyone else make a quality HEI harness?

['68OrangeSunshine]

I think I bought a good HEI Pickup Coil/Module harness Standard/Blue Streak brand from NAPA in 2016. Still working.

[G-749]

Hello all , thanks to all who replied, worked on C 50 this weekend, long story short , hacked up, jacked up
PO main wiring harness operation, peeled 4 ft black electrical tape to find it , decided to drive it drove to get gas , used jumper wire w alligator clips on pos battery to pos coil post, ran like usual , removed and ran it home ,15 miles round trip , couldn't tell any difference in engine performance, running w headlights. So happy to b driving my parts runner/daily driver again . C 20 Longhorn new parts in , everything to do gas tank replacement, tilt column, seat swap, heater core, good luck on all your projects