Question about Electronic Ignition

[Mustanglvr]

I have finally decided to get a Pertronix electronic ignition but at this point I think the distributor is bad since I`ve replaced the points and distributor cap twice in the last 9 months. Do I have to get a good distributor before I can install the electronic ignition? I`m assuming I do.

I still think the people I have working on the points have just not gotten them installed right or gapped right. I had the same problem a year ago when it would surge real bad. I finally took it to a licensed Ford mechanic and he had it running smooth within a half hour saying the ground wire on the points was`nt in the right place. I`ve had three people work on it this time and have done nothing to stop the surging. They say this time they have it right. The guy I know, that says he used to work on cars at Nascar, can`t even get it running right. He keeps messing with the idle screws and did`nt even check the spark plugs and after he worked on it my husband found 2 plugs were fouling out. Replacing all of the plugs made it run better, but did`nt stop the surging. Its either get a new distributor and then electronic ignition or take it back to Ford.

 

[68gt390]

Rhonda;
I had the same problem with my CS. I simply bought a new cap and rotor and installed the Pertronix electronic ignition in my old distributor and have had no further problems. As a matter of fact I'm running that same distributor with the new 428CJ motor and it works fine. Setting points these days has almost become a lost art. If you don't get it right you can burn up a set of points and a cap real quick.

Don

 

[Mustanglvr]

So if the distributor is bad will it still work with electronic ignition? My husband says no.

 

[BroadwayBlue]

Sorry I don't know the answer but I'm sure someone does.

I just wanted to throw in that I installed the Pertronix Flame Thrower II last year and I'm very happy with it. It was an easy install and have had no problems. I went with their coil as well. They give you the option of adding the Flame Thrower sticker on yourself. I left it off to keep it more stock looking.

The car started right up yesterday after sitting for a few months and ran smooth.

My 96 GT Convertible ... that needed a little jump to get going. Go figure. Probably jealous of the CS.

 

[rvrtrash]

Your husband is correct. You need to put the car on a dwell meter to see what's happening. If the dwell angle is floating around, the bushings are shot and you need to rebuild the distributor. If that is the case, I would recommend having someone convert your car over to the late 70's Ford electronic ignition. It's fairly simple and if something fails, you can go into any auto parts store and get replacement parts. You would have to mount the control module on the inner fender somewhere but most people are so used to seeing them, they don't even pay attention to it.
Steve

 

[Mosesatm]

I think Pertronix also sells a package with the distributor included.

 

[Mustanglvr]

Thanks alot guys, you are a wealth of information.

 

[Perkchiro]

I also installed a flame thrower pertronix distributor and flame thrower coil. No problems so far with preformance and the billet aluminum looks good too. When I first fired up the engine, I had a surging problem also. Turned out to me a vacuum leak under the carb. Vacuum leaks can really cause an engine to run funky. You might consider this as a potential problem area to troubleshoot. Good luck!

Steve

 

[joedls]

It could also be that the idle mixture screws on the carb are not balanced. One side more lean that another???

 

[Mustanglvr]

It only surges when its going down the road, making it hard to diagnose the problem.

 

[CJ]

Rhonda: Check this link out from Autozone, it may help you.

Good Luck
CJ

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=S001&UserAction=viewSimpleDiagTypeInfo&Parameters=Feels+like%7C~1

 

[harryz]

Distributo rebuilding service

I sent my distributor to Bob Wyman at BRMotorsports and was very pleased with the results. Found him through an article in Mustang Monthly a year or two ago. At one time he had a web site, but it seems to have disappeared. The BR Motorsports 2006 online catalog has this info:

Bob Wyman 1-800-328-3333

It's been over a year since he did my distributor, but as I recall it cost about $125. If you want, he can add the Pertronix ignition while he's rebuilding it. It took him about 1 day to do the rebuild. ymmv

Harry Z.

 

[Mustanglvr]

Thanks Harryz, CJ, everybody.