View single post by Steve Jarvis
 Posted: 09-23-2007 09:57 pm
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Steve Jarvis

 

Joined: 10-28-2006
Location: Mississauga, Ontario Canada
Posts: 51
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 Here's an odd question that I was wondering if anyone has encountered. On the way back from British Car Day, the engine lost power. The obvious item appeared to be the fuel pump as it was original, there was no ticking noise and the clear fuel filter was empty. At the same time there was a smell of hot wires. Could not track down a source no matter how much we sniffed around. I assumed they were related and the pump had shorted.

After replacing the fuel pump with a Facet I thought I was good to go but the car wouldn't start. Further investigation indicated there was no spark. Checked the timing and there was none, i.e. no indication the pertronix was working. My first thought was the wire to the unit had been broken. I pulled the distributor cap and was greeted by the burning smell. I've attached a picture of the unit, quite the melted mess.

I've checked the wiring diagram and the two circuits are related but the pump is on a fuse so should have blown if shorted. The voltage at the coil seems the same as when I installed the unit.

Anyone have an idea or something to check? Has anyone had a similar experience? Appreciate any feedback.

Steve

Update: after some searching on the internet I found out why the unit failed so "intensely". Apparently during the time I was coasting to a safe stop I should have turned the ignition switch off. Apparently the unit will self-destruct if the power is left on too long - anything past 30 seconds.

Attachment: Pertronix Ignition - toasted.JPG (Downloaded 79 times)

Last edited on 09-23-2007 11:17 pm by Steve Jarvis