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Is anyone else having issues with Pertronix for 440?

Started by 4404spdcharger, September 08, 2008, 12:21:56 PM

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4404spdcharger

I'm trying to change out the dual point ignition on my 1968 Charger R/T  (440 - 4 speed) and having some problems:
1. Hard to find exactly which Pertronics ignition kit for Chrysler distributor w/dual pts.  Pertronix said use kit 1382 so I ordered it.
2. First of all, the ignitor plate didn't exactly fit the holes it was supposed to screw into.  A little massaging with a drill and now it fits.
3.  The reluctor fits over the cam OK but now the rotor sits about a ¼" higher which mashes it up against the underside of the distributor.  So much so the distributor wobbles because of the upward pressure.  That's a problem.  Should I grind a ¼" off the bottom of the rotor?  The rotor's contact strip is not the upward springy type, it sits flat on top of the rotor and the distributor cap has a springy contact hanging down.  All OK except when the rotor is mashing it flat. 
4.  The wiring diagram on the pertronix instructions doesn't exactly match the actual wiring and this is a bone stock car and the manual confirms the car wiring.  I have a ballast resistor so I jumpered the red wire to the contact on the BR that has 2 wires already, one from the coil+  and 1 from the ignition switch.  Black wire of the igniter goes to neg side of the coil.  The engine does run but now the tach is dead, a symptom I had heard about before.  Anyone got a wiring solution?  I've got a call into Pertronix but no response yet.

I wonder is this was such a good idea.  It's not the plug and go solution it's advertised.
Previous Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance

Big Lebowski

  There's 2 kinds of ballast resistors & maybe the pertronix is not working with yours.
"Let me explain something to you, um i am not Mr. Lebowski, you're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the dude, so that's what you call me. That or his dudeness, or duder, or you know, el duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

hemi-hampton

I put one in my Charger like 2 summers ago & it works great, Car screams. I use my .05 ohm I think it is Ballast Resistor. No complaints here, I like it. LEON.

440fan

Did you ever get your Pertronixs 1382 working correctly?

I installed mine and the car would not start. I think the timing is so retarded to the point of not starting. Also, I think you need to extend and run your red wire to the fuse box to a switched source.

moparchris

Tryed their dual point kit in my 70 440-6pk Super Bee and could never get it to run correctly.  The pertronix threw the timing so far off that I had to keep pulling the dist to rotate the cam gear.  Then it had problems with irratic idle that pertronix told me was a voltage problem.  I had it wired to the ballast and also tried it straight off of the coil.  Still ran like crap.  I pulled it off and went with the mopar electronic and hid the control box.
I had a pertronix installed on my 70 single point R/T and it worked flawlessly.  Go figure?  Maybe their single point set-up fits properly but their dual-point set up is not positioned correctly?