Pertronix Igniters

There are diverse opinions among Ttypers as to whether the installation of Pertronix Igniter into one of our cars is an acceptable practice.  Personally, I'm one of those who think that it's a good idea. As of the time of this writing (3/05) I probably have close to 10,000 miles on the system that I installed in Lazarus. It has been a 'set it and forget it' item, I'm happy to say.  But, being a conservative sort, I can take comfort in knowing that the original points plate is just a foot-or-so away in the toolbox.

There are a few (5) pages in this series about the Pertronix Igniter.  First is a step-by-step look at how to install one into a TD that is wired for negative ground (as is Lazarus). Then there are a couple of pages showing the correct wiring for both a negative ground and positive ground Pertronix system.  There are also a couple of pages showing how to test a negative ground or positive ground module.

As you can see in the wiring pages, there are significant differences between the negative and positive ground Pertronix systems.  The negative ground system acts very much like a set of points and is wired into the ignition circuit very much like points would be.  In fact, you can use a standard test lamp to set the static timing in the same manner as you would with a set of points.  The positive ground Pertronix system is a very different setup.  The coil wiring must be changed so that the positive terminal of the coil is connected directly to ground and the Pertronix Igniter is then wired so as to connect the negative end of the coil to the ignition circuit.

So, just click on these and have a look:

Pertronix Installation into a TD

Pertronix Negative Ground Wiring

Pertronix Negative Ground Testing

Pertronix Positive Ground Wiring

Pertronix Positive Ground Testing

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