Pertronix

[bottomend]

Slug sista, go downstairs into the "parts stash" and grab my AC.Net SVDA with the Pertronix and slip it in your beast and see how it does. It's been re-curved for the L-Jet system on one of my "never to ever run again" 914's but it should still tell us something. Post back here, k?

When I first installed te SVDA with Pertronix, it was like adding a 5th cylinder to my engine. unbelievable difference.

[Sluggo]

Put the Pertronix back in today. Yes I adjusted the timing. I read Ratwell's write up on it http://www.ratwell.com/technical/PertronixAdjust.html.

Two mistakes I made during the first installation.
1. I used the extra spacer for the pick up and apparently, I didn't need it.
2. I didn't seat the magnetic sleeve all the way.

These have been corrected.

Adjustment made no difference. No matter what the gap is my dwell reads 38. I put it as close as possible and as far as possible. Either way my dwell reads 38. The timing does settle back down to 8 then 7.5 a few seconds later (before it settled at 12 even when set to 7.5).

Questions:
1. Does the magnet need to be level with the pick up? My magnet is slightly lower.
2. Could my dwell meter be reading wrong? I know you need a diode with the tach. Does it cause a bad dwell reading too?

[DurocShark]

Questions:
1. Does the magnet need to be level with the pick up? My magnet is slightly lower.
2. Could my dwell meter be reading wrong? I know you need a diode with the tach. Does it cause a bad dwell reading too?

1. Yes, but close is fine.
2. Yes, it can be reading wrong. I had one that did the same thing to me, telling me my dwell was always the same. I replaced it with one of the Actron dwell/timing/multimeter things. Suddenly I had real numbers. heh

[steve74baywin]

Adjustment made no difference. No matter what the gap is my dwell reads 38. I put it as close as possible and as far as possible. Either way my dwell reads 38. The timing does settle back down to 8 then 7.5 a few seconds later (before it settled at 12 even when set to 7.5).

Questions:
1. Does the magnet need to be level with the pick up? My magnet is slightly lower.
2. Could my dwell meter be reading wrong? I know you need a diode with the tach. Does it cause a bad dwell reading too?

I didn't think you'd get too much of a difference when adjusting. The width of the magnets will affect dwell way more than moving them closer or further by such a small amount. Your dwell being off would either mean the magnets are smaller, or the pickup device is off, or... You may not have to be perfectly level with the magnets, but close. Oh, the diode thing, I know nothing about that, but that could be it too I guess.

[Sluggo]

I leveled out the magnet & pickup. It did help with performance but did not affect the dwell at all. I know my dwell meter works. It works on points just fine. With the Pertronix it just reads 38 no matter what I do.

Added the diode. Made the tach even wackier. With the diode, the tach reads correctly up to 1600 RPMs and then drops to zero. It returns when the revs lower to 1600 or less.

I'm really starting to think I got a bad unit. It was used. I'll try putting Bottomend's Pertronix in and see what happens.

[Sluggo]

I tried popping Bottomends SVDA with Pertronix in my engine.

Some differences I noticed before the swap.

1. BE's SVDA has a different cap & rotor than mine. Different shape, color & part #'s.

2. His magnet sits higher on the cam (seated all the way) than mine. But on mine it sits just right?

3. His rotor has been shaved off on the bottom to compensate for the higher magnet.

4. The higher magnet meant he needed to install the spacer.

These differences seem very odd since the actual distributor is exactly the same model from Aircooled.net. and the Pertronix are the same model also.

Installing Bottomend's dizzy with Pertronix made no difference. Performance was exactly the same. Dwell still read at 38.

I'll be getting a new inductive tach/dwell meter soon.

Now this is weird. I removed the diode and now the tach in the dash reads correctly!

[bottomend]

I remember asking Ac.Net about the magnets lining up ect. He told me to cut the rotor down about 1/4" IIRC ( I've never used that little "internet shorthand" before... nerd-up!) and use the spacer. I cant remember what my dwell figures were but I DO remember making sure the air gap was EXACT. I used the little plastic "gapping tool".
The cap etc are all stock from AC .Net
The Senator

[DurocShark]

I just posted about this in the acceptable thread...

http://www.hot-spark.com/

It was like $47 shipped.