Pertronix Ignitors I, II, III - Comments and Reviews

PostPost by: bdea » Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:42 pm

Please help me decide on which Pertronix Ignitor I should install on my 1969 Elan S4SE.

I'm considering several models : Pertronix Ignitor I, II and III.
http://shop.pertronix.com/electronic-ig ... =Elan#auto
pertronix-ignitors-i-ii-ii.jpg and


I'm leaning towards the III with multi spark and rev limiting abilities and the II with much more features than my Ignitor I,which is 20+ years old.

I had just removed my MSD 6A, multispark setup with a MSD #8203 Coil (1.2 ohm) and Pertronix Ignitor !.

After taking out the MSD 6A unit and simplifying the wiring in the car, I found out I cannot use the MSD coil with 1.2 ohms with the Pertronix Ignitor I - LU 143A for my Lucas 43D4 distributor. (Lucas 23D requires the LU148 unit) The LU 143A requires a 3 ohm coil due to the unit over heating in the ignition on only position without the engine running,not in the start and run position.

A friend in the Elite club suggested I bring the Elan back to basics with some reliability. The Elan ran reliability for the past 10 years with this setup. My reasoning for replacing the current setup, I do not want to buy another 3 ohm coil to work with LU 143A and because I'm cheap! :lol:

Is this an example of diminishing returns? No logic in coming to these conclusions.

The other Ignitors, II and III can use a 1.2 ohm or less coil according to the Pertronix Tech, although its says its 0.6 Flame Thrower coil is recommended. High Voltage Coils are usually lower ohms from my research.


Because its Black Friday Sales Day in the States, I found a Good Deal for Elan Owners: Please Review the excellent pricing!

Pertronix Ignitor I - LU 143A $99.90
https://autoplicity.com/75248-pertronix-ignitor-lucas

Pertronix Ignitor II - 9LU 143A $105.21
https://autoplicity.com/401239-pertroni ... rsion-kits

Pertronix Ignitor III - 7LU 143A $121.28 UPDATE: $110.05 (Amazon by sold by Pertronix), use Price Match w Summitracing.com= No Tax and Shipping.

https://autoplicity.com/11112828-pertro ... ucas-4-cyl

Please give me some love....need to order Today! SALE IS STILL GOOD TILL MONDAY.

Many Thanks as Always

Brad
Last edited by bdea on Sun Nov 25, 2018 2:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
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PostPost by: pauljones » Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:20 pm

I had the 2 fitted. Aldon ignitor 2, flame thrower coil and matching blue leads. I also used bosche super 4 plugs.

I reported here years ago that the spark very powerfull. In fact i think i said you can see it from the moon..i had no problems starting and hard acceleration was smoother.

I only swapped it out to go fuel injection.

Once set by Miles W,it was practically fit and forget.

Just my opinion of course.
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PostPost by: webbslinger » Sat Nov 24, 2018 3:53 am

I opted for the lll because it has a limiter built in. I've put about 6k miles on it with no problems. I'm very satisfied with it.
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PostPost by: fatboyoz » Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:57 am

Hi Paul,
Can you recall the Bosche Super 4 spark plug, part number you were using?
Cheers,
Colin.


quote="pauljones"]I had the 2 fitted. Aldon ignitor 2, flame thrower coil and matching blue leads. I also used bosche super 4 plugs.

I reported here years ago that the spark very powerfull. In fact i think i said you can see it from the moon..i had no problems starting and hard acceleration was smoother.

I only swapped it out to go fuel injection.

Once set by Miles W,it was practically fit and forget.

Just my opinion of course.[/quote]
'68 S4 DHC
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PostPost by: tfb0001 » Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:02 pm

I ran the pertronix for 20 years with no problem. There was no I, II, or III, Recently replaced the old federal emission distributor with the pertronix distributor and it runs great. Much better advance curve compared to the old distributor.I don't expect to have to deal with any ignition issues again. 69 S4 with 105,000 miles. Tom
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PostPost by: literarymadness » Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:56 am

I just switched out my Pertronix III for a 123 Ignitions Bluetooth. The main reason being I wanted the flexibility of programming my own advance curve and storing different curves for different driving situations, mpg vs performance, or even depending on what octane I am using. It also has a rev limiter. I do everything from my phone using their mobile app. And can even make adjustments while I am driving in real time or while it is on the dyno all using the Bluetooth feature 5 feet away.

Wesley
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PostPost by: bdea » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:20 pm

Decided on the III, the only issue was the mounting plate.

On my 43D4 non vaccum advance distributor, Pertronix decided to provide an vaccum advance plate with a lockout tab that prevents the plate from moving. I guess this was to give it the premium option of vaccum advance to all the distributors!

I think the solid one piece mounting plate would have been more simplistic and reliable!

Pertronix I and II has the solid non adjustable vaccum advance plate.

Another question, do you think the ignitor on the I and III are clocked in the same position on their respective mounting plates?

The reason I ask, I want to start the Elan after a 7 year slumber with the Ignitor I already installed and the MSD 6A multi spark unit removed. The timing is not disturbed and wanted to check it before installing the III. The Elan was dyno tested (rolling road) back in the day with Charlie Rockwell in the Bay Area.

Below are the instructions for the Pertronix III.
Attachments
15440267293231576114253.jpg and
1544026655308-84215632.jpg and
1544026603810-57041571.jpg and
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PostPost by: bdea » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:31 pm

Additonal pics of the instructions.
Attachments
1544027445640-861516090.jpg and
1544027029228-1970489548.jpg and
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PostPost by: bdea » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:59 pm

Pics of Pertronix III and vaccum advance plate vs Pertronix I and II
Attachments
15440290702351045529730.jpg and
1544028698777-1234469402.jpg and
1544028647829-99103736.jpg and
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PostPost by: pauljones » Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:39 pm

Sorry for late reply i havent found the old package but if i recal it was same part number as a v12 jag. Best check that tho.
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PostPost by: Davidb » Thu Dec 06, 2018 2:33 am

I too fitted the complete Pertronix distributor and it transformed the way the engine runs-why screw around with a 50 year old unit?
'65 S2 4844
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PostPost by: types26/36 » Thu Dec 06, 2018 2:24 pm

Davidb wrote:-why screw around with a 50 year old unit?

That's not a very nice way to talk about an Elan :lol:
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PostPost by: Davidb » Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:30 pm

8)
But seriously, I found the difference in cost between a Pertronix conversion kit and a complete new Pertronix distributor was so little that it made no sense to use the old, worn distributor body. UK purchasers might want to check on buying a Pertronix unit from the US.
Just Make Sure that it has the correct distributor cap!

I think this is who I got mine from:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pertronix-Engl ... :rk:5:pf:0
'65 S2 4844
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