Florian

Wish it was some kind of ignition problem 😉... I still don‘t know why the car is not idling at all with the new module...

Hi all, sorry that he update took a while... - I changed the Pertronix module, with the new module it would barely start (it at least changed something) - set the timing, did not improve, still sounded like it was too advanced until it starts ticking - did the compression test, all cylinders around 130 PSI when engine is cold, except cylinder 7 which was zero - endoscoped the cylinder and found a stuck open intake valve, which is bent and touches the piston (shiny mark on piston and valve) - took of valve cover, rocker arm is not under tension when valve should be closed I don‘t know if this explains the behavior but I need to take off the head and get this valve repaired, will probably pull the engine to get it rebuilt and fix some other minor issues (leaking rear main seal). So the car will be out for the summer season... Thanks to all of you who did a great job helping me! Florian

I’ve heard about the covers and the problems with them, but my car does not have them. Would have been an easy fix 🙂

I would not say it‘s the wrong coil, but you are right, it is not the recommended coil. But I‘ve seen various (European) cars with a stock coil and a Pertronix. But in the long run I will go back to points or get a Pertronix coil. And yes, the wiring was definitely not correct. I bypassed both ground and 12v with a cable directly from the battery today, unfortunately no change. Maybe too long operation with low voltage has destroyed the Pertronix, we’ll see when the new one arrives. I will bypass the ballast resistor and connect the Pertronix to ignition power from now on as shown in the manual. It’s still the stock ignition switch. So I would reinstall the missing wire from the starter solenoid to make sure the Pertronix also gets 12v when cranking, even though the car was running fine without it. Does the car not start with points when the bypass wire is not installed?

In the manual I found online it says „should read 1.5 ohms or greater for 8 cylinder engines and 3.0 ohms or greater for 4 and 6 cylinder engines“ the NGK coil has 2.8 ohms. When I got the car (which was running) the NGK 12v coil and the Pertronix were both connected to the ballast resistor, meaning only 8v did come from the ignition. The hot wire from the starter was not installed. I checked the internet right after I got the car as I felt this could be wrong and there were different opinions if this setup works or not. At least it worked in my car. So I left it that way. After the engine started running rough I bypassed the ballast resistor and connected both coil and Pertronix directly to 12v ignition power to see if it would make any difference, but it didn‘t, it was still shaking while idling. Even if it ran without sufficient volts for a while this should not have destroyed the module, right?

Thanks a lot to all of you who helped me figuring out what to do next. Your effort is highly appreciated! 1. I will check the distributor again tomorrow (as we have a public holiday today and no rough engine running accepted in our neighborhood) which was clamped down right (check copper wire which is present but may have a bad connection, bypass ignition power, add an additional ground wire), set timing with timing gun (not only with voltmeter with ignition on rotating the engine by hand), check for cross-fire while measuring the rpm at idle, ohm out and change the spark plug wires to the set of my 68 Mustang 289cui engine 2. Do a compression and endoscope test (not only but primarily on cylinder 1) on Saturday 3. Wait for a new Pertronix to arrive beginning of next week which was on stock here in Germany to make sure the module is fine 4. Start crying when nothing helps 😉 Hope I did not forget something and my plan makes sense... Thanks again! Florian

I was just going by the noise of the engine but I also have a RPM meter, it was really obvious to hear. Valves are moving, pulled both covers as I checked all valves to open properly. I have to get a compression tester, that is something which is missing in my tools...

The Pertronix does not have a Pertronix coil, it is a NGK 48342 which was in the car when I bought it. I replaced it as I had one lying around from one of my other classic cars to be sure the coil is not the problem. As far as I know the Pertronix works with other coils as well, am I wrong? Distributor cap, rotor and spark plug wires look new, not worn out. I will check for vacuum leaks again, so far I did not find anything. Starting fluid did not change the rough idle, so I don’t think it is running too lean. I am still confused why the idle RPM is increasing (repeatable) when pulling a spark plug wire. Never had this experience with any engine. Florian

First of all thanks a lot for helping solving my problem! If we assume the Pertronix system works as it should, what else could it be? Checked a cylinder which is not firing properly (no 😎 with an endoscope but could not find major issues. I know this is not replacing compression or leak tests but I could do this at home. I have definitely spark on all cylinders, but I don‘t know if the spark is strong enough to ignite the fuel every time and I don‘t know if the spark is really coming at the right point of time. I will grab my ignition timing gun tomorrow to check if it‘s still set up correctly. Static check as I wrote shows spark triggers the coil at TDC. At the end I will have to order the distributor parts from the US as it is almost impossible to find parts for a pre-1960 Buick in Europe. I could upload a video of the engine running if it helps. Florian

Thanks Jon, I am not a fan of these systems as well. The car simply came with it. If it wouldn’t be so hard to get the original mechanical replacement parts here in Germany, I’d already be driving around with points again 😉. So there is a good chance the electronic ignition system could be the problem and I have to see how I can replace it as fast as possible... Thanks again! Florian

Hi, I am new to this forum so here’s a short introduction: my name is Florian and I live in Germany. Bought a 1956 Buick Super last November with a stock 322 nailhead engine. It drove as it should until I did a 150 mile drive two weeks ago (city and country roads). Right at the end of the trip the engine seemed to run on 4-6 cylinders only out of nowhere, since then it is running rough but firing up immediately. I started checking for spark and fuel, carb (Carter WCFB) is definitely working, we think not a fuel issue (cleaned the carb). I also have spark on all (new) plugs, ignition coil is changed, BUT I am not sure about the timing: The car has a Pertronix ignitior, with the engine off but ignition on the ignitior switches at 0 degrees BTDC. from the sound of the engine when idling I would assume it fires a lot earlier. Centrifugal advance is working. If I pull the spark plug wire of cylinder 1 when idling the engine’s RPM goes up. If I pull wire from cylinder 2 the engine dies. The other wires do not have a significant impact on the RPM. Sounds like a timing issue to me. Anybody with an idea what could be wrong? I can’t replace the Pertronix system as I don’t have the original points, would have to order them from the US. As I mentioned earlier, the car was running fine before (maybe a bit rich) and I did not change a thing before I had the issues. Thanks a lot for your help! Florian