Using a dial back timing light, when I check my timing I see fluctuation on the balancer. Running a Pertronics Flamethrower HEI kit on stock HEI distributor. When I put in a regular GM HEI unit no fluctuation shows at all. Is it because of the Pertronics Kit that it shows up? Is it a CD type of unit with the kit?
Thanks

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78Z/28 done up like 81 383,350T...
80Z/28 in restification 355,350T vortecs....
1971 Firebird in waiting
2002 T/A WS6 A4
Got my new shirt how 'bout you?
www.geocities.com/z28f41/ (http://www.geocities.com/z28f41/) AOL IM Secondgenmanic

[This message has been edited by manicmechanic (edited October 15, 2005).]

Pertronix is garbage. It will break. People might disagree, or have had good luck, but that doesn't change the fact that it is garbage. I base this on fact, not on opinion. I had one completely fail, take out the coil, and destroy itself when it fell apart from cheap construction. Summit Racing replaced the entire thing, and I immediately sold it. I also know 3 other people who had the exact same thing happen to them.

Im not saying anything negative here but, 90% of the time the coil is what is the cause of electronic component failure, mainly do to shorted windings. Ive seen modules go bad on there own and Ive seen coils go bad and kill modules but Ive never seen a module go bad and kill a coil.

I have to agree with Joekool. I'm an ex-Navy electronics tech and I don't see how a distributor module could damage a coil. I have a Pertronics functioning perfectly in two different types of vehicles. Have not seen any fluctuation,...could it be due to orientation of the inductive pickup on the timing light? Did the engine run properly? That would be the deciding factor. I did buy a Summit coil and module for my HEI, but only due to low price. The Pertronics is not a capacitive discharge type of unit. Todd.

When I use the light I hook up on #1 right by the spark plug (within 1-2") and the car runs but the idle is less stable than the factory unit. Could there possible be a problem with the distributor itself? The shaft of gear, I see no indication of trouble. My next move would be to swap the module to the good reading dist. and see if I still have bounce on the timing. I use the same coil on both units. so I think that would eleminate that as being a problem.

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78Z/28 done up like 81 383,350T...
80Z/28 in restification 355,350T vortecs....
1971 Firebird in waiting
2002 T/A WS6 A4
Got my new shirt how 'bout you?
www.geocities.com/z28f41/ (http://www.geocities.com/z28f41/) AOL IM Secondgenmanic

Aside from the mechainicals there's only 4 electronc parts to an HEI: Coil, Module, Condenser (built into the wiring harness goign up to the coil) and the Magnetic pickup. I have had pickups go bad (crack) and make the timing unstable. But that would be about where I'd run out of ideas on this one, electronically speaking. HEI distributor shaft bushings could wear out, too, but that's fairly rare. Centrifugal advance mechanisms on old HEIs wearing out is very common, however (the pivot points on the advance weights).



[This message has been edited by Damon (edited October 15, 2005).]