I think I got Pertronixed, had to get towed home.
 

Took the TA out for its first run of the season, got 3 blocks from home and the Engine died in gear down a small hill. Fortunately I rolled into the gas station and parked it at the edge of the lot and called for a tow truck.

I have been too busy to really check it out, but there is 12V at the coil and it did not run out of fuel. Car won’t start, even the next day after it cooled down.

I got talked into the Petronix 3 points replacement in 2015( the rev limiter was a very attractive feature). The Car did not get back on the road till last year, so not much testing, but I did read here of all the issues with electronic points replacement and wondered when” stranded at the side of the road “ was going to happen to me.

I will go back to points and condenser, any input on best product available is appreciated.

Had 2 of them both died , I wouldn't put it in a lawn mower.

Same thing happened to me. The iii’s life isn’t as good a rhe ii’s were. I keep a spare in my glove now


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I haven't dicked with points for thirty years. I make sure that every vehicle I own has an electronic ignition; and there's none better than the good ol' GM Delco HEI in good usable condition. The product has a bazillion miles of real-life testing, and in the unlikely event that something does fail, replacement parts are as close as the nearest auto parts store.

Next up would be a knockoff HEI from a REPUTABLE aftermarket supplier.

I don't know how Pertronix, Mallory Unilite, and similar products can stay in production given their poor reputation for early failure.

It seems like when it comes to aftermarket HEI failures, it's virtually synonymous with Pertronix. I've searched and so far I haven't found anything about DUI failures. Fast Monty of Youtube fame thought he had a module failure on his 10 year old DUI, but it turned out to be a damaged tach lead and terminal not sending a tach signal to his Fuel injection computer.

Just go back to the points. Both of our dailys are points and have been since the cars were born 60 years ago. Dead nuts reliable. Don't let people tell you they need constant adjustment, that's a wives tail. I never touch mine but to check once a year with a dwell meter and they never move. Takes a whole 15 seconds a year to check and shut the hood. And I don't have to change them every 10,000 miles either. Some of my points have been in a few of the cars for 20+ years. One here has had the same points in it since the 80's and still runs perfectly.

If you find yourself constantly adjusting them or replacing them you have another issue. Sometimes simple is just better.

Had one leave me in the middle of a huge intersection.

Points…..
 

……they’re good.

I have three of those primitive carburetor thingies on it too. :pound:

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=749108

Are Mallory Unilte dizzys as unreliable as Petronix or user error supplying a full 12 volts?

Hint: Mallory pushes a protection device that costs as much as the Unilite module.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/maa-29371

I say the "protection" should have been built-into the module at no extra cost--exactly as was done with the 4-pin HEI modules.

Bart that distributor sure looks purty!

Does it still work good?

I like Blue Streak points and old stock AC Delco. That's about it.

Yep, Pertronix died on me twice - 2 different units. Never again - not for that kind of money. NOS Delco points work great. No more problems.

Indeed it does.

Thank you again for your fine work! :)

Seriously, what could possibly go wrong? ;) :D

I should add....I AM going to try the Progression Ignition for the programmability.

Pertronix equals junk.... End of story!

I have had unilites in my birds forever. They used to say they were unreliable so I bought an extra module it’s been in my electrical tool box since the early 90s ! So pretty reliable from my perspective. . Of course if I gut rid of the spare I carry w me it’d go tomorrow.

As for petronix I have one in my 61 mga never had an issue Ethan one either. So idk. Maybe I’ve just been lucky

I suppose I’ve been lucky, too. I’ve been running various Pertronix units for 15 years without issue. Now that I said that, I’ll need a tow tomorrow. I did have a Unilite conversion blow apart on me once though.

on cars that originally had points they also had a wire providing full batt voltage from starter solenoid during cranking, that's what did my unilite in during a compression test

you have to read and verify what the installation instructions are telling you and or eluding to like they will tell you voltage must not exceed a certain value its up to you to identify and eliminate any extra voltage

and some units spec out a primary coil resistance value which i suspect is a check on the load the ignition module sees, a aftermarket mexico or china coil can be slightly out of spec or not built for the sparkulator in question leading to the failure

it would be easy for me to claim mallory unilite is junk, my installation was junk