[69Farburd]

Occasionally my 69 Firebird with unilite distributer dies while sitting at a stop light. Sometimes it just quits like you turned off the switch. Other times, it sputters a few times and dies. When it sputters I can see the tach needle jumping up and down like it is loosing electricity and then getting it back. Usually the car will start right back up, but I have had to let it sit for a while a couple times. I don't know if this is related, but recently the battery cable welded itself to the trans cooler lines and melted the posts clear off the battery. It fried the electronic module and the wiring harness for the Unilite. I replaced the battery, cable, electronic module, unilite wiring harness, and the ballast resister. The only thing I did not replace is the coil and ignition wire. Could the coil be causing a problem like this?

[shaker455]

You never know but the coil is one of the easiest things to replace.

Also check all your grounds like the one from the back of the block to the firewall.

[bullheimer]

not as easy at the coil wire thou, and i have had a unilite burn my coil wire in half internally so you couldnt see it. after replacing a module with no change, i got it running great again by just replacing the coil wire. i kept the spare for future reference.

[69Farburd]

Yesterday I moved the coil out of the way so I could check my ignition wire. The coil is leaking oil. It's a Mallory Promaster coil, so another $125 down the drain. I wish it could have been the coil wire. Hopefully, this is what was causing my problem.

[MescaBug]

Maybe it's not even an electrical/ignition problem. The fact that it dies at idle might have something to do with fuel or timing. Maybe your carb idle is not set properly, maybe your timing is off.

Before buying and swapping parts, just make sure everything is setup properly. Parts are not always the problem.

[69Farburd]

[QUOTE=MescaBug;3935962]Maybe it's not even an electrical/ignition problem. The fact that it dies at idle might have something to do with fuel or timing. Maybe your carb idle is not set properly, maybe your timing is off.

I tried playing with the timing, and rebuilt the carbs (tripower) and adjusted the floats twice. It idles fine for a while and only occasionally acts up. The fact that the tach needle starts jumping to zero and then back up makes me think it is electrical. The problem seems to occur after I have drriven the car hard. I may be way off base, but am thinking that maybe the coil is overheating due to the fact that it is losing oil.

[James408]

My 69 Bird is starting to do that but it doesn't stall for that long just a split second, its like someone turned a switch off and on. I also have a unilite.

[quick66]

Ive heard that the unilite distributor has an optic eye that can go bad ..but I would check for voltage at the module and the coil WHEN the car won't start...this might give you some clues...If you have voltage to both and the car has no spark..could still be an internal problem in the dist or with the coil...Good luck ...Gene

[69Farburd]

Since my coil is leaking oil, I decided to replace it. It should be here this afternoon. If any of you need to replace the module in your Unilite, get the Mallory Mal-6100M. It is the direct replacement for the Mallory 605 module, and only costs half as much.