Standard
Ignitor
(Click above for more information)
The
standard Ignitor is recommended for basically stock or mildly modified
engines. Teamed up with a PerTronix 40,000 V Flame-Thrower Coil, the
Ignitor will provide more than enough spark energy for almost all
applications. We have customers running in the 11s and 12s in the quarter
mile with this combination. The Ignitor can be used with OEM type coils.
Caution - some aftermarket coils have lower primary
resistance than an OEM or the PerTronix Coil. Using one of these could
damage the Ignitor. Rule of thumb - for 8 cylinder and high performace 6
cylinder applications the resistance in the coil circuit must be 1.5 ohms
minimum. For normal performance 6 cylinder and 4 cylinder applications the
resistance should be 3 ohms minimum. This resistance can be measured
across the negative and positive terminals of the coil with all other wires
removed. If you have a ballast resistor in series with the coil, its
resistance is added to the coil resistance.
Many older vehicles have resistor wires feeding power
to the coil when the engine is running. The resistor wires are bypassed
when the engine is being started and full battery voltage is fed to the coil to
facilitate start-up. These wires were intended to reduce the voltage to
the coil in order to extend the life of points. Most of the time an
Ignitor will work well with the resistor wire left in the circuit.
However, in some cases the resistor wire, or its connections, may have
deteriorated over time resulting in an excessive voltage drop at the coil.
This could adversely affect Ignitor performance, especially at higher RPM,
resulting in misfires. The resistor wire may be bypassed and a full 12
volts can be fed to the coil as long as the coil resistance requirements
mentioned above are met.
Lobe
Sensor Ignitors
(Click above for more
information)
The Lobe Sensor Ignitors are available for most GM applications. They were
designed to make installation easier on GM Delco distributors that have the
centrifugal advance mechanism (weights and springs) on the top of the
distributor shaft. To install a standard Ignitor on this type of
distributor, the distributor must be removed from the engine and the endplay in
the distributor shaft is shimmed out. This is necessary in order to
provide the required gap between the standard Ignitor pick-up module and the
magnet ring (click here for details). With a Lobe
Sensor Ignitor the magnet ring is eliminated so the unit can be installed without
having to pull the distributor.
A Lobe Sensor-type Ignitor is not necessary with
distributors that don't have the centrifugal advance mechanism on the end of the
distributor shaft such as Fords and Mopars. Standard Ignitors are easily
installed on these distributors.
Lobe Sensor Ignitor part numbers have suffixes of
either LSC (lobe sensor, clockwise rotation) or LSCC (lobe sensor,
counterclockwise rotation), depending on application.
The performance of a Lobe Sensor Ignitor is the same as
the standard Ignitor. Coil requirements are also the same (see above). NOTE - there is a slight difference in the
engine starting procedure with a Lobe Sensor. The key must be turned to
the "on" position for 3-5 seconds before cranking the engine.
This allows time for a special internal capacitor to charge fully before
firing. A standard Ignitor does not require this charge time before
cranking.
Ignitor
II
(Click above for more
information)
The Ignitor II is designed for those who want to get every last ounce of
potential out of their factory high performance or modified engines. It
has a variable dwell feature as found on HEI distributors to give increased coil
charge time at higher RPM. When combined with a PerTronix 45,000 V Flame-Thrower
Coil II the Ignitor II develops an average of 4 times the spark energy of a
points system between 3000 and 5000 RPM. At 6500 RPM the Ignitor II/Coil
II combo is still providing twice the spark energy of a points system.
This is the ultimate in electronic ignition conversions.
The Ignitor II has a
built-in safety feature which switches off the unit should the key be left in
the "on" position without the engine running. This prevents the
possible overheating of the Ignitor II/Coil circuit. To reset the circuit
simply turn the key off
and restart.
We tested the Ignitor II/Coil II versus the Lobe Sensor
Ignitor and points at the track. Click here for a
summary.