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Petronix??

Posted: January 13, 2018, 1:48 pm
by Mr. Jones
Found out after the fact that you're not to use a metal feeler guage on these things...just wondering if any damage may have been done....anyone have a similar encounter with your install?

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 13, 2018, 5:21 pm
by skidoorulz
I used a metal one on mine 4 years ago and have had no issues.

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 14, 2018, 8:05 am
by oldsmiley
NOPE, but I used to do all the maintenance on a friends 66 truck (with a 302 in it) who had me put in a Mallory unit. A few months later it had quit working and left him stranded on the roadside. I picked up his truck ordered the same unit, installed it, and he was driving again.

About a year later the same thing happened again, so I fixed it again.

After questioning him, I found out that the 1st time he'd had another shop install a new battery and his Mallory unity quit the next day. The 2nd time it quit, he'd had someone do some welding on his truck the day before that one went out.

Seems to me ANYTIME you do ANYTHING electrical on a truck with an electronic module in the distributor, it's safe to just unplug it until the work's finished then plug it back up. Since he's been doing that it hasn't happened since.....

Go figure

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 14, 2018, 3:03 pm
by chris401
Mr. Jones wrote:Found out after the fact that you're not to use a metal feeler guage on these things...just wondering if any damage may have been done....anyone have a similar encounter with your install?
No problems using a metal feeler gauge I know of. Whether you set them at .030 or .060 you'll have 35-36° dwell up till 4000 rpm. At .030 gap it will fall off to 28-30° by 6000 rpm.

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 14, 2018, 3:10 pm
by chris401
oldsmiley wrote:NOPE, but I used to do all the maintenance on a friends 66 truck (with a 302 in it) who had me put in a Mallory unit. A few months later it had quit working and left him stranded on the roadside. I picked up his truck ordered the same unit, installed it, and he was driving again.

About a year later the same thing happened again, so I fixed it again.

After questioning him, I found out that the 1st time he'd had another shop install a new battery and his Mallory unity quit the next day. The 2nd time it quit, he'd had someone do some welding on his truck the day before that one went out.

Seems to me ANYTIME you do ANYTHING electrical on a truck with an electronic module in the distributor, it's safe to just unplug it until the work's finished then plug it back up. Since he's been doing that it hasn't happened since.....

Go figure
Unilites are reliable till tampered with like tou said. In 1998 my 65 F-100 was hot wired at the coil but the thieves didn't get far. Found my truck about 1/2 a block away with a burned module. I knocked out another one some how while working on the truck.

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 14, 2018, 9:00 pm
by Toyz
Nope, I suspect the reason they provide a plastic gauge is that the steel one may be hard for a newbie to determine exact setting due to the magnetic. Pertronix states that the use of a steel one is acceptable, and will hurt nothing.
As to dwell, I'm old school: I set up my distributors using a distributor machine and scope. My results, and Pertronix seems to agree, are that ANY gap between .010" and .060" will result in the exact same dwell. I have seen no dwell reduction even at 5000 DISTRIBUTOR rpm.
Paul

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 15, 2018, 6:40 am
by Mr. Jones
Thanks for the info,will reinstall unit into the 352....points not working so well with this cold weather......
Thanks,
Dan

Re: Petronix??

Posted: January 17, 2018, 9:35 pm
by Toyz
Dan, are you running a coil with the factory rating? If you are running a full-voltage coil, and resistor wire, the points WILL likely suck. If running NO resistor wire with points, points will likely DIE!
Paul