Continental Engine

nw_bearcat · May 22, 2010

Working on an old 4 cyl Continental engine on an industrial loader, and can't get it to start or fire. Have pulled a plug, and shows weak spark. It has had a Pertronix Ignitor electronic ignition installed, and has been running, but after sitting outside for a month or so, now won't start. We started with plug wires and didn't gain anything. While messing with it, I could hear a click of spark when I was shutting the key off, and eventually stuck my finger in the wrong spot to get shocked by the coil one time that key was being switched off. It seems that what it is doing is when the key is turned off, it will jump a spark from the High voltage peg of the coil over to the minus terminal of the coil, or anywhere it can find ground I'd guess. Using an ohm meter, coil appears to be w/in spec, but not sure how to test the Petronix unit out. Any thoughts out there on what might be happening? Planning to call Petronix on Monday to get their thoughts too. Anything else that I need to check on to figure this out?

thx

james rumph · May 23, 2010

Is there a ballest resister that maybe has gone bad ? How about that switch did you check it with a meter to see if it is a closed contact in the run position?

I had one of those Pentronix set ups and had nothing but grief. I went back to the points and it runs fine.

JMOR · May 23, 2010

When you turn off the key, you interrupt the coil current just as would points opening or the Pertronix unit would as it switches off coil current......so spark should be expected at key turn off. Call it normal. Connect an analog voltmeter or a test light from ground to each side of coil (first try left, then right) & see if if needle oscillates or light blinks as engine is cranked. If Pertronix unit is switching as it should, then you will see meter needle swing back & forth &/or light blink on & off. You will see this on one coil terminal much more than on the other. If steady on both, then Pertronix is about 99% certainty dead.

Bob · May 23, 2010

Your pertronix has shorted out and is acting like a permanently closed set of points.

The units are EXTREMELY polarity-sensitive. Is it possible the battery has been installed backwards or charged or boosted backwards ALL of which will QUICKLY "let the smoke out" of the $$$ little modules?

Continental Engine

nw_bearcat

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james rumph

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JMOR

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Bob

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