Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Hello all,

Has anyone ran into a Pertronix coil that went south? I installed a Pertronix 40611 12 volt coil on my 30 Town Sedan back in November of 2019 due to the PO's oil filled coil heating up and shutting down the spark.
The other day, went out to start the car and nothing. Had a chance to look at it today and found that one side of the coil was not getting 12 volts when checked. Pulled off the coil and found no 3 ohm reading on the primary. Installed old oil filled coil and the car started right up.
Should I just get myself another Pertronix and hope for the best, or buy something else? Anyone have a preference for an epoxy filled 12 volt coil?

Tom L.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

I had one turn to a turd in short time. I replaced it with whatever I could buy in a spare parts shop in the middle of no where. Who knows where it was made - China, probably but it has already lasted several times longer than the Pertronix one did.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Hmm, that surprises me. Have you contacted them ? Maybe they'll replace it.

There should be other epoxy coils out there. Some have mentioned that they like Bosch.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

It surprises me too. Thought Pertronix was the only way to go. It lasted just under 9 months. Looked at the box, it states 90 day warranty. It's made in China. I see that if you buy one from Advance Auto, they will extend the warranty to 1 year. So...I might do that, or look into buying a Bosch. I think the Bosch is made in Brazil or Mexico. Hard to believe but oh so true. Was wondering what people have used for a 12 volt coil. If you want it to sit upside down as in the Model A, you need one with epoxy in it.
I have a 50 year old MGB that still is running the original coil. Bet it says Lucas on it. Bet you can't get one made in England either???

Tom L.

Tom

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Lucas? We referred to Lucas as the 'prince of darkness' when I rode Triumphs :). Millions of air cooled volkswagens ran an inverted bosch blue coil.Bosch standards are met no matter where the part is made.Pertronix flamethrower 40k max output,bosch blue 35k.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

I have owned the 'prince of darkness' in many a vehicle over my lifetime of 71 years. I guess I have been real lucky that I seldom had a problem with Lucas, with the exception of making sure I had good electrical grounds.
Maybe I will try a Bosch, even if they are no longer built in Germany.
Thinking of which, I wonder how many of us would still buy stuff made in the USA, Germany, Japan and England if we still had the choice? I think it would be worth the extra cost for the quality that we would receive.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

No point doing that. I'd have to pay postage even if they supplied another free. If they wanted the old one back for examination, I'd be up for double postage and a new coil costs less than postage one way. Just not worth it.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

A few years ago there were several messages on the internet complaining about the Petronix coils that were made in Mexico.
I have had nothing but grief with 6 volt NAPA coils.
When you need a 6 volt coil for an antique car tell them it’s for a ‘65 Volkswagen.
If you need a 12 volt coil tell them it’s for a ‘67 Volkswagen or a ‘67 MGB.
The have a built in resistor so you by pass any resister the car might already have.
I had to change the coil on my MGB last week. The 5 or6 year old NAPA coil was giving me trouble as soon as it got hot. And it didn’t start easily. Sometimes backfired on a hard pull.
Sure starts & runs great now with the new coil.
I use the same 12 volt coil on my F1 since I converted it to 12 volts in 2015.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

This is bad news for the modern hi tech coils on today's market. Makes me wonder what the difference is between coils made today compared to the 90 year old originals?

This is an original slant pole coil used for 28-29 Model A. It came off a rusty chassis I bought out of a neighbor's barn where it had lived for at least the last 60 or 70 years sitting idle. I painted it and put it on a car and ran it for a year. Car always started and ran well, but I took it off in favor of a newer 6V coil for fear it would fail out on the road. I think I will put it back on the car and not worry about it.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Yep, I grabbed a couple untested original coils for cheap last year and they both work just fine, nice long blue spark. I do carry a spare just in case... it is still a 90 year old part but on the other hand it's definitely been battle proven at this point:D

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

I have a 80s Ricks "show quality script coil"---- script can over Japan oil filled coil, been mounted terminals down for over 30 years, very strong spark, no leaks, many years drive MGB, the Lucas coil (oil filled) mounted terminals down by factory, no failures/leaks, the Bosch aircooled VW coils used in the Koehler generator would eventually leak tar and quit(long dwell time because only 1 cylinder
Nowadays I replace a lot of new looking coils used on older cars, , even the Bosch "blue" coils don't last, replace a few that failed in days

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

My Pertronix flame thrower coil is holding up well after fourteen years !!!

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Hmm, maybe thats why. It was made long enough ago to still be of good quality.
Mine [ 6v epoxy], I think, is at least 5 if not close to 10 years old.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Our original coils were tar filled and rarely failed. Like anything though it can be subject to failure at any time.

I would think it depends on just how much oil is put in some coils could relate to longevity.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Coils are like any other electrical component,they need a clean dependable steady source of current.When one fails its important to check primary voltage under load..install your new coil,start engine and check voltage (at the negative side on 6v positive ground,or positive side on 12v neg ground)... if you see a big voltage drop with the engine running this could be from a poor connection or ignition switch,this will raise coil heat causing premature failure.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

I recently converted my september 29 to twelve volts and installed an epoxy filled Pertronix flame thrower coil , it runs just as well as my 31 tudor that has been running the Pertronix coil for fourteen years .

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

I have a used one like this off of a '65 Ford, I carry it for a spare, I tested it on the CCPU and it ran excellent on a number of runs. On the '65 it was used w/a ballast resistor, but it works good on 6 volts.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Jack Shaft,
Interesting observation. Something that I had not considered.
Maybe there is something that I am overlooking which caused the coil to fail in 9 months and about 500 miles.
As I go through this car that I bought a year ago, I am finding a lot of mickey mouse stuff done by the PO. Maybe my ignition switch is junk?
When I get another coil, I will do the checks. Thanks for the info. And thanks to everyone else for your input on this subject.

Tom L.

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

Re: Dead Pertronix Coil
 

So common. Soooo disturbingly common. :eek::(:mad: