Electronic Ignition Questions

[TxDon]

Car electrical systems are not my strong suit so forgive me if these are stupid questions but I still need some answers.

My 440 has what appears to be a Mopar electronic distributor using a reluctor / pickup instead of points. It is connected to a chromed Pertronix Flame thrower coil with what appears to be a factory style wiring harness but there is no electronic control box mounted on the firewall or anywhere else under the hood. When I took the car to a shop for some tuning the guy asked where the control box was and looked under the dash but could not see one there either. He said if it was electronic ignition there had to be a control box somewhere. So here are my questions:

• If you have an electronic distributor do you have to have a control box? If so I need to find mine...
• If not, what does the control box add to the system? Would adding one improve the driveability of my car?
• If you have a control box do you still need a coil?
• What is a good source to learn about these types of systems?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[texas69bee]

http://www.pertronix.com I believe your answer is no. Everything is under the cap.

 

[crj1968]

http://www.pertronix.com I believe your answer is no. Everything is under the cap.

Correct- the pertronix set-up is all under the cap. They call it the ignitor module.
Yes, you need a coil.


Does it look like this stuff under your cap?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pertronix-9...ash=item5af5556752:g:~2AAAOSwPe1UJCp1&vxp=mtr

Also even if you had a mopar ECU (control box) you can't do anything to tune it. He doesnt need to touch or see a control box to tune your car.

 

[TxDon]

I do not have a Pertronix Ignitor under the cap. Looks like the Mopar reluctor and pickup, like this:

 

[crj1968]

I do not have a Pertronix Ignitor under the cap. Looks like the Mopar reluctor and pickup, like this:

Hmmm...well then maybe the ECU is hidden in some strange place. The negative wire on the coil should lead you to it....or the two wires going into the distributor come from the ECU as well.

I've seen them mounted behind the intake manifold.

Unless you are rigged up with a HEI setup....scroll down in this thread- you'll see pictures

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=20321&DisplayType=nested&setCookie=1

 

[TxDon]

Well, the mystery is solved. No HEI setup and no ECU anywhere under the hood. The wiring is all inside the harness which looks factory but they put the ECU inside up under the dash. My shop guy was right, he just didn't look hard enough - it's attached way under the dash and hidden by the add-on A/C ducts. It's kind of loose, I'm going to check and make sure it has a good ground, maybe even add a ground wire. Thanks for the help.

 

[69a100]

You didn't say what car, what's your charging system like? You should read this. http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Electrical/charging.htm

 

[TxDon]

Its my 67 GTX. The charging system is stock, like the first diagram in your link. It appears to work fine.

 

[69a100]

Its my 67 GTX. The charging system is stock, like the first diagram in your link. It appears to work fine.

You NEED to read that article, esp. about the conversion in the middle of the page. "Appears to work fine" doesn't mean jack **** here.

 

[TxDon]

You NEED to read that article, esp. about the conversion in the middle of the page. "Appears to work fine" doesn't mean jack **** here.

What's with the attitude? If answering my questions bothers you so much - don't!

 

[69a100]

No attitude here, just trying to keep you outta trouble. But, if you wantta put yourself in a jeopardy and have problems, go right ahead. Just don't complain when it does so I won't have to say I told you so! Good Luck

 

[Garys1969RR]

When it's time for a plug to fire, the reluctor and pick up coil under the dist cap work together to provide a small voltage pulse to the ignition box. The box then amplifies this voltage and sends it to the coil, and the coil steps up the voltage to 20 K or more volts, which fires the spark plug. Try to avoid getting near the plug wires when they fire, as they deliver quite a jolt! LOL. You should be getting a strong blue white spark out of the coil, jumping an inch or more. Your ignition box needs to be well grounded. This will provide a good return route for the current.