Hey there, I have a 272 Y block, I swaped out the 6v to 12v...have 1-wire alt...put on a 312 4v intake w/ a 4vCarb..., other/s, I swapped out the points to electronic, and have a flamethrower coil..., I can't get it to fire...I followed the spark plug digrame from the distributor, the carb seems to be filling rather rapidly, ...not sure where to troubleshoot, maybe 46y can help thanks...

 

Which carb are you running?

Is the firing order correct?

 

I'm running an old shoe box autolite 4100...450CFM...I thought the fire order was correct...Maybe need to check again...I tagged all the wires...???

 

Have you checked to see if you are getting spark? Did you have the distributor out? You changed a lot of things, hard to know where to begin. Is it popping at all?

 

Remember the Y blocks distributor rotation is counterclockwise. That has caught me in a stupid at least once.

Ford #s cylinders different then others

From the Front passanger side is 1234
Drivers side is 5678

firing order is 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2

Usualy when doing multiple swaps like that it is good to limit to one a day so you can work all the probloms out before moving to the next improvment.

 

Exactly...

 

I did not have the distributor out...I did take the cap off to change out the points...I can check for spark at the coil...RIGHT?...

Also, so turning counterclockwise means i'm advancing the timing?

 

Yes, turning counter clockwise on the dist will advance your timing.

Why did you take the distributor out? You May need to retime the engine. Bring the #1 cylinder to TDC. Take the distributor cap off. Look where the rotor is pointing. That should be where you hook up your #1 spark plug wire. Then follow the timing through.

To check for spark take the coil lead off at the distributor and hold it close to a clean ground. Have someone crank on it. You should be able to see a spark. If not grab the lead and the negitive terminal on the battery (IF YOU HAVE HEART PROBLOMS DO NOT DO THIS!). Feel for a shock and decide if it is strong or weak and adjust from there.

You said the fuel was filling up to fast? Your float is either sticking or incorrectly adjusted. You could also have too much fuel pressure. Lets get some spark going though. Too bad you are along ways from me I would love to tinker with a 54.

 

I usually have to struggle through problems like this too. But check that the plug wires are in the proper firing order, if not already done, like said before. It is easy to get them mixed up. At a later date go to the auto store and buy some wire numbers to attach in the viciinity of the dist. It is a big help at times, and cheap. Pull a plug, attach wire, ground it to the engine and have someone crank the motor. You should see a spark. If there isnt any, replace the plug, turn key to on position and check to see if voltage reaches both sides of coil using a multitester. Harbor freight has them for around $5. Negative side of coil to dist., positive from ignition switch.

If there is voltage, check the points wiring again inside dist. and make sure they arent grounded, but that the dist. is grounded with the small copper wire secured to the plate.

If all the above is good, I cant see how it wouldnt fire.


Oh, turning the dist. clockwise advances, counterclockwise retards.

One more thought. The 6 volt sytems didnt have ballast resistors. If the flamethrower coil has an internal resistence of 1.5 ohms, a resistor isnt required. Less than that and one needs to be installed before the coil. If there is one in place now, also check that voltage gets to both sides of it. I once had one burnout, or maybe it just broke.

 

I screwed up on the advance retard thing. 46 is right.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that Pertronix units destruct almost immediately if they or the wiring path leading to them are grounded. I have done it TWICE. Another killer is to leave the ignition switch on over night. Did that once, and it also overheated the coil which dumped all its oil on engine and floor.

One other Pertronix failure I had seemed to be linked to the distributor cap. The top of the dist. where the rotor is pushed on had a flaw which I didnt see until very close exam. It was from someone in the past striking it with a hammer, and resulted in the rotor not being able to be fully seated, which in turn ate up the inside of cap, and I speculate had something to do with the unit going out. So the point is to make sure rotor is fully seated.

 

I smoked two flamethrower coils for no apparent reason? I have never had a fault with my ignitor but I carry a set of points for safety.

 

In my case most if not all the fault was...those guys that sold them to me .

 

This usually happens when the resistor wire is not bypassed. That coil requires full 12v. 90% of Pertronix failures come from not wiring them correctly to start with. The instructions are clear, just half the people choose to do it their own way.

 

Actualy it is not called for on the flamethrower I. I called and talked to their tech guys and they said it is only bypassed to deliver the full voltage to and from the coil.

Also, I burnt one with the resistor wire in place and the second was with it bypased.

I have had bad luck with their coils. Alot of people love them. I aint mad. I just got a blue streak coil and delt with it.