Problem with Pertronix Electronic Ignition

Hello everyone,

When rplacing the distributor rotor on my 1981 Ski nautique (Ford 351 (pleasurecraft marination)), I accidentally pulled off part of the Pertronix Ignitor I electronic ignition system. A few of the magnets came out of place (it seems the glue had broken down). While trying to put them back in place, they pulled ALL the rest of the magnets out of posiiton!

Now, I'm trying to put them back in, but i am unable. I want to start gluing them, but i don't know whether the polarity matters in how i put them in.

Does anyone knwo what I should do?!?

Thanks!

Nobody?

Brian
Two things, you can try to cal Pertronix and see what can be done, 909-599-5955, but they probably will tell you that you will have to buy another kit.
If it comes to that let me know we are a Pertronix distributor,

Thanks
Ken
800-289-2737

Thanks Ken,

I finally got through to Pertronix and they referred me to CBS performance. They gave me the replacement part number 1581-3. If you have replacement parts, I'll buy from you, as I'd love to give preference to a Wakeworlder.

Thanks!

Brian
Call me in the morning if you want and I will check stock.

That sucks and I have done it more than once!!! I am glad that I am not the only one. Here is what you do. (You should be able to fix it in 15 min for free!)

There are two parts to the plastic spindle. There is the shell with cutouts where the magnets go (we will call the outer shell) and there is the part that presses into the outer shell to hold the magnets in place. (We will call this the inner shell)

Take the outer shell and put a large pair of vice grips on the outside, but do not clamp them down very hard. The goal of putting vice grips around the outside is that there is something metal on the outside of the plastic that will aid in keeping the magnets in their slots.

As for the magnets, you should have 8 of them (V-8 engine), one for each hole. Put all of the magnets together in one big line in your hand or on a table. The polarity of the magnets will force them to line up together in one big line. Pick one end of this line of magnets and color the face of it. It does not matter which end. The reason that you are marking one end is because you are going to put the magnets in one way, and if the boat does not start then you know you got the polarity backwards. Marking the face of one of the magnets will let you know which way is the right way if you do not get it right the first time. The way that this system works is every time the magnet passes the sensor, spark is sent to the spark plug. If the wrong side of the magnet is facing the sensor then it will not fire. Slide the magnet that you colored off the stick of magnets and place the colored part into the outer shell slot with the colored side facing the vice grips. Work your way around the outer shell making sure that you slide each magnet off of the stick the same way you did with the first magnet. This causes the polarity to be the same for each magnet in each slot. It will be tough and will probably take 15 to 20 tries because the magnets keep jumping out of their holes to attach themselves to one another. (Just go really slow and use a steady hand) Anyway, once you are done, put the inner shell in and it will hold all the magnets in their holes. Put the completed piece back on the distributor shaft and put the rotor and the cap on and give her a start. If it will not start, or runs incredibly bad, then you have the polarity backwards. In this case, you need to take all of the magnets out of the outer shell and put them back into a large stick. This time when you put the magnets into their slots on the outer shell make sure that the marked side is facing away from the vice grips. You have a 50/50 shot on getting it right the first time.

Do not feel bad, you are not the only one to do this. I have done it twice!!! Just make sure that you do not lose any of the magnets and you will be all right!

(If for some reason there is another problem with your boat, and you need to make sure that you have this right without starting the boat, you can check the spark coming out of the coil. There are many different ways to do this. I do it the most dangerous way using a screwdriver. I take the center wire off the distributor cap and stick a screwdriver in the wire touching the metal part. As the screwdriver is stuck in the wire, I hold it close to but not touching some grounded point on the engine. (Engine mount) Turn the key as if you were starting the engine and there should be a steady stream of sparks. (Try not to touch any metal, it will hurt. I speak from experience!) It should not have any rhythm to it but rather it should be a consistent fast spark. If there is a rhythm to it, that means that you messed up one of the magnets and one or more of your spark plugs would not fire when that magnet passes the sensor causing the engine to run rough)

If you have any questions, just add a post and I will more than likely get back with you in a few hours or less.

Hey,

Thanks everyone for the help. I did re-put the part together as Nick suggested, but since the glue was shot, I also went ahead and ordered a replacement part. Ken at ASE Supply gave me great customer service, so if anyone is looking for marine engine parts, give him a shout: http://www.asesupply.com/contactUs/index.php

Thanks!

so did you get the carburetor repair kit also? how is your boat running now?

Luciano,

Got the rebuild kit. One of the gaskets was oddly incorrect, so we actually had to ADD to the gasket on the 2ndary bowl. Well, it works BEAUTIFULLY now. Thanks everyone for all the help!