It Just Died
 

Help, I was idling along a busy street this afternoon in my '67 and the engine just died - no sputtering or anything - it just died. When I opened the hood to check the connections etc I noticed that the coil (my new Flamethrower II) was so hot I couldn't touch it. The tow truck driver said that maybe the coil was not making a ground. Any ideas as to what I should try. It's my daily driver so I need to get it going. Thanks. E.

Re: It Just Died
 

Hook a timing light up to the "coil to cap" spark plug wire and try cranking it...

No flash means no spark... That way you know your problem is with the coil or before it...

Also, if you have a tachometer hooked up, check the wire to make sure it didn't short out anywhere, which will kill the engine. May as well check out that Pertronix ignition to make sure no wires are accidentally grounded to the distributor body.

Re: It Just Died
 

OK, thanks. Is it normal for the coil to get so hot? E.

Re: It Just Died
 

To be honest, I've always had them bolted to the engine, so I haven't made a habit of touching them after the engine has been running for any length of time, becuase I figured they would be blistering...

Re: It Just Died
 

Coils get hot.

Re: It Just Died
 

The saga continues. I changed the coil just in case and it would still not fire. So I pulled the coil wire out 3/4 inch and had my wife try to start it to see if I would get spark. Well all I got was a loud POP from the battery/could have been from the starter solinoid and then it would not turn over any more. I took the battery to Auto Zone and they said it still has a good charge. I suspect that my wiring is to blame. The wires that go from the firewall to the coil/heat and oil gauges is brittle and cracked - possibly original. I have new wiring that I will install. Did I blow the starter solinoid? Any other ideas? E.

Re: It Just Died
 

Try by passing the solenoid with a set of heavy gloves, a vice grip and some goggles...

Unbolt the wire that runs to the starter from the solenoid, grab the end with a vice grips, and carefully but forcefully touch it to the positive termnial of the battery.

If it cranks, you know it is the solenoid. If not, it may be a bad battery to ground wire.

Re: It Just Died
 

OK, problem solved! The solenoid had blown so I changed it. The engine would crank then but still no ignition. I changed the Pertronix ignition module and VOILA! Runs like a charm. E.

Re: It Just Died
 

Good to hear, Elvis...

Re: It Just Died
 

Alright, I am now back in operation but I do still have a question. I did not really enjoy having my car die on the busiest street in town on the busiest shopping day and blocking traffic while I tried to get a tow truck. The Pertronix ignition module died after about six years of good service. Is this the usual life span? Is there a way of determining if it is about to fail? Is it just a crap shoot whether it will fail in one year or ten years? Should I plan on changing it after 4-5 years or should I just wait until it fails and risk getting stuck again? I guess the point is that I have lost confidence in it although perhaps that is not fair. Unfortunately Pertronix does not yet have a Tech Support service on their web site so I can't ask them. Any insight would be appreciated. E.

Re: It Just Died
 

the only time one of my coils has gotten burning hot was after it blew up. we figured out that we didnt wire it through a resistor so it got too much juice and blew the oil all over the place. do you have yours running through a resistor

Re: It Just Died
 

Actually I don't. But after changing the electronic ignition module and getting the car going I put the coil that I thought was hot back in and it works fine. It is the Flamethrower II coil. I suppose they do get hot as they are bolted onto the block. It was just that I had never touched one after the engine had been running for a while so I was not sure that it was normal or unusual. Oh well, I am back in operation and all is well with the world. E.