I have tried to install the Petronix type 1 over the weekend but failed. There is a magnetic ring that pushes onto the distributor shaft. this would not push down far enough to allow the rotor head to be put fully back on. I watched a clip on YouTube and the guy puts a socket against the ring and taps this with a hammer to push it further down. I tried this but the magnetic ring cracked. just ordered a new one for £18. what am I doing wrong? next questions will I need a timing gun to install this correctly? if yes what is the best sort of gun to buy loads on eBay for £20 I am assuming they will be rubbish. I previously set timing using a bulb with some croc clips and turned the distributor until the bulb came on. never timed and engine before so any advice welcome on this. last question I have removed the whole distributor from the engine. Iv since seen threads where washers have been lost into the engine as the distributor hold all this together. are there any precutions I should take when re-installing? engine is 1600 with a vacuum advance distributor. if you need any pics please let me know
The Pertronix rotors are a tight fit. Look underneath and make sure the profile in the rotor matches the distributor shaft, then gently tap them down with a soft hammer. You can static time a Pert 1 with a lightbulb exactly the same as points (using the notches on the pulley). A simple gun from Draper is fine for checking max advance. I'd personally avoid any gun with delay (unless it's a Snap-On), as the delay is done using cheap electronics, which I'd doubt is accurate. If it's "only" 5 degrees out...your timing's out by 5 degrees... The shims will only fall out (possibly) if you remove the dissy drive shaft from the engine, which you haven't done, so you're ok.
The petronix ring is a tight fit - but I dont recall having to bash it on - perhaps check the new one to ensure the plastic doesnt have any burrs in the way? you are talking about two different types of timing - static and dynamic. You can statically time with a bulb (but this wont work with the hall effect sensor you are now fitting) - or you can just statically time with the line on the dissy body and it should fire up. Youll need the timing light to time and the correct revs...
I got a basic gun from Accuspark which has worked fine for me. As above, avoid ones with dial-in advance. A bit of tippex on the timing marks helps too. I calculated how far round 30 degrees of advance would be on the pulley and marked that. Revved it up and adjusted so the 30 mark I'd made lined up with the tdc mark on the case at high revs and it runs very well.
Thanks good advice as always. I will order a draper gun and have another go over the weekend. I will let you all know how I get on.
The cheapo Draper is fine, I've found. Mark your pulley for max advance (28 degrees, 30 if you're daring). https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/dra...MI7cLnw-mu1gIVy7vtCh3sGQ0UEAQYASABEgKTJPD_BwE Weeel...it's not just a pulse. The module will keep current flowing through the coil for a certain time (the dwell angle), then switch it off. This is the point at which the plug will fire, and is the point you time to, just as with contact breakers. On units like the Pert 1, you can time them just as for breakers. You can't do this on fancy modules like the Pert 2 that don't supply current to the coil if the engine's not going round. Believe the Accusparks also have this feature, but they'll blow up after five minutes anyway ...
True, but I thought the dwell would be so short that you wouldn't even see the bulb light? It's all a bit beyond me after this point....
The pertronix black ring is a bit tight. Like very. But it went on with finger pressure when it lined up. Static timing later "adaptive dwell" electronic units means setting the engine to 7 btdc then waggling the distributor back and forward to make pulses. and guessing when the contacts are just breaking during the waggle , setting it there. Then tweaking it once the engine stumbles into life.
^ and he's not joking... Bit unfair, as some Accuspark units have been known to run for over a week before blowing up.
I was totally flummoxed by the black ring - there was just no way that even with it fully home the rotor would sit in the right place. So I ground off the requisite difference from the bottom of the rotor and popped it on. It hung on fine. It's all residing in the spares box now anyway because advance mechanism was shot. Now have a far superior and expensive 123 Ignition which was, well, worth it!
I was wondering if they are worth the extra money as looking to get electronic ignition to hopefully make the beetle a more reliable daily driver!
It's the only upgrade you'll find on our bus (I think). Good and smooth, and not made in China. Fit, forget and learn the secret handshake.
They do other fancy tricks as well: timing advance all-electronic (not bob-weights) and fancy spark balancing. You may decide you don't need that stuff. I've had one for about eight years and it's been faultless. Fit and forget. And, as above, they're not made in a dark Chinese shed.
I also had difficulty in seating the magnetic ring, so I ground the rotor arm down about 2-3mm and it works fine, in fact better than fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
