Pertonix Ignitor II or Duraspark?

[Anonymous]

All,

Adam, from Sydney, brought up an interesting point to me about changing my ignition out on my Aussie 250 loghead engine, which I would like to do very shortly.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether a Duraspark system would be better, or a Pertonix Ignitor II setup? I'm debating between the two right now.

Thanks a mil,

Makoto

 

[Poney102]

I think they are both good and both have pros and cons I went with the pertronix because I shopped the parts and found them the cheapest.

Dave

 

[66Sprint6]

I had pertronix for a long time and never had a problem, now I have the duraspark and like it alot better, its all electric and can be used with any carb so its awesome. Shell out the $$ if you have it for the duraspark and you will be MORE than happy.
Matt

 

[addo]

Won't say much other than a 30 year old distributor is almost always "worn"; an electronic add-on with slightly vague destructions won't fix the inherent wear.

 

[CobraSix]

I've run both. I've noticed no real performance advantage either way. Both are a great improvement. I am using a DS2 now, mainly because I wanted over the counter parts as much as possible. Also, I got the dizzy for free, so when I needed a new cap and rotor for my old dizzy, I figured, what the hell...

Here is my writeup:

http://www.kastang.net/pertvds2.html

Slade

 

[barishiman]

I don't know about you guys, but I've had problems with the Pertronix II unit. When I had engine running again, it seemed that the timing could never be adjusted correctly. I'd adjust the carb fuel-air mixture and get the car running smooth, then in gear kills the car. Adjust the carb and timing, now I have 2000 rpms at idle and 600 rpm in park. Plus, some locals have had the same unit and bent their valves like I did a few months ago. I am unhappy with the unit, especially the money I spent on both units. I plan to switch over to the Duraspark2 with an MSD6a box. As for getting the car to run again, I"m switching back to points and the 1brl then switching over to the two and see if she can run on that.

 

[CobraSix]

the P2 shouldn't not have caused that problem. Make sure it's timed right. I had a problem similiar because I accidently had the timing retarded to much and it was relying too much on the vacuum advance and I had basically no advance past initial timing.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with CobraSix. The problems barishiman is haveing are not Pertronix related. If the dizzy won't hold timing it has a worn drive shaft bushing. Bent valves would have nothing to do with the ignition.

The comment that the DSII is "all electric" puzzles me. The dizzy is mechanical, the advance system is vac & mechanical - a dual advance system just like the 68-73 distributor. A Pertronix conversion makes the standard points distributor an electronic unit.

The performance of a Pertronix set up and a DSII are extemely similar. The DSII is a better choice for an MSD upgrade and you can buy parts at any parts store. If the Pertronix unit fails you will likely need to order a part. Distributor caps, rotors and plug wires remain stock, easy to get, items.

Last comment, the DSII will work with any carb but it won't fit a pre-1964 block.

Steve

 

[addo]

Last comment, the DSII will work with any carb but it won't fit a pre-1964 block.

This is the bit that puzzles me. No one is marketing a DuraSpark that's modded. It should be comparatively easy to do.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey addo,

I agree. Seems to me there should be an easy solution for this problem. The issue is simply that the late dizzy driveshaft won't go down the drive bore in the pre-1964 block. It seems to me this should be an easy fix?? On the other hand, how much demand would there be for modified DSII??

Steve

 

[CobraSix]

I think for the money and hassle, I would go with P2 in the case of an early block.

THe DS2 really only offers more solid state (meaning magnets can fall out of place) and easier replacement. THe only other advantage is the larger gap between wire posts, meaning less cross arcing with a high output coil. But I'm not even sure if that's a big concern for our ignition.

There is really no difference in the electronics of the two different ignitions from what I saw. Very little performance differnce that I noticed when I swapped from Pertronix to DS2.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

I'm a DSII fan for 2 reasons:
1.)stock, reliable parts (junkyards are full of these for $5 per distributor setup, around here).
2.) Multiple types of controllers, like "blue", "black" or "yellow" grommet models. In particular, the "yellow" model offers MPG increases that can't be had any other way.

I'm about to finish up my Fairmont's retrofit to "yellow" from the stock "blue" and put the results here after I've run it for a month. The "yellow" model raised the gas mileage on my 351W Ford by 2MPG in highway driving, so I'm expecting similar results from my 200.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey addo,

I agree. Seems to me there should be an easy solution for this problem. The issue is simply that the late dizzy driveshaft won't go down the drive bore in the pre-1964 block. It seems to me this should be an easy fix?? On the other hand, how much demand would there be for modified DSII??

Steve

So, steve--your dizzy driveshaft is in deep doo. I'm having serious trouble keeping the glass half full.

Trouble

 

[BKNLINE]

Hi,

I prefer the DS II distributor for the larger cap but would run an aftermarket ignition box such as MSD or Jacobs. My '78 Fairmont lasted only a year on it's first aftermarket Duraspark II ign. module and was on it's second - which I don't know how long it will last since the whole car was sidelined when the nylon capped aluminum timing gear stripped and the exhaust valves got bent.

In short: MSD/Jacobs for hotter spark and reliability. If either craps out, a DSII ign. module could still be purchased anywhere and attached.

Regards,

Dean T