Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I am stumped. I drove the car home after running around town all day and the car made it home fine. The next day, I went to start it and it wouldn't start. I checked for fuel and it had fuel. I checked for spark, no spark. So, I decided to change the ignition system over to a Pertronix electronic ignition system since I would have to go through the ignition system. Anyway, fast-forward and I have a new coil (flamethrower) and an Igniter 2 system installed. I have bypassed the resistor and I have 12 volts at the coil when the ignition switch is on. The car still gets no spark. I read that I should check the distributor ground strap. I have an Autolite IBJ-4001B distributor and I have looked inside it for a ground strap - there doesn't seem to be one. Does anyone have any ideas for what to try next? This is on a 1955 Clipper Super 320 engine.

If your dist has a ground wire it would be under the breaker plate. Fabric covered very flexible about 3 inches long. One question on the Pertronix. I don't know if they are polarity sensitive but if so, if your car is stock it would have pos ground so could that be an issue?

The Autolite seems to have metal contacts between the plates that make the ground (at least it looks like that when I removed the vacuum advance to get a better look inside)...and the car has been converted to negative ground already when I got it...Is there an easy way to test whether there is a ground at the breaker plate?

maybe the pertronix got too much voltage and blew, i blew one with a Mallory, and had to get another mod. there is a voltage limter you can buy for mallory.

Not sure on the Pertronix what the signal is. Typically on a regular setup, with a meter set to voltage you would put one lead on the dist or coil terminal and the other on ground. With points open you should read 12v and when points close it goes to 0 volts. If you never see 0 the points are not closing or there is no ground to them. If you never see 12 the points are not opening or the ground lead is shorted. You might try that just to see if it works the same way.

On a regular setup you can do the same thing with the meter set on ohms by removing the wire to the coil and checking continuity thru the dist to ground. When points open there is no continuity and when points close, the meter shows a short. A shorted ground lead would always show the points closed and a broken one would always show the points as open.

The Pertronix throws some solid state circuitry into the mix so I doubt the meter can accurately see what is happening in the continuity scenario unless the module is separate and you can still isolate the dist. If there is voltage to the module at the time or it is in the dist, then I would not try that one because the meter or module could be damaged.

One other thing. Verify you have 12v to the coil when the engine is actually cranking. The ign switch could have acted up and voltage could be disappearing.

Thanks so much for the replies. I have some more detective work to do out in the garage!

I put a pertronix setup in the 55 clipper over 3 years ago. When i did it i called their tech line and told them i had the delco distr and saw the listing on the website for my car but I wanted to ensure their product would work with my +ground syst. He said they make both + and - ground and he sent the correct one. Be sure they know you retro fit to - grd or you may have burnt out the + grd unit. As a side note I used the factory coil and the car ran great, started great for 6 days then cut out and wouldnt start. After insp I found the hotter spark burned the old rotor where the spring term was swaged to the brass pointer on the top cnter of the rotor. I changed the rotor for new and shes run great since. I put a sm jumper from 1 side of the ballast res to the other and left all other parts orig! Its still running on the orig wires and plugs! If your coil primary has pwr and you remove the coil hi ten wire from the center of the dist and no spk whn crank- ck the coil wire and rotor for continuity. If ok- pertronix must be bad.

I put a pertronix setup in the 55 clipper over 3 years ago. When i did it i called their tech line and told them i had the delco distr and saw the listing on the website for my car but I wanted to ensure their product would work with my +ground syst. He said they make both + and - ground and he sent the correct one. Be sure they know you retro fit to - grd or you may have burnt out the + grd unit. As a side note I used the factory coil and the car ran great, started great for 6 days then cut out and wouldnt start. After insp I found the hotter spark burned the old rotor where the spring term was swaged to the brass pointer on the top cnter of the rotor. I changed the rotor for new and shes run great since. I put a sm jumper from 1 side of the ballast res to the other and left all other parts orig! Its still running on the orig wires and plugs! If your coil primary has pwr and you remove the coil hi ten wire from the center of the dist and no spk whn crank- ck the coil wire and rotor for continuity. If ok- pertronix must be bad.

Well, it turned out I had the distributor rotor off by 180 degrees! I ended up putting in a new fuel pump, new flex hose, rebuilt the carburetor and cleaned out the oil bath air filter along the way in addition to new plugs, new oil and filter and the Pertronix unit. I think I am ready for car show season now...thanks again for all of the advice.