Ignitors 1 or 2 and Flamethrowers


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By Nat Santamaria - 13 Years Ago
Hey guys.

I have seen some your responses on my Coil Failure Again posting and just curious on performance differences on the Ignitor/Flamethrower I and Ignitor/Flamethrower II. I have a 57 Bird with a 312 Fordomatic & Stock distributor. The car runs well with Ignitor I and stock Ford coil. Runs better with Ignitor I and Flamethrower I (1.5 ohm Epoxy filled). The biggest difference I feel is at low end pulling away from a light. The car accelerates with more pep. The plugs also show a better burn - the plugs are much cleaner with whiter porcelain. The stock Ford coil with Ballast resistor is very reliable, never any issue. The Flamethrower I seems to fail when it gets hot. The coil is being replaced under warranty. Perhaps while I am getting a replacement coil maybe I should upgrade the Ignitor / Flamethrower II. Will I see any difference in performance to upgrade? This is my second Flamethrower I in 8,000 miles. Pertronix is telling me to hook up my Flamethrower I to the external ballast resistor to remedy coil overheating.





Any comments? Thanks all.
By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
I can't speak on ignitor 1 vs ignitor 2 and the corresponding coils. What I can tell you is that I experienced no noticeable improvement with anything when I went from points to an ignitor 2 and flamethrower 2 but there was also no detriment in the way it ran. And I fried it by accidentally leaving the ignition on. Because of this, it's not something I plan to use again.

My thoughts are that the ignitors are strictly points replacements and as a result, an engine in good tune with a newly rebuilt distributor that doesn't have any wobble and minimal wear won't really see any improvement. However, the pickup is a little more forgiving to the wear and variances that may be present in a distributor with a few miles and so an improvement may be seen in that instant.



When I have to fork out the money again, it will be on an ignition with an external box because I have noticed improvements with that route. It's still nothing I can call significant but at least I noticed something for my money.
By GREENBIRD56 - 13 Years Ago
Here are some graphical traces of AMPS versus time when a voltage is applied to an automotive coil primary by a transistor "ground". Thanx to "GMC BUBBA" over on the Hamb - its pretty clear what's going on .....

Changing from the 4.0 OHM primary to the 1.5 OHM, jumps the AMPS by more than double - so in the process of gaining performance at the spark plug, coil heating is a direct product. If the coil can take it, fine - if not - life is shortened.

The thiird trace shows the effect of using an electronic circuit with "current limiting" - where the ON period is adjusted electronically to protect the coil. I don't believe the Ignitor I or II either one has current limiting software. Systems that utilize low primary OHMs and current limiting are most often fitted with "E-core" coils that have higher temp capabilities than the old cylindrical versions. They have high performance but don't have the antique look.

This GM coil has .45 OHM primary - notice the #12 wire the factory uses to provide serious current. The major manufacturers have been looking for power - everywhere - and as many years as the Capacitive Discharge System has been around, the inductive set-ups are still popular with OEMs. 

By Talkwrench - 13 Years Ago
Charlie I thought the "2" had protection if the ign was left on??

If you can pick up a ignitor 2 and the matching .6 ohm flamethrower coil cheap go for it. Pertronix should be set and forget. Make sure you are happy with the condition of your dissy first! Or as some of us here have done follow Steve and Marks tips on modifying the dissy. Starts first time everytime with the setup and runs strong.

You haven't opened up the sparkplug gap have you?

By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
That's what they advertise now. I'm not sure if they've always had it or not, but it is what happened. Couldn't find anything else wrong. Installed the points and it fired right up.
By GREENBIRD56 - 13 Years Ago
Charlie - Does your DUI outfit have a fixed dwell spark controller? I believe you wrote in here once that it had a ballast resistor for the coil - that could be bypassed for a short period (like an afternoon in Columbus).Smile

The controller in the photos looked like the one that usually is used with the Chrysler/MOPAR ignitions - but that doesn't mean it has the same chip. The stock MOPAR arrangement ordinarily has a fixed dwell - like the Ignitor I and Duraspark II Ford units. 

By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
I don't know a whole lot about it. The price was right so I wasn't too concerned about specs.



The 1 ohm resistor which is required for street use will only allow it to provide a reliable spark up to 7000rpm. For racing a 1/2 ohm resistor can be used which raises the limit to 10000rpm. I'm reasonably certain that it is not a Mopar unit because the rpm limits don't seem to match any of the Mopar units. I suspect it's their own stuff under the hood.