i have a 66 mustang, 302, we put patronix ignition in a while back it was fine for about 5 months,and now when i start the car if i let it idle it shuts off. almost instantly and if i idleup to about 2,000 rpm's and hold it there, within about 3 seconds the car just shuts off, like the spark is just put out... also when im driving, when i go above like 1500-2000 rpm's it spudders like a mad dog, and if i stab it, it just boggs down hella and spudders out the exhaust and dosent inscrease speed at all? i have tried eveerything i know of.. the car is running lean! i pulled the plugs, and there ghost white, so i changed the carb, i really think the patronix is going bad or something.. has anyone had this problem?

 

Bad ignition won't make it run lean. Missing spark will wet the plugs, not dry them.
Sounds like a bad vacuum leak or carb isue.

 

Yeah he is correct. Running lean is due to not enough fuel entering the combustion chambers. Sounds like a carb issue to me as well. what carb do you have? Also i had a bad ignition coil do some pretty wierd things to me as well. sorta like your describing, but since its running lean, im not sure thats your problem. the pertronix is basically a switch.. on, off... just like points. Most of the time, the pertronix will not cause your car to run bad... itll just cause it to not run at all.

 

I agree that electronic ignitions usually work or don't. On or off.

As a way of eliminating the ignition while you T/S the fuel system, why not put the points and condenser back in and see how it runs.

 

clocked carb.. just finished dealing with something very similar

 

I would check 2 things:

1) The gap between the mag ring and the pertronics module
2) The fuel filter to see if its clogged

 

i called pertronix about the gap when i was reinstalling mine
they told me that it doesnt have to be more than a matchbook thickness but +/- a few thousandths is no problem

 

According to the directions it needs to be a certain gap. I went out and bought feeler gauges so that it would be exact.

 

I have had a pertronix since about 1995 and never had a problem with it...I would say you either havea carb (althought a clogged fuel filter would do it too) issue starving your fuel on the lean portion...too lean will cause detonation...not good for an engine. Also check that the vacuum advance is working on your car...