A few days ago I stupidly left on the ignition for about 6 hours. As a result I fried the coil and battery. To my surprise, the coil actually leaked its oil. I replaced both the battery and coil and checked fuses in box but have no spark. What else might I have damaged?
Thank you for any advice you may have.
Tom
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Do you have points and condenser or an ignition module? What kind?
It's a one-year-old Mallory distributor. A hot rod building friend thought I might have fried the ignition module, so I ordered a module with overnight delivery. I wish this was a chevy motor, that damn distributor couldn't be in a worse spot. What do you think?
I hope to make an orphan car show on Saturday. Our Panteras are orphans as the parents are deceased.
...You Melted the Control Module!
Points?? They're Burned Up Along with it's Condenser and the Coil. You can, in all likelihood...count the Voltage Regulator Out, also! And I would 'Lay Money' on the Alternator is also, Gone! When 'Things' Melt, Everything gets Shorted.
MJ
...you will not forget a second time, Only WHEN you install a 'Master Disconnect Switch', on the Battery Ground Cable...WITH a RED Idiot Light that is ON, when the System has been activated! They Don't call it a 'Idiot Light', for Noth'in.
...P.S. On the Distributor-less Ignition I run, if left on for 1 Minute, while the Engine is NOT Running, it Automatically Shuts Down. A Nice 'Double' Safety.
Yea, call it an idiot light. I have a master disconnect but no light indicator.
...You'll Get There!
Best of Luck!
MJ
...I have 'Idiot lights' All over my dash and center console. Fans, Ignition, Fuel Pumps, other systems and More! I got fed-up for being 'Dupid', Forgetful, Decades Ago! Yes! The Fans are Manually Activated.
Thank you.
It might be that 'stupid is inversely proportional to how long you've owned the car. I was probably more careful in the beginning when I couldn't afford such a mistake, but after 42 years of owning the car and doing it all myself, I did not build the motor, you get to relaxed. If I didn't have Webers hiding the damn distributor it wouldn't be such a task, but they are so beautiful. Now I have to do everything by feel because you sure as hell can't see back there.
It occurred to me, I do have one idiot light for the manual fans.
I believe that if you use the Pantera-electronics Ignition Controller, you can't damage anything if you leave the ignition on.
MSD 6A's are susceptible to destructing if left on as well?
As are the Duraspark configurations…. Don’t ask me how I know!
I really would like a key on, no start buzzer!
(like they had in all the Fords of the day!)
Rocky
Can-of-oil coils do that. Replace what you have with a solid state TFI coil and your electronic ignition will be goof-proof next time. The coil may have take out some of the wiring between the coil and regulator, too. If so it will be easy to spot- melted and burned!
I wish your comment had come earlier. Being in a haste, I replaced the coil with what I had. Then I ordered an ignition module before opening up the distributor, but just pulled the existing module and find the insulation of brown wire leading to the module seriously bubbled and burned, so it definitely took a hit. I'll trace other wires I can see for damage but am concerned about what I can't see. Of course, all these lessons learned may never need to be applied again.
Thank you
@rocky posted:As are the Duraspark configurations…. Don’t ask me how I know!
I really would like a key on, no start buzzer!
(like they had in all the Fords of the day!)
Rocky
I don't remember that as a feature of the Duraspark system. The coil in a can is the most vulnerable to failing in this scenario but I did kill a few MSD 6a's.
Jon's system uses a different coil so you can't kill it.
The pickup in the distributor is just a magnet. I'm using a Motorsport M-341 distributor which is just a recurved Duraspark.
The engine has never failed to fire like would happen every three months or so with the MSD's.
It's a new company now so maybe they fixed those issues? Tech support told me to stop calling them and please go to another manufacturer so I did.
the last item that needed replacing was the ignition module. It required pulling the distributor apart, gear removal and all. The hard part was putting the distributor back on the motor, it's no small task with Webers.
I don't believe I'll make that mistake again.
The problem started with trimming a corrugated plastic sheet pattern for a single side window. I had to remove the sheet time and time again, trim it further. fasten it to the window lift mechanism and run it up and down until it fit perfectly. I managed to bend this material to the correct curve.
Now I plan to build the same window pattern in 5/16" clear plexiglass, bending it to the correct curve a Pizza oven. I have to learn about plastics for the best material to use.
...My 2 Cents about the Window Replacement, DO NOT use Plexiglass!! Go to Tap Plastics and pick-up LEXAN. Plexiglass breaks into Needle-Sharp Shards! And would be banned on every track...should you go that far. There is NO Glass on Aircraft!! Not even on the Instrument Faces, it is All Lexan, for many reasons!
...When they do the Horizontal 'Sliding' Door Windows on European Race Cars, they use Lexan.
I once proposed a 'Sliding Window' to the Rear Pantera Window, centered over the Distributor...how Convenient would that be, to Pulling the Distributor Cap and working on it?? The Entire Window in Lexan.
Your Window Mod is Excellent!!
MJ
On the topic of Lexan (everything Marlin wrote is correct), you may want to contact Larry Stock at Pantera Parts Connection. Not only is he in the Pantera parts business, his main business is plastics. You might find him to be an enthusiastic participant in your one piece side window project.
Biggest problem with Lexan besides its rather high cost is bending it at home to conform to the compound curves in windows. Plexiglas etc is soft and will scratch from rubbing by the cat-whiskers in the door frame but softens at around 140F degrees so its easy & cheap. Lexan is tougher and some is very thinly hard-tin-coated which is why the military uses it in airplanes. It softens at around 400F (melts at 550F) and develops steam bubbles inside it at lower temps in ambient air. Needless to say, this wrecks Lexan for cheap, easy transparent windows.
Shops that work with Lexan for race cars typically form it in a vacuum oven that can be controlled to 650F or below over bucks, without moist air around the hot plastic. If the bend is small, some guys successfully use a hand-held heat gun with downward pressure from the other hand (wearing a thick welders glove!) Decades ago I investigated it due to it being 1/3 the wt of safety glass but gave up due to the above properties & cost. It could substitute for the large flat rear glass window over the rear firewall. The glass always shatters in an engine fire anyway.
I am pretty sure Tom has no intentions of using any type of sheet plastic as the actual material to be used for the permanent one piece glass.
Reading his previous posts it seems the plastic sheet is merely for testing feasibility and hopefully providing a correct prototype version to then be crafted in actual safety glass.
Larry
Thank you for that advice. Possibly Plexiglass is the answer with a tinting film applied to both sides. Since this is not a daily driver that also never gets dirty, scratching may not be a serious problem. The film can be reapplied now and then. Just a thought.
Tom
correct, in the end it should be real safety glass, but a hard plastic template needs to be made to be sure it works.
