THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Tony, I'm a certified prick. An arrogant A-hole. A blow hard of epic proportions..... As long as you view all my posts with that perspective you will be just fine. I'm not real PC either.

We are trying to balance being available on the phone for tech support (which we spend approximately 40+ hours a week doing) as well as being able to run a business. If I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure I spoke to your mechanic (kenny brown) and asked him the same thing....what was the voltage after install. We didn't have a response on that.

The typical MO of a shop is to follow the instructions up until the point the truck starts and runs, then wash their hands of it, collect the fee and go about their merry way. Leaving out the crucial voltage check.....which won't rear its ugly head for a couple of hours of running.

To add insult to injury usually the next step is a warranty replacement request which is basically taking money out of our pocket or Pertronix's because the shop was not capable of following the instructions.

The words may be harsh, but to be honest they weren't focused at you, they were focused at EVERYONE.

I would estimate that I have personally installed 100+ Ignitors. The failure rate of ignitors I install is less than 1%. Failure rate of ignitors where the voltage is not checked I would estimate at 7-10%.

There is a lot of room for improvement via education on this.

Cheers,

Scott

have only ever lost one pertronix unit and it had been in the truck for several thousand miles. The problem was the ballast resistor failed and took out some wiring along with the coil and igniter. I know Scott was a little reluctant to send me a new unit (at my cost of course) until I could satisfy him with the reason the unit failed in the first place. Once I explained that the resistor failed and it was rewired I was able to purchase another unit and it has been in the truck now for going on five years with no issues.

That stupid little skoal can under the dash can be a troublesome piece.

Great response Scott!!


Sent from my iPhone

I'm looking at things to have in my toolbox and this resistor pops into mind as a single failure point.

Is this the part number: 710.1.09.501.0? That thing is $175 from SAV! Anyone found a cheap alternative? if not, I'll track one down.

Try Scott at EI or if he is also out of stock you could try http://www.haflingertechnik.com or http://www.pinzgauer.ch/en/rte_page/20

I don't think they are a common failure but it probably couldn't hurt to have a spare.

Thanks pcolette, perhaps I'm reading too much into other peoples failures. I did find a comparable resistor for $5 on Mouser.com.

~4.4 ohms is what I measured on mine. If it drops 5 volts, that makes 1.14 amp and 5.75 Watts. Mouser has 50 Watt 4.42 ohm resistors with a nice aluminum bolt-on housing for quite cheap indeed. Just in case anyone is interested.

So just ruminating on the contents of the thread. I'm newish to Pinz's but experienced in other vehicles and system.


1. If the voltage regulator in the generator (or is it an Alternator?) is a known failure point that can take out other parts of the vehicle, would a voltage limiter placed downstream of the generator be a good idea?

2. I have discovered the ballast resister the hard way by touching it while the ignition has been on for a bit. It get's HOT. IT doesn't have any cooling fins on it. Could the location and the lack of cooling fins be the cause of premature failures?

3. Has anyone compiled a list of the usual spare parts to have on hand in a given pinz for long road journeys?

4. Obviously a voltage gauge is a useful addition to a truck to give a clear indication as to electrical system health.

When I had the pinz I had a few extra parts. Fan belt, voltage regulator, ballast resistor, fuel pump, wiper blades, oil & filter, tire plugs, various bulbs, pertonix coil, rotor & cap and a few other thing that I can't remember right now. I did keep up maintenance to avoid needing them but I am overly cautious with 40 year old military vehicles.

The alternator is not a known week spot. There is a voltage regulator external and mounted basically under passenger seat towards the front of the engine compartment. The ballast resistor is also not a known week spot. I have yet to see one go bad on the trail. When they go bad it is from an owner playing around at the shop. A spare parts list is tough. I have spent many hours and many many miles of road with pinzgauers. They will surprise you every time with what will fail. Almost always an easy fix or go around is available. The most common trail failure we have experienced is the dog bone on the shift linkage, I not carry an extra one and the old style bushings. An extra parts kit for the ignition system you are running would be a good idea as I have seen a petronix unit fail and a distributor cap break. Throttle linkage end pieces are prone to failure if you don't keep them in good condition. Obviously a fan belt is a good idea though i have only ever seen one fail on the trail. A fuel pump or rebuild kit can be handy also.Maybe we keep our trucks maintained better then some as we log lots of miles with very few issues.