Three or so years ago a friend sent me a failed Pertronix module. Engine ran poorly and finally died and would not start. I de-constructed it and found it had less than $5 worth of parts inside. It contained a Hall Effect sensor with one pin trimmed off and a resistor. Today there are two types. One uses a spinning magnetic ring which fits over the distributor cam and the other works differently. One problem the magnetic type suffers is about 1/8" from the bottom of that ring it begins losing magnetism (so it will not cause the Hall Effect switch to work any longer).
And as I've learned this type of unit actually does "wear out" gradually...but the truth about that is perplexing. It loses magnetism not in a linear but a random decline. Apparently the magnetic materials, granules, etc were distributed in a haphazard manner when it was made. Some parts of the ring got more/some got less. And that means when parts of the ring fail SOME of the cylinders will still be firing while others will not fire or worse may only fire occasionally. This makes it difficult for "everyman" to analyze so he goes out and wastes money on spark plug wires, distributor caps, spark plugs, etc. My friend said it was not even easy to diagnose using an oscilloscope because occasionally the bad cylinders would seem okay. And then at the complete end of life of this wonderful thing there is no magnetism left in the upper portion and nothing works at all and you get to walk home or call somebody to come tow you...as many have done. Why a magnetically charged ring would be "sort of working" and then finally fail completely there are conflicting opinions but it does. My personal thought is the quickly failing ring contains just enough magnetism to trip the switch every so often and then at a point (maybe due to heat) it loses all magnetism and that ends it.
To answer your question, I can not tell you with a good conscience that either style of Pertronix will improve performance. Truthfully...any product that causes you to carry a replacement with you (i.e. another Pertronix gizmo or a spare distributor so you can get back home) is not really an improvement, is it? Seems to me doing so is a de facto admission you already know it can't be trusted. A spare tire is one thing. A spare distributor? Not the same at all.
If you choose to go with points, please send me a message and you can get the 200,000~300,000 hour condenser I make. Some folks might say it doesn't actually improve performance, but I would say it does improve performance notably because a failing condenser will cause misfiring, failing to start well and stumbling and it will make your points start burning up rapidly...and not to overlook you'll waste gas in the process. Today's condensers are all made in China or India (if you happen to own an English Ford) and they are anything but high quality. From what a friend in Italy tells me the ones from India used to be okay and now they aren't.
Basically, the condenser absorbs a slug of electrical energy when your points open and that prevents an unwanted voltage arc across them...which all happens very quickly. By stopping that arc it makes the coil's magnetic field collapse rapidly (as it ought to)...meaning you get a hotter and higher voltage spark at the plugs. And it keeps your points from burning so rapidly.
Last edited by Jon G; 10/20/2026 7:00 PM.
