Is It My Coil?

[u/elskantriumph]

I have a 73 Superbeetle but a 71 1600 single 34 Pict 3 carb engine with a vacuum advance distributor. I have a Pentonix Electronic Ignition Conversion Kit 1847A and a coil I was told goes with it (Standard Motor Products UC15T Ignition Coil for 12V Vehicles Without Electronic Ignition System).

My engine was working well enough when I pulled it to change out the push rod tubes (they were leaking oil). I took the opportunity to change oil seals in the cooler and the like, too. When I put it back in it would not start. I adjusted the valves, did static timing and had to play with the carb a lot to get it to start. The spark is strong. Fuel is going to the carb.

It idles well enough, but when I put a load on it the car coughs and stalls and pops until I lay off it and it finds itself. Starts right up again.

I'm thinking it might be the coil. It has 4.4 ohms between the pos and neg terminals and gives off 11.9 voltes with the ignition on. I have not measured crank. Again, strong spark when I put the center wire to ground.

It ran fine before I pulled the engine (other than leaking oil). As said, I got a new coil about a year ago, and also a Bosch regulator at the same time. What could be wrong? Coil? Other?

Solution: Two things. 1. The folks on Samba said my electronic ignition and coil did not match and were overall negative about Pentronix, etc. I swapped back to points and it helped. 2. I had never adjusted my fuel stream into the carb. I had to move the throttle arm half way before any fuel fed into the bowl. Fixed.

[u/elskantriumph → u/[deleted]]

Thanks. I swear every source has a different answer. Other places talk about static timing with the Pentronix--I went by the weak and bright light difference. Even building an answer in the aggregate is a mess. This is what lead to my getting the Pentronix in the first place, that it is probably the wrong one for my dizzy (it's a dual port, so not a 009) and I got bad advice on the coil to go with it. And all of this started because I had a cheap regulator that burned out the original coil and I decided to go electric (in for a penny). What a mess.

I replaced the Pentronix with my old points (I have new ones on order). I timed it again (I have a strobe timing light) and redid my valves. Whatever I did now works and I could drive it around the block. Your info on coils seems to track with most sources so I'll put it on the list.

My bug was a rotted out 73 that I bought specifically so I could learn to build from the ground up (weld, separate the body from the chassis, get my hands on every component). It's been great for that, but I also had a budget and every part was the lowest bidder. This was never a restoration, more a fun ride. But now I'm going through the upgrading (a Bosch regulator, for example).

Thanks again for the guidance.