Ignition system help

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

Ignition system help

Steve C · Guru

Did you check the condition of the breaker points. They may be corroded from sitting that long.

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

again not familiar with this system and no book, so you'll have to assume I know nothing. where can I find the breaker points? are you talking about the actual points in the distributor? because if so I don't even have any juice comming out of the coil from what I can tell.

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

yes, the breaker points are the points within the distributor. You must make sure they are in good working order, with the gap set at appx .020". They are an integral part of the ignition system, and without them in good working order you WILL NOT get any spark. I'm not sure what the +6V reading at the + side of coil is telling you, but I suspect that may be ok as there is a ballast resistor ahead of it, which drops the voltage from +12V.

While you're at it, change the points & condensor (modern sets are a combination of points and condensor), rotor and distributor cap. New wires would also be a step in the right direction.

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

O.K. I snaped a few pics, I'm assuming I have 2 condensors in this setup, would this be a problem? also does anyone have the resistance specs for testing one of these coils?

distributor coil

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

Well After checking my coil, and finding this bit of information on the interweb I have come to the conclusion that my coil is no longer viable.

http://waywardgarage.com/129/testing-an-automotive-12-volt-ignition-coil/

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

the breaker points you have are one of the combination points & condensor in one. That's ok, but have you checked to ensure the points are good or not? They MUST be able to open and close for the coil to produce spark. (when the points are closed, the coil is grounded and will not spark. When the points open, it removes the ground and allows the coil to spark. If they're stuck open - which is often the case, the coil won't spark either).

The other capacitor on the + side of the coil is normal. It's not the condensor we're talking about, I believe it's part of the system to reduce ignition noise in the radio.

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

I'll go climb under the bonette tomorrow and inspect the points a little closer and see whats goin on and let you all know what I find.

pontiax · Poncho Master!

condensors have a very short life, 6 years at most. back in the day, an annual tune up included changing plugs, points and condensors every year and coil about every five years to maintain peek performance. Now that we only drive our classic pontiacs a few thousand miles each year.(if were lucky) we forget some components die with age,not mileage.

pariscruiser64 · Veteran Member

Well everyone I would like to thank you for all the good advice, once I setup the points and cleaned all the contacts etc. the car fired right up and idles like a champ.

Took it out for a little tour around town, needs a little work but it moves under it's own power.

thanks again.

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

clean the points with a file,, you'd be amazed at what havoc an invisable coating of oxidation will do !