Stop in for a cup of coffee

When you apply a resistance check on a capacitor, the needle should swing over. Analog meter with a power source like AA or 9V battery.
Otherwise you need a meter that does capacitance.

Typically its power source to coil - in your case maybe coil negative if was for a positve ground application, then to the points. When the points close, current should flow through the coil primary windings to ground.
You might as well be speaking mandarin. It will make about as much sense to him.