67CUDA "STEVE"
Member
What are the voltages that should be going to coil with the ignition in cranking, and what should be the voltage when it is running to the coil?
There is a lot of voltage fluctuation going on in the ignition system. Google primary ignition patterns and check out some of the patterns shown. The voltage flowing through the coil is constantly changing and being able to read these patterns can help find ignition faults. The voltage pattern on the plus side of the coil is smoother due to the inductance of the coil. You are correct, the battery pretty much dampens the fluctuations on the positive side of the ballast resistor.Actually I am just guessing, but I expect that if you put an O-scope on coil+, you would see the voltage fluctuating as the points open and close. That is because with the points closed you have effectively a voltage divider between the ballast and coil. There is no "voltage going into ...". Voltage doesn't flow, it is an "electrical pressure" at a point in the circuit, similar to fluid pressure in a pipe. I doubt you would see much pulsing on the upstream side of the ballast, since that is a fairly direct path from the battery, which is a big storage device.