coil fire??

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barbee6043

barbee6043

barbee 6043
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65 dart /6 , when i got it been sitting dead for quite some time motor stuck solid, pulled another slant out of non runnin donor. question" new coil. (points dizzy) got fire plus and neg sides of coil, motor turns over at key, new ballast, No current out of coil wire. what am i missing??
 
Are the points opening and closing? Power on the neg terminal of the coil........going to the distributor......should come and go as the points open close

Also you must have a good condenser (capacitor) in the distributor to make spark. "New" does not always mean "good" as in functional.
 
P. S. i forgot to say i don't have an alt on yet. the old one tests no good. i can't tell by shop manual if this matters. it showed current at both sides of ballast.
 
i will check the points opening tomorrow, , i do have new points and condensor. can't find my remote starter switch. women get bored helpin ( why!??), LOL working on brakes, fuel pump, and electrical all at same time. back when i was less financially challenged, first thing i did was get electronic dist. been away from this awhile, all i see now is HEI stuff. next time to get to the country bone yard, i'm gonna look for electronic stuff.
 
i put new points, condensor, rotor, in. i found the old distributor wire was almost just a thread holdin the wire together. put in another dist i had. coil is new. i have spark at both poles at coil, fire at points, they are set, they re movin, i disconnected coil wire from dist, my finger felt NO fire ( i hate shock!). new ballast, ....... this old (65 dart) had been sittin quite a while when i drug it home. i did find the fusible link had burned out, i replaced it, isee no burned wires. the test light at nrg pole of coil shows a constant current when i crank it. so why NO fire?????????? ( many times i wish i was an elecrical engineer, or socket scientist, or at least a decent shade treee mechanic!!!!!!)
 
barbee6043 said:
i put new points, condensor, rotor, in. i found the old distributor wire was almost just a thread holdin the wire together. put in another dist i had. coil is new. i have spark at both poles at coil, fire at points, they are set, they re movin, i disconnected coil wire from dist, my finger felt NO fire ( i hate shock!). new ballast, ....... this old (65 dart) had been sittin quite a while when i drug it home. i did find the fusible link had burned out, i replaced it, isee no burned wires. the test light at nrg pole of coil shows a constant current when i crank it. so why NO fire?????????? ( many times i wish i was an elecrical engineer, or socket scientist, or at least a decent shade treee mechanic!!!!!!)
Click to expand...

Points are not closing, or distributor is not grounded.

Use a piece of wire and with the ignition on run it from the battery neg , and touch the ground terminal on the coil with the neg coil wire disconnected.
Do you get a spark when you take it off the coil ground terminal?
Should be ONE spark. (This is all the points do) is ground the coil intermittantly.
If not make sure you have at least 8.5 volts to the coil.

If you have power to the coil and intermitantly grounding the neg terminal on the coil does not make a spark, then the coil is bad.

Also make sure there is nothing between the points contacts that might keep them from touching.
Corrosion or any little piece of something can keep them from making contact.

You can also connect a test light to the neg terminal of the coil and just stick the pointed end on the engine while cranking and you should get a light going on and off (even if dim)
 
the test light shows fire to both sides of coil. i did put jumper wire to neg battery and touch neg coil, saw spark, i put test light on neg side of coil, turned it over with tester on block, bright light and slightly flashed. No current coming out of coil wire. chenged coil wire from runnin slant too. whatsUP!!???? pints are new, fire at points, they open and close, NO fire at coil wire.....
 
Remove distr cap, turn engine until points are closed. With key on, manually open and close points with a popsicle stick while you hold the end of the wire out of the coil 1/4" from ground. If still no spark change coil. Try that.
 
did that. no spark. new coil. ( i know it could be bad, but not likely). tesy light shows current at points, they open and close, goood at neg and pos at coil. nothin thru coil wire. ( i held in my mouth to test..... not really, just my finger!!!). i live 30 mi from the parts store, don't want to go after another coil if there could be nother problem. let me know what ya think. thanks BILL
 
It's not clear to me by the way you worded this...........

Les gave you good advice...............

1....................With engine rotated so that points are closed, turn key on. You should have battery voltage at one side of ballast, and "somewhat lower" at the coil + terminal. With points closed, this might be as low as 6V

Put your meter/ test light on coil neg. With points closed, should be very LITTLE voltage there, below 2 volts and the worst, the less the better.

Use an insulated tool (wood, plastic) to open points. You should get a spark, and coil NEG voltage should go to same as battery

2..........If you get no spark with the above test, make absolutely sure that you have "same as battery" voltage on one side of ballast. If not try the test again, but with a jumper wire going from coil + to the battery terminal on the starter relay (the big stud)

You don't need a remote starter, just jam anything metallic, including a coin, between the large two exposed terminals on the starter relay
 
If you had spark when you grouned the coil negative, then the problem is within the distributor (points, contacts, grounds) and not the coil itself.
 
i made one mistake, i did jump the neg battery to neg side of coil, but didn't disconnect the wire when i tried Trailbeast's test... got a question: what do i have to do to have current coming out of the coil wire at top of coil??????also if points are opening and closing and has fire there at the points, and i have a steady current at neg coil post, NOT a pulsating light, can there be a wired shorted out somewhere????? if i run jumper from battery to plus side of coil, should i not have fire out of coil to dist wire????? again, i do appreciate everyone's help. i admit i need a volt meter. but just got test light..
 
Re--read my post above.

Check that the coil NEG is hooked to the distributor. This is an EXTREMELY simple circuit

Battery -- igntion switch -- ballast resistor -- coil POS -- through coil -- coil NEG -- to distributor --through points -- to ground.

Points open and close and break current flow. You can NOT have current breaking through points and NOT have coil NEG pulsating on / off unless coil is hooked reversed.
 
neg wire to dist for sure. like i said . the fusible link wire was fried into, ( batery charger hooked up and something grounded???) maybe two wires melted together under the taoe somewhere? i will run jumper from bett. to plus side of coil today and put on new coil and leave OFF the wiring harness wire.
back some years ago when i was puttin one of these beasts together, i always bought new repo engine wiring harness. ( i had more $$ then than now!!!!) LOL thanks for the help. i realize its pretty simple,
 
latest in saga. went to town this a m ( 30 mi) traded in coil for new one. come home and put it on, hit remote and had intermetent light at neg ole at coil, at little spark out the big coil wire, nothin at plug wire, check it again at coil, hot at pos dead at neg! check current at ( new) ballast, notheither side, check at starter relay, hot there ans hot in and out firewall. i did feel some heat at back of ballast. minute later current at both sides of ballast, nothin neg side of coil. huh!??? did i fry this coil? says to use resister with it. are they talking about condensor or??? do i have a short? will i figure it out without some sort of voly meter and brains to run it!???? LOL i will thanks you guys for any help. i really do appreciate everyone's efforts.
 
Sorry I don't understand your rambling description.

At one point you said "hot at pos dead at neg!" The neg side of coil will be either hot or cold depending on whether the points are open or closed

You need to be VERY SPECIFIC about stating test results

Key on? Key in run? Cranking? If cranking are you using the key or a remote starter?

PLEASE read my previous post

THIS IS a SIMPLE series circuit.

Power comes from the BATTERY,.......goes to the STARTER RELAY LARGE STUD.........goes through the FUSE LINK..........through the BULKHEAD CONNECTOR..........to the AMMETER.........to the IGNITION SWITCH............back out the BULKHEAD CONNECTOR...............to the BALLAST RESISTOR............to the COIL POSITIVE............through thecoil...........to the COIL NEGATIVE............to the ...........DISTRIBUTOR...........through the POINTS............to ..........GROUND.

With

KEY IN RUN

NOT CRANKING

POINTS CLOSED

You should have the following:

At one end of ballast same as battery voltage

at coil end of ballast a much lower voltage, perhaps 6V

At coil POS same voltage as above, perhaps 6V

At coil NEG very LOW voltage, close to zero

========================================

Bump engine until points open

Should have same as battery voltage at ALL the below..............

Both sides of ballast, coil pos and coil neg, and at points wire terminal in distributor

==========================================

With engine cranking, voltage at coil NEG should jump up and down as points open / close

YOU WILL NOT repeat WILL NOT have good spark if............

You have low voltage to coil

you have a bad coil

============================================================================

IMPORTANT!!!!!

if points are corroded and not actually carrying current

CHECK that the points have low resistance. CLOSE the points by bumping engine. Turn key to RUN. MEASURE voltage at coil NEG. It should be VERY LOW. Less than 1 volt, the less the better



if CONDENSER IN DISTRIBUTOR IS BAD. A "new" condenser does NOT mean a "good" IE functioning condenser.

Things you MUST HAVE. There are no exceptions, there is no negotiation

SHOP MANUAL. Download one here, there's a 65 Plymouth manual

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=244981

DWELL METER. If you are gonna screw with breaker points you need a tach/ dwell tester. Just about all of them have a POINTS RESISTANCE test position

MULTIMETER. You need a decent multimeter, some clip leads which you can get at Radio Shack, and a test lamp, which I'd guess you do have.
 
sorry about my ramblin.
i stated i beleive current runnin thru car ( key on), new coil, comdensor, ballast, coil, i relize any could be bad through new. just sent to town and got another New coil. No resistor, . i'll save my $ and get tack-dwell tester and multimeter,
installed new coil, hit remote ( keu on), got intermittant spark at test light at neg coil wire, slight spark out big coil wire, noth it plug wire. THEN---- nothin at neg coil wire, power to ballast gone later comes back , heat at back of ballast. jumper from bat to pos coil gives nothin at eng coil.
Questions: do i have a short somewhere? did i fry the coil just that quick? is the resistor necessary?? remember, i said the fusible link was burned into when i got it
my neighbor the shade tree mecanic has these testers and wants $40/ hr. $40 will have to buy livestock feed and hotdogs for me the next 2 weeks!?? LOL no really. i will be lookin for bargain on some used testers!!! i no i need them. thanks again for any input.
 
The nearest I can tell by all this is that there is power at the coil, and the points are opening and closing (maybe) :)
 
power at coil, thru wirinh harness or jumper from battery. no current at neg side of coil NOR at points, points opeing and closing since dist is turning, when i place pos cable to battery, gettin fair amount of spark there, bat neg wire stays attached while i'm doin all this.
 
barbee6043 said:
power at coil, thru wirinh harness or jumper from battery. no current at neg side of coil NOR at points, It won't show power at the neg side of the coil when the points are closed.

points opeing and closing since dist is turning, (maybe, as sometimes they can be moving but not closing)
when i place pos cable to battery, gettin fair amount of spark there, bat neg wire stays attached while i'm doin all this.
Click to expand...

Again, (with the distributor wire disconnected from the coil) if you have power at the coil postive terminal, then intermitantly ground the coil negative terminal with a wire to the battery negative and the coil fires a spark everything but the points and connections for them are ok.

Just brushing the wire across the ground terminal of the coil should produce multiple sparks out of the plug wire that goes from the coil to the distributor cap.

Is this the case?
 
i just went thru a bucket of Mopar bolts and found 2 very old coils, hooked pos jumper from starter relay, i had power out of both coils at neg post, so i have to beleive i fried the new coil in a matter of seconds. i will go out and hook the old coil up to dist and see what i get for a few seconds, not gonna hook up pos coil wire from harness or ballast for now and see if i get current again at points. got to be wired shoring out in harness somewhere????????? i'll be back.
 
i'm back. took OFF neg wire at coil (the new coil), jumped hot wire to it from relay, got fire to it, then checked for fire at neg post, fire there, BUTTTT went away when i touched dist ( neg) wire to it, bad dist, somehow no doubt. . i have another dist i will put new points condensor in. should i sray carb clean into dist or is that not smart??? like i said, yesterday, i had fire at points but then not there or neg side of coil. ( for a few seconds. i used to buy new repo wiring harness thru a man and his wife, he furnished all the suppliers back then anyone how if he still does? and how to get a hold of them?? i have cat from classic industries, they show them avail at $219, WOW1 i used to get them for like $85. and i thought that was a lot bac then ( 90's into early 2000. ( but then the price of gas and oil was?? then LOL) back to work on another dist.
 
For the sake of understanding, lets call 12 volts ( power), and spark from the coil tower (fire) meaning coil firing.

Ok so you have power at the positive terminal of the coil.
You tap (as in tap tap tap) a ground wire to the ground terminal on the coil.

Do you get spark out of the coil's tower (out the plug wire that goes to the distributor cap?)

Yes or no only please.
 
Ok, here's the deal

You are startin to sound like a troll.

You seem to refuse to play the two way game. This game is played like this. I talk to you and you answer.

I'm just about done, here.

Re--read this thread, and quit flopping around like a fish out of water


Way back in post no8, Les gave you some great advice:

Les said:
Remove distr cap, turn engine until points are closed. With key on, manually open and close points with a popsicle stick while you hold the end of the wire out of the coil 1/4" from ground. If still no spark change coil. Try that.
Click to expand...

OK so you've replaced the coil.

Now replace the condenser. And set the points. Gap the points. Make sure that when they are closed the coil NEG voltage is close to zero, ONCE AGAIN points closed, key in RUN

OPEN the points manually and watch for a spark.
 
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