What is this condenser used for?

[e50095]

Can anyone tell me why this condenser was mounted on the outside of the distributor? I always thought they sat adjacent to the points under the cap. I’m pulling a 68 barracuda out of storage after 42 years, and I can’t tell you how nice it is to see a car that needs everything, but isn’t butchered. Looks like most everything is there, minus the radiator, alternator, and power steering pump.

 

[halifaxhops]

The one on the coil? That a radio noise suppression capacitor. Do not toss it they are hard to find oem.

 

[e50095]

Thanks so much brother, I would never have thought of that.

 

[halifaxhops]

They are usually gone when they go bad.

 

[doug 371]

it gets secured by one of the coil mount bracket bolts

 

[Dana67Dart]

Thanks so much brother, I would never have thought of that

FSM has info about the 3 noise suppression caps.

1. At coil
2. At the IVR (double duty helps save the IVR contacts)
3. In the alternator (the stud has an I tragrated cap in it)

 

[e50095]

Wow, that’s great information. Thank you…

 

[Dana67Dart]

Wow, that’s great information. Thank you…

It's amazing what you can find in the FSM

 

[67Dart273]

Also that cap goes on the coil POSITIVE, not the distributor wire, and it actually does more than just supress radio. It gives the spark pulse which "tries" to showup on the + side of the coil a low impedance path back to the engine block. This "may help" to keep spark power and voltage "up."

DO NOT use these and REMOVE them if you are using an MSD or other capacitive discharge.

Also Halifax I disagree with your opinion on them. That is, they are old. Most these caps are leaky. It is very likely that most of them should just be replaced, but the problem is, that most you buy nowadays are low quality. A plastic dipped cap (like an "orange drop") would be a much more reliable replacement, but now we are treading water because I really LOLOL don't know a good source for RELIABLE and QUALITY replacements.

 

[RustyRatRod]

We used to charge um up on the Sun machine in auto shop class and shock the hell outta each other with um. lol

 

[RedFish]

I was browsing a parts yard once and found that condenser mounted with one of the screws holding the ECM to the firewall. 76 Roadrunner or something, I forget

 

[Rat Bastid]

We used to charge um up on the Sun machine in auto shop class and shock the hell outta each other with um. lol

Ahhhh, good times. Today, you’d go to jail for fun stuff like that.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Ahhhh, good times. Today, you’d go to jail for fun stuff like that.

Yeah and you know who taught us how to do it? Our shop teacher. lol

 

[Dana67Dart]

Yeah and you know who taught us how to do it? Our shop teacher. lol

At my highschool we did not have auto shop, we had electronics.

Someone learned if you plug a large canister cap to a switched 120v AC outlet it makes a BIG bang

 

[Dana67Dart]

BTW while reconditioning my dash I tested the condenser (capacitor) on the back.
I'm guessing the 648 on the back represents micro farrads and that's what I read on my meter!

I had 2 more and they all tested the same. Not bad for 55 years in the brutal environment of a car!

 

[67Dart273]

BTW while reconditioning my dash I tested the condenser (capacitor) on the back.
I'm guessing the 648 on the back represents micro farrads and that's what I read on my meter!

View attachment 1716010828

View attachment 1716010829I had 2 more and they all tested the same. Not bad for 55 years in the brutal environment of a car!

I you have no way to test high voltage leakage, then they are not fully tested. Also, leaky ones sometimes indicate more than their actual capacitance.