Quote:
Originally Posted by redmodelt
Someone can correct me if I am wrong. The spark is produced by the collapsing field in the coil when the points open. The condenser is there to act as a buffer to keep from burning the points up. The car would run with out a condenser but would burn the points. The reason condensers go bad is because they short to ground internally making an easy path for the current to travel ground instead of the points. The condenser is only carrying the battery voltage not the the spark voltage.
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You're close.
The condenser is a capacitor that stores a charge then releases it in the opposite polarity, causing an oscillation. It also provides a path to ground for the HV high frequency oscillations (the larger half of the coil).
A capacitor (condenser) can go bad by shorting, becoming leaky (a resistor), or losing an internal connection and becoming an "open circuit".
If your condenser shorts, the car simply won't run. If the condenser becomes leaky, your car runs badly. If the condenser becomes an open, your car will backfire and buck and run so bad, you'd wish you were at home in bed.
What kills capacitors? Heat!