Condensors !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Agh.................

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Does this sound familar ??????

My 36 Flathead starts right up and idles perfect, however once the temp has come up it just doesnt want to rev up to any rpm at all and wil sometimes just die out . Let the engine cool and it will run good at low speed and then break up when rpm is added.....

Pretty common story. This customer is approx 100 miles from us and has been fighting the problem for a long time. ( couple years) After talking to him on the phone he agreed to meet me at the shop this morning with a couple boxes of distributors etc.

He also brought 4 new condensors (Macs) still in the wrapper. Every condensor he brought tested defective!!!!!! They all were below .18 mfds using a sun condensor tester !!!

Now here is the problem, the ford specs call for a .36mfd condensor on the helmet unit. The .36 is the storage capacity of the condensor. When cold it may run ok with the smaller capacity but once warmed up the engine a coil circuit needs the full .36 to prevent arcing at the contacts causing a misfire.

The real issue is that i really dont have a good answer for the problem as my box of condensors also had a couple low resistance , low capacity units as well.

If it was my car i think i would use a Vertex mag condensor and figue out a way to mount it properly ...............

Oh well at the very least it isnt monday anymore!!!!!