Would leaving the ignition on cause damage to the coil?

[SteveR.]

I installed a new Petronix coil and the car is running great again. Has a huge blue spark vs. a 1/8” orange spark. Really mad at myself for ruining the old coil...it has “Made In USA” on the bottom. Probably 40 years old or better.

I can pull the coil wire off the distributor and the wire arcs to the distributor near 1/2”, maybe more, and the engine keeps running. Was a good illustration of how it works for my daughters.

Originally Posted by Ian in Mississauga

Some of my friends avoid this possibility by hanging the keys on the gas shut-off handle. Also avoids memory lapses with the shut-off.

I’m going to make this my new habit. It’ll keep me from trying to start before turning the gas on too.