modern coil adaptor two screw.

[jan bogert]

i installed this kit today. no spark. took it off and put my old set-up back on fired right up. i want to change over because my car , when driving feels like someone is turning the key off and on when up to temp. any thoughts ignition wire to - side of coil + of coil to condencer and points stud. no spark.

[flatjack9]

Check to make sure that the coil contact is actually touching the disc in the distributor. I had a friend who couldn't get his to work on a distributor I built for him. When he brought it back, I noticed it was kind of bent to the side and not making contact. Straightened it out and it worked just fine. Had me worried for a minute.

[jan bogert]

flatjack, are you talking about the carbon brush under the coil wire? on the adaptor cap?

[37fordpickup]

Got another distributor back from Bubbas and there was a note on the coil. " Missing the carbon tip" Where can I get one?

[jan bogert]

ok flatjack, now i know what you mean that pig tail that touches the point dish. i'll play with it tomarow. thanks. JAN

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

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I'm sure you installed the condenser on top of the adapter. Condense grounded to one of the hold down screws and pig tail to the coil wire stud. Walt

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by jan bogert

ok flatjack, now i know what you mean that pig tail that touches the point dish. i'll play with it tomarow. thanks. JAN

That's it.

[Terry,OH]

The ignition condenser or the ignition coil when exposed to the heat of a running engine heat up and can cause a symptom such as the ignition switch being turned on and off, when they go bad. The ignition switch itself and the ignition resistor can also cause such problems. So even after changing the coil your problems can still exist.

[jan bogert]

Terry, so if its still there, are you saying to change out the ignition switch also? and Walt, yes its all together right the way they state. JAN

[rotorwrench]

Intermittent electrical problems can be as simple as a broken wire that makes contact but can open on an intermittent basis during the vibration of driving the car. Simple problem but hard to detect. A fellow just has to remove and replace each component and wire involved in the system one at a time till you find the culprit. Always start with the easiest one first then work your way through till it's fixed.

You have a start with the coil if you can get it to work!

Always keep in mind that fuel delivery can also get some junk floating around the carburetor float bowl or fuel tank that can cause intermittent problems too.

Kerby

[Terry,OH]

I suggest you try to find the problem without wholesale changes. You may want to clean the ignition switch so your sure it is working, or once the car is running the switch can be temporary jumpered to see if this corrects the problem . Check the wires to the resistor and the ignition switch to see if they are snug and not broken. If you find the problem fine if not then change the $12.00 ignition condenser to another ( I use NAPA for the two screw 37-41 coil, FA49) and recheck, finally if the original coil has not been rebuilt or you do not know, remove it check the carbon brush that contacts the rotor make sure it moves in and out on it's spring. check the bottom of the coil and look for engraved letters put there by re-builders. Then decide if you want to keep the original appearance and have the coil rebuilt( about $75.00), if it is a Ford coil or replace it with the remote coil. Make sure you have ruled out some of the easy stuff first then work your way up.

[G.M.]

Jan to make sure it is ignition remove the air cleaner and with the switch on have someone crank the engine and as it is turning over shoot a good 3 second shot of starter fluid down the carb with the gas pedal depressed half way. If it starts to fire and dies do it again and if it starts to die give it quick 1 second shot follows by other 1 second shots to keep it going until it picks up fuel. Always have a fire extingusher handy when fooling with gas. After sitting a while the gas drains back to the tank. Bob Shewman [email protected] makes a flex hose with a built in check valve to help prevent fuel drain back. The points also get a thin corroisive film that reduces the transfer of voltage. The starter fluid is easier to ignite and will fire at a lower voltage and once running the points usually self clean. Always start out with a fully charged battery as there will be more available voltage to the coil for a hotter spark. You want to go with an original coil and have Skip in Florida rebuild it better than it was originally. Check the bottom for etched letters or numbers. If it has letters Skip most likely rebuild it and will repair it at no charge if it is bad. If it has numbers it was taken apart by another so called rebuilder, cleaned and put back together with very little improvement. The problem is this rebuilder filled the coil with epoxy and can not be taken apart without breaking the shell. If you stcik with the original coil it is easier to trouble shoot and the engine has the original look not like some abortion hanging there. Use a Napa IH-200 condenser and you should be free from problems for years. Contact [email protected] for his literature. You need to also check the wireing, switch and resistor so you get proper voltage to the coil. Any loose connections or a dirty switch will lower the coil voltage resulting in weak on no spark. The voltage to the coil needs to be 3.5 to 4.5 volts lower then 3.5 combined with the starter load it becomes hard to start. Sometimes this is indicated by the engine fireing as the starter button is released. The engine is still turning and the voltage go's up as the starter load disappears and it fires and starts. These engines don't have to "spin" fast to start. This can be demonstrated by kick starting in gear. It starts as soon as the clutch is released drifting a few feet. The voltage from the coil wire to ground should be close to the battery voltage when the points are open and over 3.5 closed. You can tell when the points are open or closed by the coil to ground voltage. Just jog the starter button and check the voltage until it it changes. It should always start as easy and fast as when kick starting, if it don't your battery cables and connections are bad. G.M.

[Slick Steve]

Flatjack is spot on. It can be very easy, especially on the car, to not get the spring in the right place. Check there first.