46 ford ignition

[Deuce Man]

I am treating my 46 to a new set of wires ,coil, cap and rotor etc. Mac's didn't have any condensers. Are 6 and 12 volt condensers different or they interchangeable? I have a handful of new condensers that someone gave me, I have no idea what they are for, or whether they are 6 or 12 volt. Do you think they will work? Thanks Rich

[tubman]

Generally, automotive condensers can be used on either 6 or 12 volts. The important thing is that the capacitance is close. Just about all condensers are in the low .200 micro-farad range. If it will fit, it should work. It would be best if you could test it for the proper rating, but capacitor testers are not common in home shops. I would say if the ones you have are unused, older manufacture, and from a good manufacturer (say, Echlin), they are probably a better bet than a new from your FLAPS.

[JSeery]

Your lucky Macs didn't have any, they seem to have a high failure rate.

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Use the FA54 from Napa , good unit.........

[Ken/Alabama]

Condenser don't care if it's 6 or 12 volt. I use a IH-200 available at local parts store.

[Deuce Man]

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Thanks guys, Ford Barners are the best! Rich

[Drbrown]

I understand OE and some old condensers age and may not function correctly.

[Deuce Man]

What should the voltage be at my coil? I have 6.3 at my battery, 4.3 at my coil. Should my 46 have a bypass around the resistor? or is 4 and change all it needs while cranking? Thanks Rich

[JSeery]

4+ is about right and no there is not a by-pass on the 46.

[fordwife]

When I can, I pick up nos points, condensers, caps at swap meets and flea markets. Even if they are from Sears, Western Auto, etc. they are better quality than the foreign stuff we're getting today.





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[koates]

Buying NOS or old condensers is very risky. Most people have no way of testing them and even if the mfd rating is ok they are usually leaky. The rating for an early ford V8 flathead is around .33 to .36 mfd. that is for original equipment ford coils. Most modern new condensers are around .20 to .22 mfd which is a bit low but would work ok especially if a modern canister coil is being used. Automotive Condensers work on either 6 or 12 volt systems. They are actually rated at about 600 volts. Regards, Kevin.

[Tinker]

The reason for the under dash resistor in the early flats is to drop the coil to around 3-4 volts. It's by design. Cant say about the 49-53 ignitions and needing the same resistor as internal coil resisting changed. and then shortly after the yblock 54 came around and the coil resistance externally was dropped from 12v to 6v. coil internally also.

The napa IH200 condenser is a general all around decent replacement unit for early fords. Research and fine tune from there.

You could use a diode to get a full 6v on startups if you desire. Do a search. I dont think its needed really. You could also replace your regular solenoid with 6v ford tractor solenoid with a temp full "start" coil charge (like the 54 4 post solenoids). All to my experience not needed.