yet another won't start

[TulsaSpider]

My little test light crapped out on me. I was using a drop light that you hook up to a battery. It glowed normally on the pos side and barely glowed on the neg with the brown wire off. I went and bought a new test light. I just went down and compared with the brown wire off the neg side was just about as bright as the positive side. I took it for a spin and it did actually seem to run a little stronger to me. So seems like the coil is ok right?
What a craptastic day!
Thanks as always for the guidance!

[rlux4]

So, was it a bad condesor Clark? Or did it just not like running with the wires backwards on the coil?
Ron

[TulsaSpider]

I don't really know.?? The coil had been backwards since I had it. I am going to change out the coil and condenser anyway.
I didn't really do anything other than fix the polarity of the coil and removed the condenser for diagnostic purposes.
Is there a reccomended coil?

[majicwrench]

No point in changing the coil but that is your choice. You never did say, but I assume, you hooked the condensor back up inside the dist, is that correct?? Sure would be fun to know just what fixed the car.
Keith

[TulsaSpider]

So if it works it works huh?? Is it one of those parts where if it fuctions it functions? I don't know what the deal was. I wasn't getting any power to the neg side, then I was. Maybe it was the Condenser? (They are on the outside) Believe me I would like to know. I am trying to get all the bugs out before my first winter!!
I am curious why don't I just hook up the dizzy straight from the Neg side? the less connections the better right?? That would eliminate 3 connectors.
Thanks to all!

[majicwrench]

With everything connected, it is not unusual to not have voltage on the (-) or coil side of the dist. Actually, you do have power there, it is just flowing to ground thru the dist, so when you check volt you see nothing there. This is what is supposed to happen when the points are closed. Then when they open, ZAP goes the plug as the electrical field collapses inside the coil. My bet,something was grounding the neg side of coil all the time, thus it alwasy looked like there was no power on neg side.
I don't understand you last statement about the 3 connectors. My 72 has one wire, one connection going to dist. Yes, less connections the better. All you need is a wire running from the coil (-) to the dist points.
Ah, the mysteries of life...
Keith

[TulsaSpider]

Keith,
On my 78 it has or had dual points, ( I converted it to single) The brown wire from the neg side goes into the passenger compartment into a relay where I have the relay jumped, then back into the engine compartment to the dizzy.
Thanks for all the help!!
Clark