Thread: Bad coils?
View Single Post
  #3  
Old 29-05-22, 18:24
rob love rob love is offline
carrier mech
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Shilo MB, the armpit of Canada
Posts: 7,521
Default

Pull off a wire at the plug and hold the wire near to the engine....maybe a 1/4" or less. Have someone crank the engine. Is there spark?



Take the cap off the coil to reveal the high voltage terminal of the coil. Pull a plug wire off the engine or use a spare one you have around. Place the wire so it touches the high voltage point as well as near to the block and have someone crank the engine with the ignition on. Is there a spark jump, and is it reasonably strong?


If you do not have a spark, then disconnect the negative terminal of the coil (the wire that heads for the points and condenser), and put a wire from a ground and flash the negative terminal of the coil. When I say flash I mean you literally swipe the terminal quickly. Is there a spark now? If so, then as Chris mentions, it will likely be a condenser. Note there are two condensers involved with that distributor. There is the usual one on the points pate, and there is also a hidden one where the power comes in to the distributor. They can be tested with a meter, and are cheap.



The new coils are a little problematic. One common failure I have seen with them is if you forget to turn the ignition off, the heat of the coil will melt the solder or burn one of the little wires inside the coil.



If you do have decent spark, there are other problems you may have.

You also may have bad fuel, faulty or fouled plugs, or a cracked distributor cap. Try to toss a bit of fuel into the carb opening and see if the truck starts for a second. It may be a stuck needle valve or faulty float.



Simply put, check for spark at the end of a wire first. If you have good spark, then fuel will be your likely problem (or plugs or wires but that is less likely) If you do not have spark, then you have to diagnose your distributor.


A dead engine can also be due to the timing gears. One of them is phonelic,and could theoretically brake. But in having worked with Jeeps for 40 years, I only ever saw that once, back in the mid 80s. The obvious sign of that is that the distributor rotor won't turn as you crank the engine.
Reply With Quote