No Spark! Help!....Vintage Ignition Systems With Points. Part 1 

Glad you enjoyed it!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the positive feeback.

Great to hear. I’m so it glad helped you. For this was the video’s main purpose.

Thank you!

Glad to hear.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear you got it sorted out.

Not heard that comment before. Lol.

Thanks. Easy to remember that!

Thanks. The coil theory and spark gap etc, also 100% applies to a car with a Pentronix. Only difference is how primary coil collapses. No points, breakerless with the pentronix. I’ve never owned a Pentronix. How is the dwell set?

@@keithsgarage5831 prity good vid except the condenser slows down the rate of change in primary voltage to allow the coil to work better. when the points close power is being wasted but also the condenser is drained, ready to start over.The coil cant work on DC. this is a lot to take in, good luck.Tom Higgins

Thanks Tom. I have much to learn about electricity. There indeed is much to take in.

You should buy a cheap digital multimeter. Learn how to use it and diagnose things. Its super easy.

@@keithsgarage5831 thanks keith,you are awesome!

@@jewishpatriot.1754 Thanks man. A new video is in the works siting stage. Should be up next week.

A vacuum pump to suck the diaphragm open. Test linkage. Is it moving? Mighty-Vac works well. Or timing light on. Rev engine a little. Is timing advancing?

My AM radio still works fine without it. The shield has been removed. The 6V signal from the ignition switch to the coil transfers the same 6V (low volt low amps) found the rest of the non-shielded wires up behind the dash. The shield was there for anti-theft is my understanding. The voltage wire from the coil to the distributor cap is heavily shielded. It is in the engine compartment. It potentially could potentially cause radio interference. However does not either. My AM tube radio works just fine.

@@keithsgarage5831 it's do to the wire is attached to the coil witch creates a high tension radio signal. Same as the early Corvettes had a shield around the distributor for that issue. Old point systems can effect people with pacemakers for the same reason.

The breaker plate rotates both directions to automatically adjust spark timing based on engine load and speed. Spark timing is adjusted by 2 different ways. One by inertia weights and springs that expand and advance the timing at higher engine RPM. Two by engine vacuum that is hooked up to the distributor vacuum pot. The vacuum pot has a spring inside it as well that hold the breaker plate in place .As vacuum is increased it overcomes the spring and rotates the breaker plate.

@@keithsgarage5831 Great! That explains what happens when you rotate the distributor body when adjusting ignition timing according to the timing marks on the flywheel. Many thanks.

Same problem idk

Do you still need help?

The primary wire going into or out of the coil maybe frayed. Possibly having exposed internal wires touching ground.

@@keithsgarage5831 ok thanks for the reply

if capasitor is bad it-- could give a false gd turn switch off to remove voltage till you find the false gd disc condenser lead from screw------- condenser will read open if good set ohms on high scale should still read open ( no reading) if it ok any reading is bad toss it #s will flash and fall back -normal if #s stay its badturn switch on see if gd is gone cond, disc. if you still havea prob. the coil may be bad i have repaced a few coils made in mexico they used too small wire want last long

@@frankdavidson9675 ok thanks I will see what I can figure out

Are you working on a positive ground system? The spark from the centre of the coil has to pass into the distributor cap. Good firm connection there? Good known wire from coil to distributor cap? Carbon piece present up inside the centre of distributor cap? Good clean rotor in place? All 6 plug wire contacts inside cap clean? Any carbon tracking inside cap? Good spark plug wires? What is your spark plug gap? Good clean spark plugs? Is you engine properly grounded so high voltage can jump gap at plug and return other side of battery post? Tight. Clean ground connections at engine block? What is your battery voltage?

@@keithsgarage5831 73 jeep commando, 304 V8 neg ground . I am not getting anything out of the coil tower. nada. test light confirms engine block, coil housing all well grounded. I was driving the jeep went to town, stopped at parts place, stopped again then nothing, turns over, but no spark, was then i changed out those 3 components, even tried a hot wire from the battery to the coil, still no spark from the coil

th distributor was recently rebuilt, the components were basically all new when the jeep failed to start. I just installed the coil, new a week ago. after changing all those parts one at a time plus buying tools I didn't have I gave up after a few hours and called a rollback.

A circuit is a circle. The spark plug will fire if electricity can find a quick way back to the battery. Is the cylinder head and block connected to ground? (the path back to the battery)

@@keithsgarage5831 yes. We have even tried putting it in other locations and without the plug, but still no spark. I'm just lost as to what to do next.. other than grabbing parts from other projects and hope they are the right size

Its a pull start generator, but my meter says there is an electric current going from the block to the spark plug wire

It just woke up and decided to work this morning for some reason

Blue just means higher voltage. Hotter, stronger spark. Depending on how your ignition system was designed, and well well maintained, will dictate spark colour. Over time as engine compression numbers increased, system voltages also did.

No not a CZ motor 😮 😂😂😂