Ignition coil problem

Hudsonrules

:oWhile looking for the miss in my '49 Hudson super 6, I removed the distributor and checked the points and connections. Installed the distributor, hooked up the coil and no spark to the distributor. To the best of my knowledge, the positve side on the coil goes to the distributor and the negative goes to the ignition switch, am I correct?. The igniton wire is hot when the key is on, but nothing on the distributor side. Think I need a new coil? Thanks in advance. Arnie in Nevada.

PS I want to take this car down to Laughlin Nevada in a couple weeks, so I have to get it running.

[Deleted User]

Hudsonrules wrote:

:oWhile looking for the miss in my '49 Hudson super 6, I removed the distributor and checked the points and connections. Installed the distributor, hooked up the coil and no spark to the distributor. To the best of my knowledge, the positve side on the coil goes to the distributor and the negative goes to the ignition switch, am I correct?. The igniton wire is hot when the key is on, but nothing on the distributor side. Think I need a new coil? Thanks in advance. Arnie in Nevada.

PS I want to take this car down to Laughlin Nevada in a couple weeks, so I have to get it running.

You have that reversed, positive is ground and negative goes to the coil. If no spark at a plug wire, just run a piece of paper between the points. Walt.

Park_W

Arnie, you'll get the indications you describe if the points happen to be closed at the time. Also if they're open and the wire from coil to distributor is grounded, or if the little wire to the points inside the distributor is grounded on the distributor housing or breaker plate. (Thus the points are being essentially bypassed, as if they're closed all the time).



To check for this, disconnect the coil-to-distributor wire at the distributor, and be sure that wire isn't touching anything on the way from the coil. With ignition ON, see if you've got power at the distributor end of the wire. If so, the coil's not the problem. You can confirm with a different test ... bump the starter to a point where the points are definitely open, then turn ignition ON and check for power at the movable point. If no power there, the supply wire to the movable contact is grounded somewhere.

Edwardjohnsr

Walt's response has me confused about how to wire my coil. Because positive is ground I thought the ignition switch feed would be negative and the wire from the switch to the coil would therefore be negative. What am I doing wrong in my thinking?

Ed

Park_W

Ed, you're correct, and that's what Walt was saying too, just in a different way. The feed from the ignition switch goes to the neg terminal on the coil. The wire from the distributor points goes to the positive terminal on the coil.