Another Dud Condensor

4

49r

Senior Member
A while back I posted a comment regarding a new condensor (stock distributor) that failed in under 500 miles on my 8BA rebuild. Problem solved by fitting a condensor that I last used in 1976.

Two years ago I fitted a new dual point Mallory distributor. After about 4000 miles the engine began missing at irregular intervals in the cruise and more so when pulling. Not enough to push me to do anything because she would run for 30 minutes or more without hestitation. However, in the last week she became harder to start. Today I replaced the condensor that came with the Mallory (made in USA stamped on it) with a new one and problems solved. No markings on the replacement - hmmm, I wonder how long it will last ...?
 
Pretty common problem today. Some of this i would blame on cheaper off shore parts as everyone is looking for cheaper manufacturing etc it seems.
The other side of the coin is the extreme mismatches in ignition coil designs etc, the impedance ( resistance) and inductance (design) of the coil was matched together for lng life using the orginal ignition systems , but today all bets are off with the aftermarkets offerings of ignition coils.
The flathead falls into the discussion as many are upgrading the ignition to higher energy that simply isnt needed with the low rpm and low compression ratios the flathead has to offer , often adding to the mismatch of parts.....
 
I have 5 V-8s with the current Mallorys. All of the condensers failed within 1,000 miles. The first thing I would do if I purchased another Mallory would be to remove the condenser, throw it as far as I could in any random direction, and put on another condenser from a different supplier.
 
BUBBAS IGNITION said:
Pretty common problem today. Some of this i would blame on cheaper off shore parts as everyone is looking for cheaper manufacturing etc it seems.
The other side of the coin is the extreme mismatches in ignition coil designs etc, the impedance ( resistance) and inductance (design) of the coil was matched together for lng life using the orginal ignition systems , but today all bets are off with the aftermarkets offerings of ignition coils.
The flathead falls into the discussion as many are upgrading the ignition to higher energy that simply isnt needed with the low rpm and low compression ratios the flathead has to offer , often adding to the mismatch of parts.....
Click to expand...


Bubba:

What coil do you recommend with your rebuilds?

Tim
 
Tim Ayers said:
Bubba:

What coil do you recommend with your rebuilds?

Tim
Click to expand...


We use a 1.5 ohm oil filled unit with a 1.5 ohm resistor. The capicator in our distributors tests out at approx .23-.25 mfds on a meter. They seem to have a really long life.
However i do from time to time get a batch of defective condensors , but we test each and every one prior to shipment to customer....
 
BUBBAS IGNITION said:
Pretty common problem today. Some of this i would blame on cheaper off shore parts as everyone is looking for cheaper manufacturing etc it seems.
The other side of the coin is the extreme mismatches in ignition coil designs etc, the impedance ( resistance) and inductance (design) of the coil was matched together for lng life using the orginal ignition systems , but today all bets are off with the aftermarkets offerings of ignition coils.
The flathead falls into the discussion as many are upgrading the ignition to higher energy that simply isnt needed with the low rpm and low compression ratios the flathead has to offer , often adding to the mismatch of parts.....
Click to expand...


I concur about the coil output and the overkill for the flathead. I have done many flathead distributors on the later Ford Heyers stroboscope and tested coils and condensers, and the the high performance coils and aftermarket ignition products are often the cause of troubles, not always solutions. I''ll take an original Ford NOS condenser anyday over the aftermarket junk. I test them as well and there's a 80 percent fail rate on the new condensers to be within spec or work. I can take a NOS or good used original Ford unit and it has about an 80 percent success rate.
Just my experience...
Larry S.
 
defective condensers are a pain! when i did parts back in the early 80's we had GM ones in bulk and the boss gave the customer 2 to save return trip because quality seemed to be low. boss told customer if they discovered bad one and returned it he would give them a NAPA keychain, amazing how many were brought back.
 
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