Coil problem?

Ford1930

Ford1930

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I am still trying to get my 1929 Phaeton to start. I replaced almost all ignition parts: upper- and lowerplate, points, Armored cable, ignitionlock, condensor and coil.
When I measure the Coil I have about 6,3 Volts on either side. Even with the points closed.
What am I doing wrong. Should I replace the Coil with the old Blue Bosch one? The wire on the Passenger side is red on the Driver side is black(ish) The Phaeton is a normal LHD.
 
Did you clean the new points off when you replaced. Sounds like you not getting continuity through the points.
 
There should be 6v at the open point arm
There should be 0v at the arm when points are closed.
As mentioned the points contacts need to be cleaned upon installation.

Place the secondary coil wire next [ 1/4" ] to a good ground.
Turn key on
Open and close points manually [ with finger or something non-magnetic]
Every time points are opened there should be a good spark.
 
Ford1930 said:
I replaced almost all ignition parts: upper- and lowerplate, points, Armored cable, ignitionlock, condensor and coil.
Click to expand...

Did you screw the armored cable snuggly into the distributor base? If so, it may be shorting out. On my car, the armored cable would turn 7 complete revolutions into the distributor, if you snugged it all the way into the distributor. 3 complete revolutions into the distributor should be enough. At least, it was enough for my car.


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With 6v on both sides of the coil when points are closed, the issue is not the coil.

The issue has to be

(a) the points aren't really closed;
(b) the wire between the upper and lower plates is bad, or if you have the wireless upper and lower plates, it might not be making contact;
(c) the ignition switch is not wired right or is not functioning;
(d) the connection between the ignition switch and the distributor via the armored cable is not making contact inside the distributor.
 
I had new points...had to bend the arm to make them actually close. Couldn't see it with eye but test light showed they never closed.
 
Mike V Florida has posted this and I think it's wonderful:

This is my generic no spark troubleshooting list,

No Spark
Some possibilities are:
1.Blown or defective fuse (use of a fuse is an aftermarket item)
2.Bad connections at ammeter, or ammeter itself (t0 find out put a jumper wire from one post of the terminal box to the other to take the ammeter out of the circuit temporarily)
3.Bad ignition switch and/or cable, or loose cable connection at the switch.
4.Loose or broken wires at bottom of coil
5.Loose or broken wires inside terminal box
6.Loose, bare or broken pigtail wire under distributor plate, or wire grounding to plate or distributor body
7.Points not opening, or point arm grounding to cam due to worn rubbing block
8.Worn electrode in underside of distributor cap
9.Loose or broken high tension wire from coil to cap
10.Condenser burned out or grounding (some condensers are too long and can touch the distributor body inside)
11.Weak coil
12.Rotor not turning due to loose cam screw or bad timing gear.


Ok now break out a volt meter (a light bulb can give false readings).
Start at the fuse block, you should have voltage on both sides of the fuse. If you only have voltage on one side, replace the fuse or fuse block.

Now with voltage on both sides of the fuse, move up to the junction box. There should be voltage at both terminals. If voltage is present only on one side the problem is at the ampmeter and you should Jumper the ampmeter for now.
You should have voltage on both sides of the coil. If not,
remove the red wire on the coil and check again. If you now have voltage on both sides, you have a problem further on. If the voltage is still only in one side you have a bad coil.

Open the points with a piece of paper and remove the condenser. Turn the key on and you should have voltage at the points.
Replace the condenser and you should still have voltage.

If the voltage is missing, remove the top plate and check for voltage on the bottom plate.

Check if the connector from the ignition switch screwed in too far? Do you have voltage on the wire to the upper plate?

Is this wire shorting to ground or broken?

Remove the paper from the points and see that the points are closed. You should not have 0 volts at the points. If you do, the points are dirty or the distributor is not grounded well to the engine.
 
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Default Re: no spark
This is my generic no spark troubleshooting list,

No Spark
Some possibilities are:
1.Blown or defective fuse (use of a fuse is an aftermarket item)
2.Bad connections at ammeter, or ammeter itself (t0 find out put a jumper wire from one post of the terminal box to the other to take the ammeter out of the circuit temporarily)
3.Bad ignition switch and/or cable, or loose cable connection at the switch.
4.Loose or broken wires at bottom of coil
5.Loose or broken wires inside terminal box
6.Loose, bare or broken pigtail wire under distributor plate, or wire grounding to plate or distributor body
7.Points not opening, or point arm grounding to cam due to worn rubbing block
8.Worn electrode in underside of distributor cap
9.Loose or broken high tension wire from coil to cap
10.Condenser burned out or grounding (some condensers are too long and can touch the distributor body inside)
11.Weak coil
12.Rotor not turning due to loose cam screw or bad timing gear.


Ok now break out a volt meter (a light bulb can give false readings).
Start at the fuse block, you should have voltage on both sides of the fuse. If you only have voltage on one side, replace the fuse or fuse block.

Now with voltage on both sides of the fuse, move up to the junction box. There should be voltage at both terminals. If voltage is present only on one side the problem is at the ampmeter and you should Jumper the ampmeter for now.
You should have voltage on both sides of the coil. If not,
remove the red wire on the coil and check again. If you now have voltage on both sides, you have a problem further on. If the voltage is still only in one side you have a bad coil.

Open the points with a piece of paper and remove the condenser. Turn the key on and you should have voltage at the points.
Replace the condenser and you should still have voltage.

If the voltage is missing, remove the top plate and check for voltage on the bottom plate.

Check if the connector from the ignition switch screwed in too far? Do you have voltage on the wire to the upper plate?

Is this wire shorting to ground or broken?

Remove the paper from the points and see that the points are closed. You should not have 0 volts at the points. If you do, the points are dirty or the distributor is not grounded well to the engine.


__________________
 
do not buy new after market coil from A suppliers ,they are junk ! find old one out the 50's if you want a good spark at all speeds.
 
I agree !!! If a person has to use an oil filled coil It would be best to mount the coil so that the wire connections are at the top . The original was a solid tar filled coil and the inner coils were always covered . If an oil filled coil is mounted in the original model A manner , the upper internal coils may not be covered completely and can run hotter and not last as long as a solid coil . I use either an original tar filled or an epoxy filled coil in our model A's and have never had a problem with them .
 
Hi Model A Friends!

Thank You all for the help. Yesterday my 1929 Phaeton started finaly. The problem was not the Coil. It was a mix of bad timing and incorrect connected wires to the AM meter. The engine was resting for quite some time I think 10 years +, but as soon as I got a spark it fired up and runs smooth. I am a lucky guy with your help my Internet Auction bought 35A turns out to be a very good Model A.
Thanks again!
 
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