Distributor smoking

[Scott Owens]

What have I done wrong? I checked the bottom plate for continuity, none. Installe the bottom plate. Installed the spring, installed the top plate, adjusted the points, installed the condensor, both screws. Screwed in the ignition cable just a couple of threads. Hooked up the hot wire and wired the coil to the battery for a maiden start on the new engine. Distributor smoking and caught fire. What?????

 

[Bob C]

It should look something like this.
What hot wire and what did you hook it to.

Bob

 

[Scott Owens]

It should look something like this.
What hot wire and what did you hook it to.

Bob

This is an "engine only" install. No cab or firewall yet, so no junction box. I hooked a jumper to the ignition wire on the battery -. A jumper from + on the coil to the battery -, and a jumper from the - on the coil to the battery +. Neg ground to the crossmember on frame
.

 

[RonC]

The coil ground or plus goes to the ignition wire that goes into the distributor. The points connect and disconnect that circuit to ground. The coil hot or negative goes directly to the hot or negative battery post. The ground or plus battery post is connected to the engine block either directly or through the frame.

The coil has hot on one post and ground on the other post. The distributor connects and disconnects the the ground circuit and that makes the coil jump.

 

[Bob C]

The wire coming from the distributor should go to the coil +, the coil - should
go the the battery - that's all (except for a switch or disconnect).
So you are running negative ground instead of positive as original?
Bob

 

[Scott Owens]

The wire coming from the distributor should go to the coil +, the coil - should
go the the battery - that's all (except for a switch or disconnect).
So you are running negative ground instead of positive as original?
Bob

No, positive ground to the crossmember at the battery.

 

[Bob C]

This is an "engine only" install. No cab or firewall yet, so no junction box. I hooked a jumper to the ignition wire on the battery -. A jumper from + on the coil to the battery -, and a jumper from the - on the coil to the battery +. Neg ground to the crossmember on frame
.

I saw this so I assumed negative ground.

Bob

 

[Scott Owens]

That explains it. It's been a few years since I wired up to test an engine. Thank you for your help!!!