First time electrical problem

JoeCB

JoeCB

Senior Member
First time ever since I have had this car for 50 years, electrical issue. Last fall at the end of the season... battery went dead. Old battery I figured. Just now installing a new battery, I notice a tiny spark as I connected the last terminal... Uh Oh !
My VOM shows a 4 amp draw. So what on a 31 Coupe draws 4 amps? After diddling around with a bunch of wires, I find an intermittent connection at the push lock ignition switch. With the switch pushed in (off) wiggle the key and occasionally get a sustained "on" connection. So now to pull the whole darn cable/ switch assembly and see what's going on.
Answer to the question what draws 4 amps? ... the coil.

Joe B
 
Good afternoon...Your pop-out system needs some love! You can send it out for a re-build and use a simple two position key switch (on-off) in the meantime...Bratton's and Burts have good ones and Snyders as well, also Sammy at Arizona Model A. I had mine re-built some years ago and never got around to putting it back in the car! Ernie in Arizona
 
The four amps is the current flow through the ignition coil. When you switch the ignition on and the points should happen to be closed the circuit will draw a nominal four amps through the coil. A short in the pop-out cable or at the ignition switch would put a ground on the coil and it would do the same.

I had the pop-out cable for my Grandson's 30 Tudor rebuilt by Dick Crabtree,

He is in Missouri 605-487-7229.

Tom Endy
 
Tom Endy said:
The four amps is the current flow through the ignition coil. When you switch the ignition on and the points should happen to be closed the circuit will draw a nominal four amps through the coil.
Click to expand...

FWIW, w/the engine running the current will be down to about 1 or 1&1/2 amps.
 
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