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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1935 Ford - coil or points problem

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1935 Ford - coil or points problem -- page: 1 2     WoodieFan 06-03-2019 @ 8:20 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 11 Joined: Jun 2016 Took car off blocks and cleaned and started it couple days ago, let it warm up for a few minutes, and then it just "died". It appears a problem with coil or points, as there is 6 volts to the coil contact terminal, however, when I turn on the ignition switch, there is no drop across the amp meter. Usually turning on the ignition switch will show a current drop across the coil with points closed. There is no high voltage output either. I think if the problem were the points, since there are two side, at least one side would show output, but no high voltage. I removed the coil and did not see anything unusual in the distributor, put back together, and no difference. Would a bad capacitor cause the HV to stop suddenly, or does this sound like a coil failure. Thanks in advance. TomO 06-03-2019 @ 8:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 Try cleaning the points. Both sets of points must be closed to complete the circuit. Tom fenbach 06-03-2019 @ 9:04 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 235 Joined: Dec 2009 you won't get a spark [HV] if the capacitor is shorted. that's unlikely, but you can test it with a ohmmeter. the meter will read zer0 or something small if the cap is shorted. infinity otherwise. another test is to remove the capacitor and see if you get any HV. the car won't run well, but you will see a weak spark. i'd rephrase tom's comment. the circuit is complete if just one set of points is closed. in other words, you will see a current drop. but you won't get a spark unless both points are open [briefly] at the same time. my guess is that the point gaps need to be checked. you can check to see if the coil is open. not conducting, that is. to test the low voltage side, disconnect the wire from the ignition switch and again use an ohmmeter, with one lead connected to the terminal on the coil and the other to the pigtail. the coil is open or bad if the reading is infinite. it's conducting and probably good if the reading is less than an ohm. to test the high voltage side, connect the ohmmeter to the pigtail and to the brush. the reading should be 5 or 6000 ohms. again, infinite resistance means an open, defective coil. TomO 06-04-2019 @ 7:14 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 Fenbach, thanks for correcting my comment. I should know better. Tom supereal 06-04-2019 @ 11:12 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I have seen that problem when a well meaning owner tried to clean the points with sandpaper or emery cloth. Burishing points should only be done using a point file made for the purpose. Remember that one set of points "makes" the circuit, and the other "breaks" it. This is designed to extend the amount of "dwell", or time the coil is receiving power, to enhance the spark. Vehicles that have sat for long periods generally form oxide on the point surface that interferes with the transfer of power. WoodieFan 06-04-2019 @ 11:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 11 Joined: Jun 2016 Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will check the coil and capacitor and then look at the points. Does the distributor have to come out to check / file the points? ken ct. 06-04-2019 @ 11:41 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1513 Joined: Jan 2010 Your right on that one. ken ct TomO 06-05-2019 @ 6:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 Before you file the points, try cleaning them with a piece of cardboard saturated with electronic cleaner. If you file the contacts, you will have to adjust the alignment and spacing. You can do a quick check on the points by removing the coil, connect your ohmmeter between the coil contact button on the points and ground. Block one set of points and tap the starter until the other set closes. You should have zero ohms. Block that set of points and repeat the test on the other set of points. You can clean the points with the distributor on the car using the electronic cleaner. It is difficult to reach them, but possible. You cannot clean them with a point file without removing the distributor from the car and disassembling it. Tom WoodieFan 06-05-2019 @ 3:13 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 11 Joined: Jun 2016 I checked the "dome-top" coil, which was a rebuilt bought about 10 years ago. Both the low voltage and the high voltage circuits are Infinity, so it appears the coil is bad. The rebuilt coil listed at Mac's has been discontinued. I will check other suppliers and Ebay. Anyone have a preferred supplier for the original style Ford coil? thank you. carcrazy 06-05-2019 @ 4:40 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1979 Joined: Oct 2009 For the old Fords which have the original coil mounted on the top of the distributor, I recommend using a coil adapter and a remote mounted conventional type of cylindrical coil. The adapter kits are available from multiple sources, MAC's is one of them. For a 6 Volt coil, I like to use one made by Bosch for the 1966 or older 6V VW Beetles. They are available locally from most auto parts stores. These coils don't require an external resistor like the original Fords do so just run the coil wire directly from the ignition switch. My cars are drivers which have to be dependable for long trips. For trips of any length, I carry the following parts on board: spare coil, condenser, rotor, distributor caps, complete ready to install distributor (for 1948 and older Fords), fuel pump, and spark plugs.

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