QuestionHi, I have a 55 New yorker that is all original 6 volt. It turns over fine but no spark to the points or plugs.Pulled coil wire to check for spark and nothing. I have done the usual procedure of new coil (6 volts) new cap, rotor, plugs wires. The dual points open and close well and I checked, filed and adjusted the gap.The battery is brand new 6 volt and it is hooked up positive ground. The engine was not running when I purchased it but it seems to have good compression and fuel pressure which has nothing to do with the spark problem but this is why I believe it will run once I get spark. The new coil seems to be getting warm even though the enigne won't spark or start. Maybe just from me turning it over to try and start?Their is a condensor on the side of the coil, should that be wired to the positve or negative of the coil? I suspect there simply is a wire hooked up wrong somewhere. Maybe the ignition switch which was changed prior to my purchase. All lights etc seem to work. I have a Chrysler manual and it tells what colors go where but these old cloth type wires have lost their color making it hard to check with out tracing down every single one. Does the engine need to be grounded to the frame with 6 volt positive ground? Any help, suggestions or ideas what to check will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!!
AnswerTo avoid getting lost in all the wiring issues, disconnect ALL wires from the (-) terminal of the coil, then connect a separate "test" wire directly from the hot (negative, on your car) to the (-) terminal of the coil, and make sure the (+) terminal on the coil is the one that is connected to the side of the distributor, and crank the engine for a spark test now. You have now eliminated any possible wiring errors, ignition switch problems, ballast resistor problems and the like.
If you STILL get no spark from the coil, loosen the test wire at the coil end, and tap the wire on the coil (-) post momentarily (it's only 6 volts, you can't get a shock), but you should see a spark at the end of the wire when you do this.
Two possible results can occur here: If you DO see the spark at the end of the test wire, the points are either closed (which may be OK) or shorted (which ain't!). On the other hand, if you do NOT see a spark at the end of the test wire, the points are either open (which also may be OK) or the distributor ground is not making contact (which ain't either !)
Now we have to sort this out: If you see the spark at the end of the wire in the above test, next remove the distributor cap and watch the points while you bump the engine over a bit at a time until you get to a place where both sets of points are open (or stick a piece of paper between each set of points.)
Now we KNOW the points are not what is shorting the (+) terminal of the coil to ground. Repeat the wire tapping test, if you still get a spark from the test wire when you tap it on the coil (-) terminal, we know there is a short inside the distributor.
If you get to this conclusion, you'll have to do some detective work here. Inspect the wire that connects the side terminal on the distributor, through the side wall of the distributor, and to the points connections. Make sure that wire is not frayed, or touching anything metal. If there is any suspicion, disconnect it and see if the short (the spark in the above test) disappears. It is also possible that the condenser INSIDE the distributor has failed, and is causing the short.
Back to the first test: If you did NOT see any spark when you tapped the test wire on the coil (-) terminal, take the distributor cap off and watch the points while you bump the engine over a bit at a time. Stop when you can see that at least one set of points is in the closed (making contact) position. Now try the first test again - see if the wire makes a spark at contact on the coil (-) terminal. If it does, the points are OK, and the grounding is OK, so you can relax about the engine ground.
This is a bit off the subject, but the grounding wire from the engine to the body is there to give better grounding to the body - the battery (+) should be connected directly to the engine block or head, and because the starter cranks OK, we know that connection is good. The wire to the body is a good thing, but it does not affect the problem we are hunting down here.
If the points are shown to be opening and closing electrically, as we determined above, the only remaining possible causes of no spark are a bad condenser (the one inside the distributor, I mean) or a bad coil, and I know that is new (you did get one for a positive ground, 6 volt car, right?).
If all checks out OK and still the car won't start, beg, borrow or steal a point dwell meter and verify that the points are set right - it should read around 32 degrees, +/- 2 degrees.
One other problem that happens when cars sit for a while without running is that the points get a coating of insulating oxide on the contact surfaces - I doubt very much that you have this problem, because the coil getting warm proves that there was current flowing through it.
I will stop typing now, and let you go through the various tests above, and I'll wait for you to post a "follow up" question to me with the results. If the car is going to run, it will start and run just fine with the test wire setup (you have "hotwired" the car), but to turn it off, you need to disconnect the wire from the battery to the coil. Also, be careful, because with this test setup, the car will start in any gear - make sure it is not in gear and that the parking brake is set firmly, or block the wheels.
You have a superb car there - with one of the best and most reliable engine/transmission systems ever built - it is worth any effort you put into it to get it running right!
Dick
