Many electrical issues can be traced to loose or damaged wiring. Often however, the problem cannot be located through visual inspection, as the damage that is preventing current from traveling through the wire is located inside the wire's insulation. This can be especially problematic for fragile auto ignition wires covered by heavy insulation. For direct current applications, testing the integrity, or continuity, of a wire is a simple procedure that can be accomplished with a standard DC test light.
Remove the ignition coil wire from the ignition coil and distributor cap terminals.
Attach one lead from the test light onto each metal terminal of the wire. If the bulb does not light up, you already know the wire is faulty.
Wiggle the wire, gently, along its length and at both ends. If the light goes off, or blinks, it indicates the wire has a short and needs to be replaced.
