Dist. Primary Wire to negative post on coil??
#1
11-02-2013, 01:24 PM
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Dist. Primary Wire to negative post on coil??
I bought and installed a new coil on my 48 F3 (239 V8) and I wasn't sure which wire to connect to which post...I have the distributor primary wire attached to the negative post on the coil and the wire to the solenoid on the positive post. I tried starting the truck but it won't start now...and it was running with the old coil a few days ago. I was wondering if this is the correct way to connect the coil and if so how can I test it to see if the new coil is bad. I checked for spark at the plug and it has none...and the points aren't really sparking either...any advice would be appreciated. Jeff K
#2
11-02-2013, 01:40 PM
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The wire from the distributor to the coil goes on the negative side of the coil, the positive side of the coil gets power from the ignition switch. When the points are open, the coil is basicaly absorbing electricity, it is nothing more than a capasitor. Once the points close and completes the circuit to ground, the electro magnetic field that builds up when the points were open, collapses and the stored energy travels out the coil wire in the form of a high voltage spark.
If you don't already know point gap is important, the points need to be clean. They used to make very small files for the purpose of filing the point contact surfaces flat, when they are flat the points work much better. Most single point systems used around .017 point gap, dual points used more like .013 or .014 gap. The larger the gap, the more coil saturation time.
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If you don't already know point gap is important, the points need to be clean. They used to make very small files for the purpose of filing the point contact surfaces flat, when they are flat the points work much better. Most single point systems used around .017 point gap, dual points used more like .013 or .014 gap. The larger the gap, the more coil saturation time.
#4
11-02-2013, 02:21 PM
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Just took for granted that it was converted to neg ground. If the the truck is positive ground the ignition coil should be hooked up reverse of negative ground cars. The positive pole goes to the distributor and the negative goes to the ignition wire from the switch. The coil will work both ways ...but it will work better wired properly.
#5
11-02-2013, 02:34 PM
Fleet Owner
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11-02-2013, 04:10 PM
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#8
11-02-2013, 04:23 PM
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#10
11-03-2013, 01:21 AM
More Turbo
Jeff, you really need to invest, and use, an el cheapo digital voltmeter (I prefer analog, but I am a fossil). If you have voltage (approximately 6 volts) at the wire from the ignition switch to the coil, the problem is somewhere within the coil, distributor, or the wiring connecting them.
#11
11-03-2013, 04:21 AM
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J.D. I've got a regular analog voltmeter I'll try checking the wires today to see if I can isolate the problem...still not completely clear if I have the coil hooked up correctly...the old coil had one of the posts marked Dist so it was pretty simple...the new one just has pos (+) and neg (-). My truck has the ground cable to the positive terminal on the battery, so which post does the primary wire from the Dist. go to on the coil? Jeff
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11-03-2013, 04:45 AM
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