Yes, the coils I have used and tested are for a points system. One is the original coil from 1972 and somehow still runs correctly (I checked both the internal windings and external windings and got the correct numbers). The other coil is a new one from the local Napa

 

[QUOTE=1TonBasecamp;21135589]Instead of switching the switch, did you test the old one? Adding a new anything, might, and can, add another faulty part to mess up your testing.
Did you test for voltage at the normal, expected places? You can test the coil at the positive side, or the Brown wire on the "I" terminal of the starter relay/solenoid for output power from the key.

-I didn't test the old one because the main reason I changed it was to see if there were any loose wires or corroded connections. Plus it was the original one from 1972 so I figured it would be worth a shot. I tested the "I" terminal and got the correct power there.

Sounds legit so far.


I've never used voltage on the negative side of the coil for any reference. Never needed to, and didn't see any reason to. But I have checked voltage numbers on the positive side, where the ignition power comes in when the key is turned to the ON/RUN position.
However, your rising voltage is interesting, and may be indicative of the coil failing or overheating. When you are doing this, is the coil getting hot?
You might be able to tell other things from measuring from the negative side, but if so, I don't know what that might be.

-When I switched from the original coil to the new one it was definitely getting hot, too hot to hold. I haven't been able to idle it with the original coil long enough for it to get that hot but it does get warm. It's also mounted to the top of the manifold so I imagine some heat is expected but not for it to get too hot to touch. The reason I thought to measure from the negative side was to see if the coil was failing and not giving me the correct output. I had checked it from the positive side before and with the key in the crank position it gave me full battery voltage (12.54 volts) and at the on position it also gave 12.54 volts which is why I assumed the resistor wire was not doing its job.

And speaking of the coil getting hot, how long are you leaving the key in the ON position? Not long I hope!
Coils, points and condensers absolutely hate to have power run to them with the engine not running. So hopefully you're either running the engine all the time (until it dies of course) or just turning the key on for a couple of minutes at a time or less.

-If its not running the key is only in the only position long enough for me to go around to the front of the truck and check the multimeter reading so about 10 seconds or so.

If this is a points style distributor, then the negative is triggered by the points in the distributor. If it's a Pertronix conversion, then it might have been connected via the Red wire to the positive side of the coil.
This is not correct on Fords, but is done that way probably more often than not.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. When it works though, it doesn't always stay that way.

Is the Pertonix conversion worth it? I like keeping it stock and original but if I keep have issues with points and condensers and coils then maybe it would just be easier and cheaper to convert it.

For the positive side, you should read about 12v initially (like you were before at that 12.45v reading), but it should go down when the engine is running to anywhere from 6v to 9v or so. When the key is ON but the engine not running, it might act differently depending on what position the points are in. As mentioned by Crop Duster, too low a voltage reading would indicate a failed (too much resistance) resistor wire. But I think 4.5v is too low for efficiency anyway. And way too low to run any kind of electronic ignition.

-Yeah when the key is on the on position and the truck is still getting 12v. There is no difference in power to the positive side of the coil whether the key is trying to turn the starter or just idle the engine.

But getting hot is part of it's job. It's just the life it leads. Resistance is heat, and heat is resistance. The wire gets hot enough that originally they were wrapped in a heat sleeve to protect the wires around it. In some cases, the wrapped resistor wire was even run separately, outside of the rest of the harness. To let it breathe/cool, and to keep other wires from being compromised due to the heat.
I've never made much time to test it, but I imagine they get too hot to touch comfortably at some point. Shouldn't burn you I would not think, but it might!

​​​​It wasn't hot to the point of burning me but warmer than it had been the last time. Ever since I noticed that wire had been getting warm (at the time didnt realize it was normal) I noticed that it only got warm sometimes but not everytime I drove the truck

 

Yeah the engine never gets to 6k rpm. Yes it was a remanf. cardon from the local napa. it ran fine and correctly before this issue but I know that doesn't entirely rule it out. I dont have the old dizzy, the plate was catching on something preventing it from moving properly so it would badly affect the timing by 30 degrees or more. Took it back for the core charge.

There should be any timing chain play as I just replaced the timing chain maybe 300 miles ago.

 

I doubt the dwell meter is bad or misleading. Its a Mac brand one that had all the bells and whistles where you can shut down cylinders and all that fancy stuff

 

Any reason you’re doing all this instead of switching to something like an ignitor2 or similar?

 

I would try another meter if I could just to rule it out but my gut tells me it is a bad distributor.
Dave ----

 

Fluctuating dwell is an indication of a worn distributor shaft, bad bushings, or both. The shaft is in there wobbling around and the point gap changes with it.

 

The distributor being the issue makes sense. How likely is a remaned dizzy with only 200 miles on it likey to have gone bad or be bad? How do I know for sure if the dizzy is good or bad?

 

How do you know if the reman'er installed a new shaft or put in new bushings? Pop the cap and rotor out of the way and see if there's any play in the shaft.

 

There is no play in it.

If I put a pertonix kit in it does it still have a dwell? I don't want to add more components when trying to problem solve especially when it might be distributor related.

 

Electronic ignition doesn't have a dwell angle as there are no points to open and close. If the shaft is tight, a Pertronix kit may help your problem. Another thing that could be bad, if they didn't reman it correctly, is the lobes on the shaft that open and close the points may not be even. If the points aren't opening the same for all cylinders, you'll get a fluctuating dwell. https://www.howacarworks.com/ignitio...he-dwell-angle

The Pertronix kit has a ring that fits over the lobes and a pickup module that replaces the points. Once you set the air gap between the two, the rest should be foolproof.

 

So a Pertronix kit should fix the problem theoretically? I just dont want to spend the money on a pertronix kit and still have a distributor issue that I have to figure out and chase. I'd like to figure out what the issue is so that I have the choice between pertronix or points and condenser and that way I could be sure either ignition style would work.

When you say check the dizzy shaft do you mean with it in the engine or to take it out and try it that way? Is there any way I can tell if the lobes are incorrect? Any other things I should look for or try with the dizzy before throwing in the towel with the point and condenser system?

 

You'd need a dial indicator to check for radial play (wobbliness) in the shaft, even a couple thousands could affect dwell, and to measure the height of the shaft lobes to make sure they're even.

I'm not saying a Pertronix will solve your problem without knowing what the problem is, but it will take many factors out of the equation.

 

With today's parts and more so with remanf. parts more and more are bad out of the box.
Where you got the dist. from is there an older person, 60 or older, behind the counter?
If so they should know how a points dist. works and dwell and know the issue you are having is from the dist. and nothing else.
At that point they should replace it for another and hope it is better than the one you have.

If you can go for new and not remanf.
I dont know if HEI is an option on a 360 room wise but that is how I think I would go.
Or "ready to run" electronic and ditch the points dist.
Dave ----

 

I took out the distributor and inspected it for anything that looked off or weird. I took it apart and made sure that the plate was moving freely and it was. It still looks like a new distributor inside and out with no signs of any ware or contract of anything but I understand that doesn't entirely rule it out.