COIL problems

[oldpan]

Does anyone know of a source for a "CORRECT" coil for my 1949 PANHEAD...I beleive mine is dead....also..an easy test for this coil?...thanks.. oldpan

[Robert Luland]

OldPan. The coil thing is easy at least on the layman level. The coil is feed 6 or 12 volt according which ever you have. The other side goes to the distributor. Every time the points make and grounds and triggers the coil. Make shore you got power coming from the switch to the coil. Do a continuity check on both wires. Next pull a plug wire and stick a new plug in it and ground it. Now you can just pop the points or run a ground off the coil. If the plug fires its not a 100% guaranty that the coils good. It’s not under total load but this will eliminate broken wire etc. Hope this helps, Bob

[schmittm]

oldpan,

If you have a stock system then you should have a "dual fire" or 'wasted spark" ignition. This means that every time the points open both plugs will fire.

Checking is easy, you don't even have to pull the plugs. Pull the cover off the circuit breaker (timer, distributer, whatever you call it), bump the kicker pedal until the points are closed. Pull the plug wires off the plugs, plug one of the wires into a new plug and lay it on the head or somewhere where its grounded. Turn on the ignition and flick the points open, either catch the contact end with your fingnail and pull it open or push the other end of the point arm. Either way, every time you open the points the plug should fire. You can test both plug wires this way.

If you don't get any spark you can put a voltmeter on the switch terminal at the coil to make sure that you have battery voltage at the coil when you turn the ignition switch on. The terminals on the coil are not fussy, one connects to the ignition switch and should have full battery voltage when the switch is on, the other terminal connects to the circuit breaker (timer, distributor) and is grounded when the points are closed.

good luck!

mike