Coil to Condensor?

[Bidz]

Should my coil be connected to my condensor? It's been done crudely in the past by the looks of it - one wire coming off the coil goes into the dizzy and is soldered to the condensor terminal.

I have a new condensor, should I just fit it and ignore the lead to the coil?

I have an alternator conversion, if that makes any difference.

[Bidz]

Update: -ve side of the coil was connected to the condensor.

[bmcecosse]

Sounds crazy to me.....there should be ONE wire from the coil -ve terminal to the dizzy....that's ALL!

[katy]

INSIDE the distributor there should be a wire from the (outside) terminal to the points and another wire from there to the condensor. IF the wire from the condensor goes to the (outside) terminal instead of to the points, that's OK too.

[alexmcguffie]

As katy says, 2 wires are joined on the terminal post inside the distributor but only one wire comes from the coil. As in the photo below, black wire from the condensor, white from the coil.[frame][/frame]

[MarkyB]

Are you sure it isn't there to suppress radio interference?

[alexmcguffie]

The condenser is there to stop back EMF from the coil reaching the battery or alternator diodes if fitted. It effectively acts as a sponge to protect other components from damage!

[bmcecosse]

Aye - but an external capacitor may have been fitted as a suppressor......

[Bidz]

Sorted now. The Low Tension circuitry was missing, the wire from the coil went straight into the dizzy and had been soldered to the terminal on the condensor wire.

I bought a new low tension thingy at the National, and wired it all back up correctly. Thank you.

[bmcecosse]

Well done !

[Bidz]

Well done !

Aha, thanks BMC. As someone said on Saturday, I'm still working from one end of the car to the other, trying to work out what's wrong with it - or how it's been 'fixed' in the past.