1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Good discussion here.
"An open condenser would make the points wear faster, but shouldn't keep you from getting a spark."
Ummmm, don't count on it. I can't tell you why, but spark quality can be affected by an open condenser.
"On the other hand, a shorted condenser would cause a weak spark"
Agreed, or none, and on that I can tell you why. The condenser is wired in parallel with the points and if it is shorted the switching function of the points is invalidated.
"and might make the coil overheat as well.
Yup.
"So it's certainly worth a look. (While you're looking, you might check the wire lead from the condenser just to make sure the insulation hasn't worn off, letting it short against the distributor body.)
For test purposes, almost any condenser would be better than nothing -- if you could find one for a 1.6-liter Capri/Pinto/Fiesta engine, that would most likely be very close to the value for the Saab one (since the engines are both Ford Cologne and pretty similar.) If changing the condenser fixes the spark problem, then you know where you are. (If it doesn't, you'll need to start looking at such things as coil and plug wires, ignition low-voltage-side wiring, etc.)
Yup, excepting only that any and all condensors with only one exception known to me on an obsolete datsun have the same electrical value which is IRRC 2.2 microfarads, and the only differences are in the way the wire is connected and the physical mounting arrangements. So just go get the most average (cheap) condenser you can find, mount the case to ground, find a way to connect the wire to the + side of the points, and you are done.
"The Pertronix Ignitor is a great gizmo and will end your point and condenser maintenance worries. However, if your ignition problem is something OTHER than the points or condenser, switching to the Pertronix won't solve it. So I would suggest that you NOT try it until you've got the car running well on points -- since the Pertronix is fairly expensive, and you don't want to spend that money unless you're sure it will help."
Yup.
posted by 198.69.251...
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