electrically testing a condenser

[rotorwrench]

Capacity, leakage, and resistance both out of the box and with normal operating temps as was mentioned, are all the test parameters. The meggar test can check resistance but an ohms meter is likely not that sensitive. Most condensers for ignitions are around .15 to .35 Micro Farads depending on coil design. Ford had some different coils with the way they developed the distributors for the V8 engines, These used the higher capacity range where the can coils used the lower end of the range.

A good condenser won't spark much when a person manually opens the breaker points with a connection to the primary and a secondary coil connection to a spark plug on a common ground plane. The engine can idle very slowly with a stable condenser with the spark retarded and can also function well during all road speeds with full advance. This is how most folks tested them with no meters.Now days a person has to purchase two or three to get a decent one.

PS: I got the decimal in the wrong place so I corrected the above micro farad ranges

[tubman]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

... Most condensers for ignitions are around 1.5 to 3.5 Micro Farads depending on coil design. Ford had some different coils with the way they developed the distributors for the V8 engines, These used the higher capacity range where the can coils used the lower end of the range

Are we talking the same thing here? Most current condensers are in the low .20's range (.22-.25 microfarads), while the original Mallory trash cans were rated at .36 microfarads. I have a couple of NOS Mallory "Bus Condensers" (they look like a larger "Trash Can" with a stainless case and a red top) that are rated at .45 microfarads, but that's about the range I've seen.

Here's an interesting chart I found in some old Ford literature. I find the last couple of lines fascinating.