The Ford Barn

bobbycoke · 10-04-2013, 06:28 AM

Would like to know if it is possible to test a condensor to see if is working properly..if so how? Is the distributor only grounded to the head at the point which it sits in the had as I am having trouble starting a newly rebuilt engine, got power to points but not to spark plugs all appears correct. I am running a modern plate and points which was running fine befor rebuild! thanks barners bobbycoke

steammech50 · 10-04-2013, 08:26 AM

Had modern upper plates in both my cars,had so much trouble with modern condensors I switched both back to original,haven't had any problems since .

Kevin in NJ · 10-04-2013, 08:45 AM

The improvement to modern condensers opens you up low bid contracted items with questionable quality control. Napa/Ford/Autozone just do a low bid contract from an offshore company for large quantity. Sometimes they are good and sometime they are not so good. You will find people in the Mustang forums complaining of bad out of the box units.

Your best bet is the original type A&L unit with a modern high quality capacitor inside. They pay the extra dime per unit (it may actually be a few pennies more) for a cap that is not likely to fail in the next decade or two or three.

As for testing. You can make a coil tester (at one of the Model A club websites) or buy one. There are also capacitor testers you can buy, but they are pricey. A multimeter will show you a real bad condenser, but they rarely fail that bad.

It is way cheaper to buy 2 A&L units so you have one for your car and one to help the guy who is too cheap to buy one and is broken on the road.

Tom Wesenberg · 10-04-2013, 10:04 AM

The distributor mounting is a ground, the popout cable is also a very good ground. Hopefully the head and distributor shaft are clean and free of rust. I coat the shaft with grease or antiseize before I slip it into the head. If you have doubts about the ground, just use a jumper cable fron the distributor to a head nut or other good ground.

I made my own condenser/coil tester. I also bought a SUPCO condenser tester. It was $45, but a nice tool to have.

Purdy Swoft · 10-04-2013, 11:21 AM

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There is always complaints here about the so called modern setup. I had the same problems with the V8 set up over 20 years ago. There is no advantage .

10-04-2013, 06:28 AM	#1
bobbycoke Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: pawlet vt/ port jefferson sta. ny Posts: 183	How to test a condensor? Would like to know if it is possible to test a condensor to see if is working properly..if so how? Is the distributor only grounded to the head at the point which it sits in the had as I am having trouble starting a newly rebuilt engine, got power to points but not to spark plugs all appears correct. I am running a modern plate and points which was running fine befor rebuild! thanks barners bobbycoke

10-04-2013, 08:26 AM	#2
steammech50 Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: louisa va. Posts: 42	Re: How to test a condensor? Had modern upper plates in both my cars,had so much trouble with modern condensors I switched both back to original,haven't had any problems since .

10-04-2013, 08:45 AM	#3
Kevin in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South East NJ Posts: 3,398	Re: How to test a condensor? The improvement to modern condensers opens you up low bid contracted items with questionable quality control. Napa/Ford/Autozone just do a low bid contract from an offshore company for large quantity. Sometimes they are good and sometime they are not so good. You will find people in the Mustang forums complaining of bad out of the box units. Your best bet is the original type A&L unit with a modern high quality capacitor inside. They pay the extra dime per unit (it may actually be a few pennies more) for a cap that is not likely to fail in the next decade or two or three. As for testing. You can make a coil tester (at one of the Model A club websites) or buy one. There are also capacitor testers you can buy, but they are pricey. A multimeter will show you a real bad condenser, but they rarely fail that bad. It is way cheaper to buy 2 A&L units so you have one for your car and one to help the guy who is too cheap to buy one and is broken on the road.

10-04-2013, 10:04 AM	#4
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: How to test a condensor? The distributor mounting is a ground, the popout cable is also a very good ground. Hopefully the head and distributor shaft are clean and free of rust. I coat the shaft with grease or antiseize before I slip it into the head. If you have doubts about the ground, just use a jumper cable fron the distributor to a head nut or other good ground. I made my own condenser/coil tester. I also bought a SUPCO condenser tester. It was $45, but a nice tool to have.

10-04-2013, 11:21 AM	#5
Purdy Swoft Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 8,099	Re: How to test a condensor? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) There is always complaints here about the so called modern setup. I had the same problems with the V8 set up over 20 years ago. There is no advantage . Last edited by Purdy Swoft; 10-04-2013 at 03:10 PM.