Jerry,
One reason I like using the continuity tester is that I don't have to turn on the ignition! I work almost entirely on old fire trucks, and they all have electric fuel pumps (along with mechanical, usually) that come on with the ignition. I don't like the fuel pump to be working at rest.
As to the points in parallel, it's a little different here, since one set drives the left bank, and the other set drives the right bank. Dwell on both is identical, and they fire 15 degrees apart. Further, each set is driven by its own coil (yes, 4 coils in total!).
That being said, the positive wire to the coil is jumpered from one coil to the other - so if one set of points was closed, maybe it affects the other set?!
I guess I should test this on my Chevy to see if it's the same. I just don't understand a ground loop on the primary side with the points open. Am I wrong about that?
-Michael
