Take test light an place it on the terminal coming out of the distributor and the other end to a ground and with the switch on see if it lights up when the points are open.
If it does then have someone crank the engine to see if the light will flicker as the points open and close. As the points close the light should dim or go out because when the points close, they provide a ground for the negative side of the coil.
If the light stays on the point gap is too wide. If it doesn't light while cranking, the points are either closed all the time, or are grounded some other way.
You might want to undo he condenser wire while doing this to eliminate it from the test. Then if all looks good, add the condenser back in the circuit to see if it keeps the light off. If it does, then the condenser may be shorted.
You can use a 12 volt test light on 6 volt systems, it will just be a bit dimmer.
Last edited by Roy Rodgers; 09/06/2012 11:58 PM.
