Click on image for the lowdown. 
====
| | | Forums66 Topics128,156 Posts1,057,021 Members48,460 | | Most Online14,466
Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
| | THANKS!
For helping keep this great
old truck web site
on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down
with Ads!  Again, thanks!
| | | | Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 103 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 103 | Need a bit of help on a Spitfire 1500. New coil, points, condenser, cap and plugs. Get very weak spark at points - nothing out of the cap. Everything set to specs. Seems to be a short somewhere. My 6 volt truck system kicks out a blue spark - the Triumph shows a weak spark. Battery shows 12+ volts. How do I track a short? Am I overlooking the obvious? Has a Delco distributor, BTW. BW | | | | | Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 452 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 452 | Sometimes parts are bad out of the box. Try swapping in the old ones one at a time (only ne "old" part at a time). You might find a bad condenser or coil. Also, is the engine grounded well? Check the engine ground strap for good contact. A bad ground will interfere with the ignition, as would a short between the dist. power supply and ground.
Current fleet (subject to change w/o notice) \'49 GMC 3/4-Ton , 60 Austin Healey Frog-eye Sprite (some assembly required), 2011 Dodge Avenger, 2015 Jeep Cherokee. No, they don't all run. My other ride is a (B737)no, (B767)no, A320.... Update... was Embraer E190, now Boeing B787. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but ignorance means you don't know you can't do something.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 | Are you cranking this with the starter? If it has a weak spark while cranking but a good spark by manually flipping the points then your battery cables and engine grounds are corroded or too small, causing resistance. The starter is taking all the juice.
Paint & Body Shop moderator
A lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 103 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 103 | Weak spark by manually flipping the points. 12 volts at battery, 12 volts at solenoid with switch on, 6 volts at coil - switch on. Negative lead grounded on the trans. I am guessing that something is wrong with the ignition switch / resistor? I can not get spark out of the distributor at all. Hmmm! BW | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | R.Wyant,
I think you want a "weak" spark "at the points"...this is the primary side of the ignition, not the "blue spark" secondary side. If this is a 12 volt system with no resistor wire or ceramic start/run resistor to the primary (key) side of the coil, I would expect 12 volts with key turned on. I might not understand what you are asking!
Stuart. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | R.Wyant,
Can't sleep..must expound on stuff I know nothing about! If it is a 12 volt system there should be 12 volts at the + (key) side of the coil with the key turned on. I don't know if it RUNS at this voltage or not, but it could. Turn the key on, pop the cap, and with a screwdriver, open the points and you should be able to get the coil wire to ZAP to a ground. Don't go through the cap, just fire the coil to ground. If this works, you have a cap/rotor issue. The condensor quenches the arc as the points open, there should not be a huge flash from opening
the points with the key on. There, I'm done!
Stuart. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,029 Member | | Member Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,029 | On a 12 volt ignition with ballast resistor you should see 12 volts on the coil + with the points open and about 6 volts with the points closed unless the starter is cranking. With the starter cranking, you will see the same voltage at the coil + as at the starter with points open or closed (will be less than 12 v due to starter drag). The coil - will be 12 v points open and 0 v points closed. | | |
|
|
