The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Ignition coil - connect positive to Starter?

Hi there,

I have a 54 Chevy truck 3100, with a 12 volt system and 235 inline 6 engine. I am not getting spark and trying to trouble shoot.

I have properly gapped new spark plugs, properly gapped the points, and purchased new spark plug wires.

I checked the coil and cap for resistance with a voltmeter and both show a reading.

The only thing I can think of is to replace the points/condenser or just get a new distributor.

Before I do that, I wanted to know if it matters how the coil is connected. should the Positive on the coil connect to the starter and the negative to the distributor?

I appreciate the help. Very new to working on trucks and I see the light at the end...

Carlos

The positive goes to an ignition resister & is connected to the starter as a bypass. The neg goes to the dist. If they were reversed it would still start & run. If no resister was put in the system when it was changed to 12 volts it will burn the points in short time unless it is using a tractor coil.
Remove the dist cap & turn on the switch. Take a screwdriver & touch it across the points. Take the coil wire from the center of the dist cap & set it close to part of the engine. Each time you make & break contact on the points you should get a spark from the coil wire.

Thanks for the tip. I am planning on checking the coil wire for spark...as soon as I get an extra pair of hands.

I just wanted to make sure the coil was connected properly. I will try out your suggestion on checking the center wire.