I thought I'd write this up and send it to the list in case it might
help someone who runs into a similar problem.
Zippy, my '69 2000 has been running on its new engine for about a
month. Last weekend we went to the vintage races at Pacific Speedways
and got to do a few parade laps on the track. The car ran fine the
whole way.
Last week, I was messing around with the turn signals and left the car
in the on position overnight. The new Optima red top was drained. I
charged it back up and the car would turn over but no spark. Hmmm. I
posted for help to the 311s.org site and got a few suggestions. Coil
might have fried, points were probably toast. Fuses were still good.
I got a new coil (old one later tested OK), new ballast resistor (which
started to smoke when the engine cranked, so I went back to the
original Hanshin). Power was getting to the coil and the ballast
resistor. Still no love. I was having trouble getting the new points
from Napa to sit flat. Whenever I tightened down the rear mounting
screw, the point arm would twist making for a huge point gap. I tried
an ancient set of points from the parts stash, a different design which
fit better. Still no spark.
I finally hooked up a continuity tester to the points and when I opened
them up by hand, the circuit would not break. This explained why the
coil would not fire. I swapped out another advance plate from the parts
stash which allowed the points to sit flat. Still hard to get a small
enough gap with the Napa points. I also cleaned all the contacts and
made sure the new points would break the circuit when opened. Buttoned
everything back up and turned the switch. No fire. Then I noticed the
rotor sitting on the cowl. DOH! Popped it back in and she fired right
up. The new advance plate moves much easier than the old one and the
car feels peppier. New coil might have something to do with that.
Not sure exactly what fixed it, but it works!
Here's a few questions for the list. Should a new ballast resistor
smoke at first? The coils developed a white coating which seemed
strange. Also there was a capacitor (condensor?) attached to the
positive side of the coil and grounded on the coil mount to the body.
Is this stock or some gift from a PO? What would warp an advance plate?
Any suggestions for better fitting points? (I sense a Gary Boone EI
dizzy in my future!)
Leigh Brooks
NWDE
Seattle
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