Bob,
You are correct that putting a diode across ignition points wouldn't
work, but
your reasoning about high voltage is incorrect - ignition points
break the low
tension 12v primary circuit not the high tension secondary
circuit, whose
voltage travels from the coil secondary, via the distributor
centre core and the
rotor to each spark plug in turn.
Mike Brooks
'56 BN2
Scotland
From: Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys]
Points question..
To: Tom <ah3000me at gmail.com>
Cc: healeys at autox.team.net
charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
AFAIK, points are made of solid tungsten
(although, with our 'cheap at all
costs' society that may not be true any
more). Theoretically, you can file them down to almost nothing (but I
wouldn't). Filing of points is mostly to get you
home, where you can
install a fresh set.
The condensor--it's a capacitor--is an integral part of
the primary ignition
system. It affects the way the coil is
charged and
discharged, though I don't have the knowledge to totally explain it
(in
electronics it's known as a 'TC
circuit'). The points in the fuel pump are
just used as an on-off switch;
timing isn't critical. The diode is known as
a 'flywheel diode' because it shunts the back-current induced when the
electromagnetic field in the pump body
collapses. Come to think of it, if
you put a diode across the ignition points
the 'back-current' from the coil
would
flow through them instead of providing a spark at the plugs (and the
diode
would burn out the very first time, since
there isn't a diode made
that can withstand 20K volts or more that I know of).
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