Bad Coil?????

[ggray]

Hope someone can tell me for sure whether I have a bad coil or not.

Here are the symptoms:

With fresh battery in, ground wire attached to frame and battery, positive battery cable NOT attached, Multi-meter test in the DCV mode is touched on the positive battery post and the positive AND negative terminal on the LH coil. 12v DC shows at both locations.

RH coil shows no such indications on either terminal.

Me thinks I have a shorted LH coil.

Can anyone confirm?

Thanks,

Gary

[Ford Guy]

Your coil is not shorted. My guess that the points for that cylinder are closed therefore causing a ground path for your DVOM. If you were to turn the engine one revolution I think the reading would change to the other cylinder. What is it you are trying to accomplish? Do you have one cylinder that is dead?

Jon

[ggray]

Ford guy,

Thanks for the reply and I would agree with you if either wire (Condenser and 12v from switch) was connected to the coil, but both wires to the coil are disconnected.

I found this while doing some preliminary voltage checks on the harness prior to starting and found it purely by accident.

With the coil clamped in the coil bracket I'm getting ground at both terminals. This only occurs on the LH coil, not the RH.

Even with the ignition switch OFF I get ground through both LH coil terminals.

With the coil terminals disconnected , I can take a test light from either terminal to the positive lug of the battery and get the light to light up. I might also add that the positive harness lead is also disconnected from the battery when doing this.

It won't do this on the RH coil, hence my suspicion of a shorted coil.

With this added info, What's your take?

Thanks again,

Gary

[Ford Guy]

You didnt tell me the leads were not connected to the coil primary. I would take an Ohm reading from either primary terminal on the coil to the case of the coil. It should be an open circuit. If not then in fact the coil is shorted. (providing there are NO leads hooked to them)

Jon