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Hot Wiring my 63 super - do I have this right?


Guest pbob42

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Guest pbob42

Trying to resurrect this '63 that has been sitting for about 20 years. Just trying to do a quick check on the motor before I jump in with both feet. Don't have the key so I jumped battery to the positive side of the coil and am bumping the solenoid to turn the starter. That is all working but I am not getting any spark out of my coil. I am jumping this wrong? The distributor, cap, rotor and points look good although the cap and rotor are tad rusty. Any help out there stepping through my spark issu is appreciated.

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Trying to resurrect this '63 that has been sitting for about 20 years. Just trying to do a quick check on the motor before I jump in with both feet. Don't have the key so I jumped battery to the positive side of the coil and am bumping the solenoid to turn the starter. That is all working but I am not getting any spark out of my coil. I am jumping this wrong? The distributor, cap, rotor and points look good although the cap and rotor are tad rusty. Any help out there stepping through my spark issu is appreciated.

Your wiring is correct (assuming the coil is wired correctly and the distributor is connected to the negative side of the coil). When you checked for spark, did you check at the coil wire or one of the spark plug wires? Always check at the coil wire first. Assuming you did, the next thing to do is to pop the cap off the distributor and verify that the points are in good shape and gapped correctly. Also, verify that the ground side of the circuit has continuity. Since the coil grounds through the bracket to the block, rust anywhere in that mechanical connection will cause a problem. Similarly, verify that you have a good ground from the distributor body to the block, and that the block is properly grounded to the battery (which it likely is if the starter motor cranks). One of the big problems with a car that has been sitting for many years is that rust builds up on all these mechanical connections that are the ground path.

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Guest pbob42

I have continuity from the neg side of the coil to the distributor to the points to the block. Cleaned up the mount for the coil and will slap it all together and try again tomorrow. Testing for voltage right out of the coil, once I find it there I will move on down all the way to the plugs.

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I have continuity from the neg side of the coil to the distributor to the points to the block. Cleaned up the mount for the coil and will slap it all together and try again tomorrow. Testing for voltage right out of the coil, once I find it there I will move on down all the way to the plugs.

How are you measuring continuity, with a VOM or a test light? A low impedance VOM will show continuity even for a path with high resistance. Always use a test light, as the resistance in the light bulb will help find marginal connections.

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