Dodgeman Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 Is there a way to check a condenser off of the car. With the declining quality of tune up parts it would be nice to know if things work before I install them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Cocuzza Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 Start video at 2:22 https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&ei=UTF-8&p=hiw+to+check+a+car+condenser#id=2&vid=345dcfc3d0b34cf9d99bd6b0fe9b340b&action=click OR: Remove the condenser from the Engine To test a condenser with a multimeter first of all remove it from the engine or disconnect the lead wire. There are small metal connectors located on the end of the condenser. This connector is the phase point and the metal case is the grounding point. Discharge the condenser by shorting these two points. Rotate the multimeter Knob to the ohms First, insert the red probe with the mA V Ω port of the meter. Similarly, put the black lead in the “com” port of the meter. Rotate the multimeter knob to ohms and set the resistance range to the highest available setting. Connect the probe with condenser To test a condenser with a digital multimeter connect the red probe of the multimeter with the phase point of the condenser and connect the black probe at the negative terminal of the condenser. The meter starts showing the reading. Hold the probes for at least 15 to 20 sec. If the meter stills show a resistance reading then the condenser is working properly otherwise it is damaged. Reverse the probe connections Now connect the hot point of the condenser with the black probe of the meter and connect the red probe with the metal case of the condenser. Meter will still show reading. During this process, the condenser will discharge. In short on connecting the multimeter probes with a condenser, if the meter shows reading then the condenser is working properly otherwise it is damaged. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeman Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 Thanks Joe! Even a dummy like me can understand that. I’ve had lots of bad ones and I’d rather find out it’s bad before I install it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 The YouTube video shows the condensers are charging from the battery voltage applied to them from the digital multimeter. Eventually the condenser stops drawing current from the meter and the meter displays a steady 1 with no other numbers. This is an indication that the displayed resistance is in excess of 20M(eg ohms) or 20 million ohms which is good. What is missing is the measurement of the capacitor’s value in microfarads. It is the microfarads value that has to be correct too for making a good spark. That measurement requires a meter designed to make that type of measurement to get the entire picture of the capacitor’s ability to work in the ignition system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 Here’s a picture of my Fluke brand multimeter model 87III being used to measure the value of a capacitor or condenser in automotive terms. The meter’s ohms scale has the added features to measure capacitance as seen in blue in the symbol to the right of the ohms symbol. With the meter selected to measure capacitance by pressing the blue button in the upper left of the picture and the meter range selected to microfarads, I’m measuring a capacitor that is marked 0.015 +/-5%. Note the meter reads 0.0153 microfarads which is good. A multimeter like this can be purchased to read capacitors on eBay, Amazon or from an electronics store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmallregular Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 An analog ohmmeter works a LOT better to make the measurement described in the second post. You can watch the needle swing to a low "resistance" value when the capacitor is first connected, and the watch the "resistance" value climb as the capacitor charges and the current from the meter drops. With a little practice it's possible to compare a questionable capacitor to a known good one to get an idea of the value of the questionable capacitor by watching how fast the needle moves. An open, or very small capacitance value, will show high resistance, a short will stay at a low reading. Digital meters have their place, but they don't replace analog meters or test lights for everything, particularly on older cars. Analog meters also do a lot better in an electrically noisy environment like you find in older cars with points ignition when the engine is running. Keith 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 Here is a write up from an automobile training manual on condensers and their effects including typical capacitor values used in automotive applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now