'51 Special
Active Member
I just completed rebuilding the 263 in my '51 Special. It was running just before teardown. I re-installed the original distributor (Delco-Remy 1110815), and a new coil that had only minutes of use before the teardown began (I wanted to make sure it would run before tearing into it, and I had not been getting any spark). Now, again, I cannot get any spark. (Not weak spark, but NO spark.) I tried another coil, still no spark.
The distributor and all of its parts are clean and dry. The points are used but in excellent condition, and correctly gaped. The primary circuit and the points are working right, the rotor and cap look good and worked fine before teardown.
Part 1-49 of the 1951 Buick Shop Manual, in subparagraph b.2., describes this coil test for the secondary circuit: "Apply one test point to the high tension terminal, and the other test point to one of the primary terminals. If the secondary circuit is not open, the lamp will not light but tiny sparks will appear at the test points when they are rubbed over terminals. If secondary circuit is open, no sparks will occur."
When I do this, I get no "tiny sparks." Same with both of the coils I tried. I can't believe that every coil I get my hands on, new or old, has a bad secondary winding, including the one that ran this engine just before I shut it down for the rebuild. I don't have a coil tester.
Anyone have any idea what is really going on here?
The distributor and all of its parts are clean and dry. The points are used but in excellent condition, and correctly gaped. The primary circuit and the points are working right, the rotor and cap look good and worked fine before teardown.
Part 1-49 of the 1951 Buick Shop Manual, in subparagraph b.2., describes this coil test for the secondary circuit: "Apply one test point to the high tension terminal, and the other test point to one of the primary terminals. If the secondary circuit is not open, the lamp will not light but tiny sparks will appear at the test points when they are rubbed over terminals. If secondary circuit is open, no sparks will occur."
When I do this, I get no "tiny sparks." Same with both of the coils I tried. I can't believe that every coil I get my hands on, new or old, has a bad secondary winding, including the one that ran this engine just before I shut it down for the rebuild. I don't have a coil tester.
Anyone have any idea what is really going on here?