no spark

[twobirds]

have a motor that hasn't been started in years,turns over fine but i have no spark,i got some new wires and plugs and am thinking the newer style wires aren't right for 6 volt? would copper or metallic be better,im also wondering about the new coil i got for it that says it needs no condenser? anyone have any other suggestions
thanks

[telriv]

It's ALWAYS good to know year, make & model. My 1st. guess would be points.

[twobirds]

its a 51 special,263

[njlimbaugh]

You need copper plug wires. Who said you don't need a condensor? If you have points you need a condensor regardless of the coil.

[Spud]

I think maybe he means resistor. I have a coil in my 38 that says it don't need a resistor.

[telriv]

Maybe he's talking about the condenser on the coil + side to help eliminate radio static. With a 6 volt system you DON'T need a resister. And, yes, you do need a condenser inside the distributor to make the points last longer. Copper spark plug wires are NOT a necessity , & probably didn't come with them on a '51 as radio's were much more available as original equipment & needed some kind of static suppression for radio interference.

[njlimbaugh]

Actually, 51 cars still had copper plug wires. The carbon filament wires didn't come along until the mid fifties when 12 volt systems came into being. When I bought my 40 Super, it had modern wires and didn't run quite up to snuff. Replacement copper wires improved high-speed performance where battery ignition begins to get somewhat weak, particularly with only 6 volts.

[Spud]

Maybe he's talking about the condenser on the coil + side to help eliminate radio static. With a 6 volt system you DON'T need a resister. And, yes, you do need a condenser inside the distributor to make the points last longer.

The condenser don't make the point's last longer, they make the system work. Take the condenser out or if you have a bad one it will have no spark 6 or 12 volt.

[twobirds]

6 volt,the points seem fine,i put a new condenser in the distributor and added one to the coil,and new wires,but i haven't tried it yet,we'll find out today if anything has changed

[twobirds]

well still nothing,i have replaced everything,the points are newer and seem fine,ill replace them again i guess,tried coil with condenser and without it,i just don't get it,completely frustrated