430 Distributor

[Pinky1492]

Ok so I'm stuck again, I've tried looking through the shop manuals and still cant find where to go from here. I'm not getting any voltage to my coil positive wire, I've traced it back to the regulator and I'm getting voltage at my hot lead to the starter but no voltage crossing over to the coil wire. Had brand new regulator but it does have an old condenser on it that could be bad, just cant find anything in the manual about the condenser for an ohms reading. Anyone know where I can look for the spec on that condenser? I also tried checking the diagram and cant seem to find the condenser on there either. It goes to 1 of the 4 slots to the regulator wire harness. Ive also tried calling some auto parts stores and cant seem to find this exact condenser, they can only find the condenser to the coil which I already replaced for a brand new one. I apologize if I've skipped any steps you guys have told me, I'm trying to take it step by step and fix everything I find on the way. Not trying to waste anyone time. I appreciate everyone help and input

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[bob k. mando]

"condenser" in this case is simply an alternate term for capacitor.

being a capacitor, it should show infinite resistance ( or at least meg ohms ) to a DC signal, but it may show a momentary low resistance when you first touch the test leads too it, as the plates charge up. you should really short the plates out before you attach the ohm meter to the leads so you don't pop the fuse in the meter.

before you short it out, it should be holding +12v on a volt meter if it's been connected to power recently, unless the Ign switch shorts it to ground when you turn the car off.

[Bob]

Sorry for the confusion, the condenser/capacitor being refereed to has a wire going to the points and is located under the distributor cap.

However, if you do not have power going to the + side of the coil with the key on and in start, there is no point in going further until that is rectified!

When you open the wiring harness up, and start tracing it back, it should fork or split into two wires. One should stay pink and head turn for the firewall plug. (Before it gets there, it should have a resistance wire spliced into it.) The second one from the splice should be yellow and go to the starter to supply 12v during start.

[Pinky1492]

I did notice how the coil + wire splits to a different wire while I was looking through my wire diagram, I traced my wire to the coil + and it's a direct wire from the coil + to the regulator harness so I might need to correct that when I get back under the hood again before I continue my diag. By any chance does anyone know what the ohms reading needs to be for the condenser connected to my regulator harness? Still havent been able to find it in the manual

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[Bob]

The capacitor mounted on the regulator and the coil are radio interference suppressors only. Specifications are found .5MF. on the reg. and .3MF on the coil. Specifications are found under radio noise interference suppressors.

I have edited my diagnosis post adding a few words to help keep things in order.

[LARRY70GS]

http://v8buick.com/index.php?threads/installing-points-conversion-and-hei-system-function-tests-and-modification.248990/


You can connect a lead from the battery positive to the coil positive just to see if you get fire. Don't run it very long like that because it will burn the points.

[bob k. mando]

pretty sure that your "MF" should be micro-farad.

just want to make sure nobody mistakes that for "milli-farad".