Should still make spark.

 

Try this.

 

use a multimeter to test for continuity between the 2 parts of the points. as you rotate motor by hand.

 

You should see the continuity go from zero to Infinite each time a lobe opens and closes the points.

Will do when i get home. Ill let ya know in about an hour or so.

 

Thanks for helping me figure this thing out.

 

by the way, do i have a iginition module that could be messed up?

I wouldnt thinks so bc it was fine with the other motor.

Will do when i get home. Ill let ya know in about an hour or so.

 

Thanks for helping me figure this thing out.

 

by the way, do i have a iginition module that could be messed up?

I wouldnt thinks so bc it was fine with the other motor.

 

Points ignition doesn't use a *module* All the action happens mechanically

Gotcha! So what actually tells the coil to spark?

I know that the points do but what do they actually do?

 

Does the system somehow get grounded and causes it to spark?

Does the coil know when the volts reach 12.5 and that makes it spark?

It just kinda always on edge.

 

Thanks again bro.

Im headed to the house ill let ya know what i come up with.

ok i think i have more than one problem possibly.

the pic with the disty has a black wire running to the points. where the wire

goes around that bracket there was some copper showing. Not to sure if that was a problem or not since it runs to the points anyway.

 

Right now the motor will start up and idle really ruff. So we have spark!

Every once in a while it will spit and sputter then it will die and back run a little bit.

 

what should i check now?

 

Gloyale i did that test you told me to and its not like you said.

when i check for continutiy when the points are open and closed i get the same reading. what could be the problem?

 

Oh and when i try to give the motor gas it wont rev up

Edited February 17, 200917 yr by kellyray

Gotcha! So what actually tells the coil to spark?

I know that the points do but what do they actually do?

 

Does the system somehow get grounded and causes it to spark?

Does the coil know when the volts reach 12.5 and that makes it spark?

It just kinda always on edge.

 

Thanks again bro.

Im headed to the house ill let ya know what i come up with.

 

Current goes from + terminal, through the primary side of coil, out through the neg. side of coil, to one side of the points. When points are closed, voltage goes across them to ground, completing the circuit. Current flow stays within the primary windings.

 

When the points open, the current needs to go somewhere so it jumps into the secondary winding (amplified to 10,000 V or more)and fires through the coil lead, to the cap, across the rotor, back out the cap through the sparkplug wire into the plug, where it jumps the last obstacle to ground and makes a spark.

 

All that has to happen literally dozens of times PER SECOND at EXCACTLY the right time or it all doesn't work.

I think i found my problem!!!!!!!!!

 

The black wire is connected to one side of the points. even when the points are open it acts like they are closed bc the wire has a whole in it.

I put some black tape on the wire and then started it, it ran ok for a few mins but then spit and sputtered again, i looked at the tape and the tape was burned through. making it worse and worse until it kills the motor.

 

Im going to fix this wire and see if it fixes my problem!!!

 

Be praying for me! lol

Ill let you know.

Alright Gents, Could this be causing my whole problem???????

What would cause this wire to get hot? Or is this just normal wear and tear?

Thanks fellas! This place is great and i appreciated everyone!

 

Wire probably didn't get hot, it is just in a hot enviroment. Plus look in that pic where the wire is damaged, it is against a piece of the distributor. You just need to get that wire insulated well. Good job finding that wire.

Thanks for everyones help!!!!!! Im going to replace this wire today and see if it fixes it.

You certainly did find the trouble. That wire ties the minus side of the coil to the points and it was shorting to ground. That is why the coil was getting so hot, it was passing current through it continually and you will also have no ignition pulses. Life will be better now.

How many volts travel through this wire? Just the regular 12?

How many volts travel through this wire? Just the regular 12?

 

yup

 

 

you can replace it with any same gage wire.

 

just make sure you get good connectionsw and no wire touching ground

Thanks Again for everyones help with this issue. Do all of yall like seeing pics or is it just wasting time?

You are welcome for the help. Pictures usually are always good.

Pics are always helpful. They help others too.

Ok heres exactly what happened and what went wrong. It wasnt just that one wire!!!!

 

When i first put the motor in i couldnt get any spark because of that wire in the pics!! So without testing anything like a dummy i assumed the coil went out! (Before i ever found that wire.) I went and bought that MSD coil and installed it. Wrong thing to do!!! For some reason that MSD coil in the pics will not work on my brat. I wiggled some wires around and started getting spark. But the motor would not rev up, it idled very rough and just sounded like crap. Thats when i found that wire! I fixed the wire yesterday and it still acted the same. Just my luck.

 

So just to give it a shot i put my factory coil back on and she runs. I timed it last night with a timing light and she runs perfect.

 

For some odd reason my brat will not handle that high power coil!

Anybody know why it wont handle it?????

Think if i put new cap, rotor, new points and plug wires it will handle it??

Kinda crazy how all of that worked out but it did and shes running great!

 

Leasons learned:

1. Test things the best you can before just assuming you know the problem.

2. MSD coils will not work with my brat!

3. Factory coil was never bad.

4. Learned and understand how the points ignition works.

 

Thanks again everyone! Anybody have any suggestions about that MSD Coil and why it wont work.

 

Hope that this helps someone else someday.

 

Thanks again everyone! Anybody have any suggestions about that MSD Coil and why it wont work.

 

Search and you will find lots of threads about aftermarket coils performing poorly on Subarus.

 

The OEM coils are the way to go.

I looked over the good pictures again and I noticed something. In post #8 you showed a picture of a capacitor with a broken lead and I thought it was for the points in the disty. After looking at the picture of the disty in post #33 I can see the capacitor for the points mounted on the side. The other capacitor may be for eliminating noise in the electrical system. It would most likely be connected to the main power buss.

 

You may also want to get a new set of points as the set in the pictures look pretty burned due to the current flow through them.

When I Readed this:

 

... The warmer it got the worse it idled. ...

 

I was almost sure that your ignition Coil was Bad ... I Suggest you to Try that Coil in Another engine, Just to be Sure that it is really bad or if it is Just Non-Workin` with the Brat.

Kind Regards!