Looks like the brass "L" connects the condenser to the points------connected via spring pressure to the lower portion of the screw that holds the wire going to the coil.

Might just be the angle of the picture but to me the very lower end of the "L" looks like it could be contacting the threaded portion of the dwell adjuster----thus grounding out the condenser??

 

Hi... actually I went out there and see that the brass "L" arm appears as thought it should connect the Condenser to the plastic points connector as that is just about the length of the brass arm.

As MikeM stated in reply 15 it appears that they now make condenser and points as "one piece" now and so I think the brass arm snapped thereby causing my issue.

Thoughts?

David

 

I went out and grabbed a set of "Uni" points (think that's what the combination pts/cond sets are called) and took a couple shots. Might help us figure this out:

 

Looks clear to me that some part of that "uni-set" points unit has come loose and then got bent out of location. Namely that brass L.

Can't tell if it's touching and causing a short.

The obvious next step is to replace the points/condenser. I'd bet that you'll fire right up

 

Get a new set of points and condenser, my preference is to keep them separate. I had an issue with a NEW set of points recently that would not fire after car was running fine with the old worn ones. Put the old points back in, fired right up. Tried another set of points they worked as well. Tried the other set (for the heck of it) a second time and NO START. I ran all the electrical tests with the test light to prove it.

 

Hmmm....some here would have you believe points are NEVER any trouble.

I could have a Pertronix or Breakerless SE electronic conversion in that thing faster than you could get back from the parts store with another set of crappy uni-points...

 

The points may be the problem but I don't think that's been determined yet. If you'd go out and spend $100 on a little sputnik gadget before even diagnosing the problem, you must be running a surplus in your household account.

Those uni-set points never were OEM anyway. Just another aftermarket gadget like the little Sputnik.

 

All,

Quick Update... test light to negative side of coil and crank and light will not flash. Changed out points and condenser and still will not start or give me flashing light.

Then checked positive coil with test light and nothing came on whether I was cranking it or not....

Verified Test light is working via positive and negative battery and it lights.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

David

 

Maybe you should go back and carefully read post #4 item #2. No need making this thing hard (and expensive).

Or you can flush $100 down the drain and put a Pertronix on your engine with the same results.

 

You did set the new points with a feeler gauge or dwell meter, right?

 

I dunno - may be time to swap in a spare coil...is there any oily residue on the outside of the ignition coil ?

 

You have other problems. Your immediate problem sounds like a component failure. When you get that figured out look at the plug wires. The number one plug wire should be in the first tower clock wise from the point window. See picture (thanks JohnZ) You obviously have them in the correct firing order or it wouldn't run. Are you having difficulty setting initial timing and the vacuum can limiting distributor movement?

Randy



https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...1966-dist2.jpg

 

Did you by any chance read post #28 before you posted this? Just curious.

 

MikeM

Yes I did but I apparently missed it again

All I am saying is that when he gets no start sorted out he should look at the indexing of his plug wires as they are incorrect. NOT his immediate problem as the car ran ok previously per OP

Randy

 

1. Connect test light ground to known good ground. Check by checking test light on the positive of the battery or the positive on the alternator. Light should come on.


2. Do not disconnect the ground. Connect the test light to the positive side of the coil. Turn on the ignition. Light should come on, maybe weakly.

If no light, the resistor could be bad.

- Check both sides of the resistor on the firewall.
---- If the light is on one end only (ignition switch side), replace resistor.
---- If on both sides, wire between resistor and coil is bad.
---- If no light on either end, then check the back of the ignition switch to find power on the ignition wire (18 ga pink).


3. If no light on coil, crank the engine. Light should come on. If not, wire (18 ga pink) from starter solenoid to the coil is bad or missing. Rarely the solenoid contact is bad.


4. If light on the positive side of coil, connect test light to negative side of coil. There may be a light. Crank engine. The light should flash.

-- If there is a light and it doesn't flash, the points are not closing or the wire from the coil to the points is broken or disconnected.

-- If there is no light and it doesn't flash when cranked, the wire is grounded.
---- Points are too tight and never open. Adjust point gap to 0.018 inch.
---- Points have arced and welded themselves shut. Replace points.
---- Uniset points typically do this with a shorted condenser. Throw those stinking uniset points away and use real separate points and condenser.
---- Condenser may have shorted with age and heat. Disconnect condenser wire, repeat cranking the engine. If light flashes, install a new condenser. Cut the wire off the bad one and trash it immediately.


NOTE: Any condenser that connects to the ignition wire could short with age. Also, new ones can have early death within the first couple of days and you can't imagine it because "they are new". The easiest check if a condenser is bad is to disconnect it. The car will run without it, but it will burn up points quickly, so do this only to test for a bad condenser or to get yourself home from the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.



I hate Uniset points and condensers. If I ever had ignition problems it was with them. I refuse to ever run them in anything in the last 35 years. If you have a set, THROW THEM AWAY! I have run points to where there was no button on the arm and managed to get home in a pinch, but a Uniset will strand you in the middle of nowhere in a heartbeat.

 

Throw those (I'm not going to band camp) Uniset points away and NEVER buy another set.


Get on eBay and buy a set of real Delco D106PV or D112 or Borg Warner A112 points. The 112 set are the heavy duty and give less point bounce at high rpm. You might also check Carquest, NAPA, or a local Delco distributor.

 

I think it was about 35 years ago I bought my first and last set of Uni-Set points. I got rid of them quickly. Can't remember why but they caused some kind of problem.

 

Might be the breaker plate ground wire which are prone to breaking over time. There should be continuity between the breaker plate and the engine block.

 

David

Did you get it started? Inquiring minds and all those who took the time to offer suggestions would like to know.

Randy

 

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for all of responses and suggestions!

So... I am a "failure". Based on the fact that this month is our fiscal year end, I really did not have time or even real confidence in my skills to complete the work so I chose to send it to my mechanic.

The car started after points were properly gapped an installed but then he found that the M/C brake cylinder was leaking, Accelerator Pump on Carb had dried out and should be rebuilt, starter needed rebuilding and car was pulling too much vacuum. I had noticed the leak, starter had spun a few times while trying to start and I never could understand why it appeared it had no choke once started cold, etc.. so I felt comfortable I was not being given a line of BS and were normal issues for a car that had been basically sitting up for years.

So, I bit the bullet on getting him to repair it and added a Pertronix set , correctly stabbed the distributor and put in new wires so I now feel that the car has been corrected of its issues.

I get it back tomorrow so I will update the thread and hopefully be able to wax eloquently of how it was money well spent, all worth the effort, etc...

Thanks again for your interest and suggestions!

David