checking my coil

[brokebill]

ok, chasing my hard hot start problems and finally bought a little multimeter.

i have never used one before.

 

checked my coil, did i do it right?

 

took the wires off the coil

 

to check primary resistance i put 1 probe on the positive primary post and 1 probe on the negative primary post. should have read 1.13-1.38 but read about 0.3 or 0.4

 

to check secondary resistance i put 1 probe on the negative primary post and 1 probe where the distributor cap wire plugs into the coil. should have read 10.8-14.6 but read about 8.0

 

dont know how i've made it almost 40 years without using one before now but i have.

 

does it sound like i did it right?

 

any tips or advice on the subject appreciated.

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

hard hot start after being cut off from 10 minutes - 2 hrs.

 

first thing in the morning or within 5 minutes after shutting off, it starts fine.

 

choke seems to be working fine, cts checked out ok (by my amateur meter testing) ,new air filter, plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor,fuel filter, pcv valve....

 

also running a little hotter than usual. used to never get above 1/2 on gauge and now tends to ride a little closer to the 3/4 mark under much load at all.

 

thanks, Bill

[naru]

Or,more to the point....

 

get the car hot to where it wont restart....

 

Check for spark.

[naru]

ok, chasing my hard hot start problems and finally bought a little multimeter.

i have never used one before.

 

checked my coil, did i do it right?

 

took the wires off the coil

 

to check primary resistance i put 1 probe on the positive primary post and 1 probe on the negative primary post. should have read 1.13-1.38 but read about 0.3 or 0.4

 

to check secondary resistance i put 1 probe on the negative primary post and 1 probe where the distributor cap wire plugs into the coil. should have read 10.8-14.6 but read about 8.0

 

dont know how i've made it almost 40 years without using one before now but i have.

 

does it sound like i did it right?

 

any tips or advice on the subject appreciated.

 

thanks, Bill

 

Not really,connections are OK,but,secondary resistance should be something like 10,000-15,000 ohms not 10-14.Seems unlikely that both windings would be defective.

 

Sounds like you have got a digital meter,but if it is an analog one, it needs to be zeroed w/the leads shorted before taking resistance measurements.

 

Range scale selection is important too.You want to use the lowest range possible for greatest accuracy.

 

Best criteria is spark quality.A cheapo spark tester w/an adjustible gap like this one is a great tool.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/media/THE-404.jpg

 

Clean the top of the coil if needed.

[GeneralDisorder]

I highly doubt you have a coil problem. The stock coil's rarely fail and when they do I have never known one to cause any kind of hard starting - they just don't run at all. They are oil-filled and when they short, they usually dead short and won't spark at all.

 

Also the ND and Hitachi coil's have different specs for primary/secondary resistance. Your readings sound just fine.

 

Your problem is fuel/timing related. When was the last time you checked out the mechanical advance in the distributor. Perhaps it's sticky.

 

Have you tried the $8 manual choke kit? Seriously - the electric choke's on the EA82's are crap. It's either over or under chokeing it when hot. Or you have a thermo-valve that is opening one of the vacuum valves when hot... etc. There's a lot of stuff in the feedback's that could cause that. The coil is so far down the list you shouldn't consider it.

 

GD

[brokebill]

its an analog meter. yeah i did zero it out.

its a ND distributor.

doubtful its a original coil . it has the #27460 on it. that sound familiar to anybody?

 

i've observed and manipulated the choke by hand and it does seem to be working ok, but i know there more to it than the naked eye can see.

 

and .3 instead of 1.13 - 1.38

and 8K instead of 10.8K - 14.6K is acceptable? (i forgot to put the K in my first post)

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

napa has the usual $40 - $50 coils but also have a $16 coil with the same part #'s(except has an SB on the end of the part #)

 

considering trying the $16 cheapo to see if it makes a difference but hard to return electrical and hate to just throw $$ away.

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

ok, checked the resistance again and it read even lower.

-- 0.2 and 7K

 

let it warm up and laid an ice pack on the coil for about 10-15 min. and it fired right up.

 

repeated it and it fired right up again.

 

rode down to Napa and got one of the $16 cheapos and put it on and seems to be working fine now.

 

months back, i got "bit" by the coil while messing with something near it.

i had retaped any questionable wires and hadnt been shocked since while reaching around in that area, but it probably had grounded and messed it up back then .

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

started perfect the first few times, then hard hot starting returned (although dont seem to be as bad)

 

???????????????????

 

cheap coil, fluke?

 

really confused now.

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

would that be the little silver thing mounted on the coil bracket with a wire running through it from the coil then grounded at the frame ?

 

thanks, Bill

[Cold Chuck]

What about Accel SuperStock coil?

 

http://www.jegs.com/p/Accel/747667/10002/-1

 

[brokebill]

not finding one listed for my car (surprise, surprise)

 

are they universal? or?

 

thanks, Bill

[McDave]

 

months back, i got "bit" by the coil while messing with something near it.

 

thanks, Bill

 

Sounds like you have a bad coil wire or a plug wire if you were near the dist.

[brokebill]

Sounds like you have a bad coil wire or a plug wire if you were near the dist.

 

 

 

nah, it was the wires connecting to the coil terminals, retaped them

[brokebill]

for a condenser, i cant find the type that runs off the coil, through the condenser, then on to the frame.

 

the only type i can find is the type that has 1 wire to hook to the coil then just mounts on the firewall, with no wire coming out of it to go to the frame.

 

can i use this type or do i need something specific to my car?

 

all i keep finding for my car is N/A

 

or is this "condenser" just a noise suppressor for the radio?

 

thanks, Bill

[brokebill]

also the coil i took off and the one i put on are both stamped "external resistor required"

 

???

 

thanks, Bill

[GeneralDisorder]

or is this "condenser" just a noise suppressor for the radio?

 

thanks, Bill

 

Correct. You don't need it.

 

What Nipper was refering to is probably a resistor - the Subaru ignition systems didn't use coil resistors as they have electronic ignition modules.

 

GD

[GeneralDisorder]

also the coil i took off and the one i put on are both stamped "external resistor required"

 

???

 

thanks, Bill

 

Not with the Subaru electronic distributor. Also you should pick up a STOCK coil. These aftermarket ones are crap. (Accel included). Get the same brand as your distributor.

 

GD

[brokebill]

also the coil i took off and the one i put on are both stamped "external resistor required"

 

???

 

thanks, Bill

 

 

why do they say this?

[GeneralDisorder]

why do they say this?

 

It's for points-style ignitions. It lowers the voltage once that alternator kicks in so the engine starts easier, and the points wear slower. It's not applicable to the electronic ignition systems.

 

GD

[brokebill]

so just something stamped on a universal coil?

 

counting the suppressor, my coil has 6 wire on it.

3 on pos. & 3 on neg. terminal.

 

besides the obvious 3 (2 from dis. & 1 from supressor) where do they ll go.

 

(underhood of my car is a mess of mysteries from previous owners)

 

thanks, Bill

[GeneralDisorder]

so just something stamped on a universal coil?

 

thanks, Bill

 

Yep - you won't see it on the stock coils.

 

GD