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Basically the function of a condenser in a coil ignition circuit is to reduce the spark at the contact points as they open in the distributor and thus minimise burning and pitting of the points.
What happens when a ignition condenser goes bad? A failing points and condenser system can cause rough running, misfires, lean and rich conditions. If your vehicle runs rough, the engine will not fire, or the vehicle will not start at all, it may the points and condenser system that is the issue.
Yep, cars WILL RUN without a condenser (it’s really a capacitor) but the points will burn out faster! Electrical current will try to keep flowing when a switch (the points in this case) are opened so there will be an ‘arc’ across the points until they are open far enough to break the circuit.
Weak spark is often the result of a bad condenser (and it’s a cheap part to replace). If you see higher resistance here, then you need to clean and check the connections and the circuit path to ground through the points. … Also check resistance between the distributor body and the engine block.
Basically the function of a condenser in a coil ignition circuit is to reduce the spark at the contact points as they open in the distributor and thus minimise burning and pitting of the points.
If your car has standard ignition system wiring and a ballast coil, current flow through the circuit will be excessive and the points, condenser, and coil all may fail prematurely.
Any condenser of the same value will work. They are indifferent to voltage but the capacitance (microfarads) should be the same or at least close. They aren’t that accurate from new. If the condenser is perfect your points won’t burn.
No such thing as a 6V or 12V ignition condenser. Irrespective of applied primary voltage (6V, 12V, 24V) the condensers are made to withstand the flyback or reverse EMF voltage made by the coil as it’s magnetic field collapses when the points open. That is ~80-100 volts for a typical iron core type ignition coil.
If you suspect the condenser is going bad, you can sometimes tell by watching the engine run while it is in idle. The point cover needs to be removed and some engines won’t run without it, but if the condenser is going bad, you are likely to see a large yellow spark jump between the two contact points.
Crank the engine and check for a good spark at the spark tester gap. A good spark will be blue-white and will be plainly visible in daylight. … Weak sparks are orange or red and may be hard to see in daylight. If you did not see a spark, remove the coil wire from the distributor cap.
Loss of spark is caused by anything that prevents coil voltage from jumping the electrode gap at the end of the spark plug. This includes worn, fouled or damaged spark plugs, bad plug wires or a cracked distributor cap.
Type of Repair | Typical Cost Range |
---|---|
Condenser Coil Replacement | $900 – $2,800 |
Full Condenser Unit Replacement | $1,300 – $4,000 |
How Much Does Car A/C Condenser Replacement Cost? Car A/C condenser replacement cost about $679 with average auto AC condenser replacement prices ranging from $585 to $773 in the US for 2020 according to RepairPal.com.
As you can see, condenser problems and compressor failures are often related. Thus, it might be a good idea to replace a condenser when your compressor fails. What’s more, when a compressor fails, there is a tremendous amount of debris that is suddenly injected into the AC system.
Located inside of your distributor cap, the points are used as a switch for the current being sent to the ignition coil. While the condenser inside of the distributor (sometimes located outside or next to it) is responsible for sending a more powerful and cleaner spark, and to help preserve the contacts on the points.
The condenser body needs to be grounded, and the lead wire can connect anywhere between the coil and points. … You can screw the condenser bracket to the coil mounting bracket, and connect the lead wire to the coil primary points wire connector.
The condensors will always be fitted to the same coil terminal as the points. The condensers aren’t polarity sensitive.
6 volts systems use a coil with around 1.5 ohms between the two primary terminals. 12 volt systems have 3-5 ohms total,similar 1.5 ohm coil with a ballast resistor adding another 1.5 ohms. Or some 12 volt coils have 3-4 ohms built into them.
Disadvantages. – It has a starting problem due to the low rotating speed at the starting of the engine. – It is more expensive when compared to a battery ignition system. – There is a possibility of misfire due to leakage because the variation of voltage in the wiring can occur.
The radiator is specially designed for the heat dissipation of the car engine. The hot water flowing inside is the circulating water coming out of the car engine. The condenser is designed for use in the summer cooling of automotive air conditioners. The air conditioner is air-cooled.
Condensers and compressors have a similar life expectancy of around 8-10 years, providing they’re well looked after, so a faulty condenser is usually only a worry for the owners of older or high-mileage vehicles.
Coil Capacity | Part Only | Installation Cost |
---|---|---|
1.5-2.0 ton | $575 – $800 | $475 – $650 |
2.5 ton | $625 – $975 | $535 – $750 |
3.0 ton | $735 – $1,055 | $600 – $835 |
3.5 ton | $775 – $1,025 | $775 – $985 |
The proper method to check for spark is with a spark tester. It resembles a spark plug but has a sunken center electrode that simulates a load on the coil. Holding the plug wire and seeing if a spark jumps to ground is inconclusive. The spark is arcing in atmospheric pressure.
A 12-volt condenser is part of an automotive ignition system. The battery provides power to the primary side of the ignition coil, which in turn produces high voltages across the secondary windings of the ignition coil. The voltage from the secondary winding is fed to the spark plugs as required to start the engine.
You can run a 1.5 ohm “12 volt coil” on a 6 volt car without a ballast resistor and it will run great. Some “12 volt coils” read out at about 3 ohms and can really only be used on a 12 volt car. The spark out of this “12 volt coil” when used on a 6 volt car will be very weak.
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