Magnetic Pickup coil test anyone

Big Del · May 27, 2008

I'm helping a friend with his 75 dura spark system I can't get any spark I've searched and read some forums but can't find a test to determine if the pickup coil is bad. I ohmed it out and it has 580 ohms my pickup is 610 ohms in my bronco the problem is I don't know what that is telling me. I can't get an AC signal off either distributor, maybe my meter is not sensitive enough to pick up a signal. Any thoughts will be helpfull.

Viperwolf1 · May 27, 2008

400-800 ohms is spec. Ohm out black wire to good ground, should be near 0 ohms. Gound to either orange or purple wire should be open.

Stators don't good bad often. Probably module is bad. You can take it to checker auto to have it tested.

oleguy74 · May 27, 2008

why are you trying to get ac signal out of dist?

Viperwolf1 · May 27, 2008

oleguy74 said:
why are you trying to get ac signal out of dist?

I think he's looking for the pulses from the stator. He might see something with an analog meter but probably not digital.

Broncobowsher · May 27, 2008

You will only get an AC signal when the rotor is spinning, that is the engine needs to be cranking. You should be making less then a volt of AC during crank. It will not make any voltage sitting still.

Check for AC voltage at the orange and purple wires (I think those are the colors, not the black, that is just the ground to the distributer housing and is not really relevent most of the time anyway)

Big Del · May 28, 2008

Thanks it is in spec for ohms but I can't get any AC signal and yes that was with the engine cranking. I am using a digital voltmeter with the range on 20 do you think that is going to be sensitive enough to pick up a signal, maybe the pickup is bad. I did have the box tested and went through the wiring through the ignition switch and so on it all seems to check out. In my manual there was no test for the distributor.

Viperwolf1 · May 28, 2008

Don't think you'll see it with the meter. 20 volts is too much range and it would have to spin pretty fast to see it on a digital meter. It's a simple device though, not much to go wrong with it. One other thing you can check in the distributor is the gap between the stator and reluctor, should be about .008 in. There is no adjustment. Also good idea to make sure distibutor shaft is actually turning when cranking. I've seen sheared pins on drive gears before.

Did you check the coil? 1-2 ohms from pos. to neg. terminal and somewhere around 9,000 ohms from pos. terminal to high tension terminal. Make sure you get a minimum of 6 volts on pos. terminal when cranking.

Magnetic Pickup coil test anyone

Big Del

Jr. Member

Viperwolf1

electron whisperer

oleguy74

Bronco Guru

Viperwolf1

electron whisperer

Broncobowsher

Total hack

Big Del

Jr. Member

Viperwolf1

electron whisperer

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