Electrical Prob

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Do it the way the professional Pontiac mechanics did when K-F cars were new...follow the suggestions and checks listed, then start replacing parts until it works right.

[boatingbill]

A bad condenser would cause the points to burn quickly. That does not sound like the symptoms
you have described. The next time it quits, leave the key on and manually open and close the
points with a non metallic item like a golf tee and see if you see a spark across the points. No
spark means the primary side of the coil circuit has a problem.

[Tom N]

Thanks again.  I'm having the distributor professionally rebuilt and rewired.  That should cover all of the problems that were suggested as possibilities.  I'll let you know when I get it back on the car.

[Carolina Fan]

Had new wires put in the distributor, but testing revealed it was all caused by a shorted condensor.  Car now runs like a watch!

Tom

[Terry T]

lesson learned

as the old-timers say when solving a problem....KISS....KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID, ie, always look at the simplest item to replace first

[Carolina Fan]

thanks to all

[montefrazer]

The condenser is there to protect the points by absorbing electrical spikes as they open and close. If it went bad, your car would run fine until the points fried.  Look at the points when you have the cap off. Even if they are new, a bad condenser can ruin them quickly and cause those problems. Steve

[Fid]

A shorted condensor as you describe, would not cause the points to fail. There are two ways electrical components can fail;  they can become open circuited or short circuited. If the condensor open circuits then yes, the points will burn up. If the condensor shorts, which is common with older capacitors (condensors) then the car simply won't start  and the points would still be fine.

[boatingbill]

FID, This is very common. When a electrical component fails, most people say the resistor
shorted, the transistor shorted, the capacitor shorted. They almost never say the component
opened. If a garage repaired the car, the mechanic probably just said the condenser shorted. It
seems people can understand a "short" but not a "open".

[Carolina Fan]

Thanks again.  After re-wiring the distributor, replacing the points and condensor the car now starts and runs very well.
 

[HJ-ETEX]

Condenser: Several years ago I did a tune-up on my Chevy G van. The problem afterwards was that it would start and run for several miles (distance varied from 1 to 15) and then the ignition would completely cut out. After one or several hours, it start again. There is nothing more frustrating than a component with an intermittent failure - it is hard to pin down a bad component if it starts working again.  In this case, it was a bad condenser. This was doubly hard to diagnose since 1) this was a Delco points type distributor and separate points & condenser are not available or ridiculously expensive, and 2) the distributor can only be serviced after removing the engine box.
The Lesson: Mechanics routinely replaced the points, rotor and condenser because they were relatively cheap and wear or defects especially may not be apparent on the rotor or condenser.