Point problem

[TTodd]

The point on my 61 six cylinder L ark will only last six or seven hundred mile before burning up. I' curently runing a autolite distributer. The bushings are good and it hold a very steady dwell. Should there be a resister on the key side of the coil. The car starts and runs realy great till the point give it up What am I doing wrong.

Thank Tony

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

[N8N]

Yes. with a stock coil you should have maybe 9V at the points with the key on. However I think you should actually have a resistance wire from the key switch, is it pink in color? Also make sure that your condenser is good, and that if you have a RFI suppression cap on the coil, that it is connected to the POSITIVE terminal (if it is on the neg. terminal it will work in parallel with the one in the distributor effectively doubling its value, causing the points to wear out quickly)

just a couple things to check...

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[DEEPNHOCK]

Put a voltmeter on the primary wire to the distributor.
If it reads 12 volts, then you need to add a resistor wire, or a ballast resistor, or a resistor coil.
The points should only see around 7&1/2 volts.
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by TTodd

The point on my 61 six cylinder L ark will only last six or seven hundred mile before burning up. I' curently runing a autolite distributer. The bushings are good and it hold a very steady dwell. Should there be a resister on the key side of the coil. The car starts and runs realy great till the point give it up What am I doing wrong.

Thank Tony

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

DEEPNHOCK at Cox.net
'37 Coupe Express
'37 Coupe Express Trailer
'61 Hawk

http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[TTodd]

It has about 11 volts dead cold warmed up depending on the rpm of the motor any where from 8 to 9 volts by my Raido Shack meter. The last set of points and condenser were put in new I guess maybe they don't make'm like they used to. All of the old chevys and dodges Iv'e worked on generaly cut it back to around 6 volts. If you add a risister should you add a bypass wire for hot starts for a full 12 volts to the coil?

Thanks Tony

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

[DEEPNHOCK]

Yessir.. You described the solution very nicely.
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by TTodd

It has about 11 volts dead cold warmed up depending on the rpm of the motor any where from 8 to 9 volts by my Raido Shack meter. The last set of points and condenser were put in new I guess maybe they don't make'm like they used to. All of the old chevys and dodges Iv'e worked on generaly cut it back to around 6 volts. If you add a risister should you add a bypass wire for hot starts for a full 12 volts to the coil?

Thanks Tony

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

DEEPNHOCK at Cox.net
'37 Coupe Express
'37 Coupe Express Trailer
'61 Hawk

http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[Roscomacaw]

Your car SHOULD have a pink (resistor-type) wire from the key switch to the coil. If it's not pink then you probably need a resistor. Your car should also have a bypass circuit already incorporated and fed from the little "I" terminal on your starter solenoid.
Also, a bad condensor can cause points to arc excessively and fail in quick fashion.

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[Tom Bredehoft]

Coils are avalable with built in resistors. I found one at Advance. Also verify that the wire from the coil to the points has the same polarity as the ground wire on the battery. In other words, if the ground cable on the battery connects to the negative (-) terminal, so should the distributor wire be attached to the negative (-) terminal on the coil.

Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'60 Lark VI
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[TTodd]

Thanks for the help. I'll get the od Lark in the shop today and get it sorted out. Willy Wirehand the wireing wizzard had a hold of this car before I got so no telling what I might find.

Thanks Tony

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

[Dick Steinkamp]

quote:Originally posted by Tom B

Coils are avalable with built in resistors.

Do these defeat the purpose of a full 12V for better starts or is there some way to wire around the resistor to provide 12V when the starter is engaged?

Thanks,
-Dick-

[Transtar60]

My understanding is that the bypass circuit on Studebakers is engaged during the start cycle via the fender mounted starter solenoid(red white wire??).

[N8N]

the white w/red tracer wire is the one coming from the ignition switch "start" position, it's the other small wire (green I think?) that goes from the starter solenoid to the coil.

If you are standing on the driver's side of the car, looking down at the inner fender, the rear terminal should have the ignition switch wire, and the front one should have the bypass wire.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[Roscomacaw]

Green & black wire. Dick, that'd be a fair question, eh?[:0]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS