Why is it always weird stuff that breaks?

[Lynn Eades]

I spent a bit of time on the Ford Barn Forum and I learned:
1.That a lot of people are having trouble with modern condensers.
2. That many Ford coils fail, even NOS ones, because the insulation breaks down. (they often work until they get hot)
3 that modern contact sets (points) fail due to the springs.
4. A bloke called Skip Haney (famous on Fordbarn for rebuilding water pumps) also rebuilds the Ford coils.
5. A lot of other useful stuff that Chev guys wouldn't understand. (I'm not really deep into this brand war)
6. That our Forum is a gem of good manners and friendly to all.

Some of the above swayed me into the Petronix set up for which I have no regrets about. All you need is a reasonable condition dizzy and the cam doesn't need to be perfect. The module just senses off of the lobe- nothing touches it. You do need the advance system to be in good nick.
I have a Crab dizzy in which the new base plate incorporates the front bearing (a plus!)
As Tony points out, there is no Condenser in the system. Two wires come out of the module (dizzy) and both go to opposite sides of the coil.
Sadly Petronix don't know me, and I don't get anything for the promo, however some of my friends will have a more satisfying trouble free Ford.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Thanks Lynn. I'm a little bipolar having a Chev and a Ford and honestly understand (and can fix) the Chev much easier. Modern knock-off replacement parts are a worry and make those modern work-arounds that much easier to accept. MV people are a small subset of antique car owners. Are they dealing with the same problems?

[chris vickery]

95% of Ford flathead ignition problems usually come down to bad coils.
At least, that was always my experience and that of countless other flatly enthusiasts.
The usually scenario involves a vehicle which starts and runs great until it starts misfiring or otherwise running like a POS.
I’ve had guys argue with me black was white when I offered up the suggestion that the coil was to blame.
Doesn’t matter whether or not it is NOS, old or modern replacement. Once cooks get hot ignition will break down if it is compromised.
The worst ones are the divers helmet first series, as they sit right on the dizzy where it’s hot to start with.
I always changed over any ford flatty to the crab type to get the coil up and out of the way to keep it cool

[Jordan Baker]

Here is the new made condenser and how it fits into the distributor.

[Lynn Eades]

So Jordan, as it is not round, it is unlikely to contain rolled up tin foil and wax paper. By what means does it achieve its necessary characteristics? (capacitance)
The capacitance (measured in microfarads) is important. Being not enough, or too much, will cause the transfer of material one way or the other at the contacts, markedly shortening the life of the contact set. British Fords around the 1970s used to have the mfds painted or stamped on the condenser body (eg. 7 mfd, 8 mfd) I think I have owned flathead v8 condensers similarly marked.

[Jordan Baker]

Lynn

This thread talks about them at length

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads...Number/1388813

[Jesse Browning]

I’ve always stayed away from NOS or old ignition capacitors. They don’t age well. The electrolyte evaporates. They may work when cool, but the value changes when they heat up. Then your left stranded some distance from home. I’ve known more than one person on MV forums who had a “wont run when hot” problem that spent thousands chasing down vapor lock, replacing carbs, fuel lines, fuel pumps, and fuel tanks when the problem was a $5 condenser. I’ve always told people to buy a new condenser, but now that’s not the solution either. BTW. The electronic replacement module has capacitors. Maybe hundreds of them. You just can’t see them.