48 Ford F1 with 460 V8 Electrical issues

Hi
I recently bought a 1948 Ford F1 with a 460 v8 under the hood I can crank it over, but get no spark. I put a new coil in as the old one was missing. The former owner bought it running six years ago. So I replaced the coil, (it has a standard ignition) and checked for spark - none. The wire going to the + side of the coil is hot and registers 12volts on the meter, with the key on. If I cross the coil to the negative side of the coil with the meter going from positive to negative, I get o volts. I'm thinking the wiring in the distributor may be wrong but lack a schematic to go from here, any advice would be appreciated. Steve.

Steve: By standard ignition I am going to assume you mean points, not electronic........if so, good. Much easier IMO to troubleshoot.

If that is the case, pull your distributor cap and rotor. What you want to determine is if the points are getting juice. If you have one of those handy $ 5 circuit testers that look like an icepick with a wire and alligator clip coming out of the handle, hook the alligator clip to a solid ground, like a bracket on the engine. Now, put the points on the cam lobe so they are open. Turn on the key and check again for voltage at the + side of the coil. If you have current there, move into the distributor for the next step.

Take your probe and touch it to the wire that is attached to your points. If the points are open you should have current. You can also test for current by closing the points, and with the key on use a small flat screwdriver to open and close the points. You should see a spark when you do that.

If you are getting no spark, disconnect the wire on the - side of the coil (the one that goes into the distributor) and try now to see if there is current at that neg post. If the coil is good you should have 12 volts there.

If I assumed wrong and you have electronic ignition, forget all of that, and let us know. I think you have either a bad condensor or the points are not doing their job because they are stuck or too wide or corroded. Everything inside the distributor has to be clean and adjusted right to work.

Report back on what you get when you try all of this and we'll go from there.

Don

Don,
I did what you advised, we have juice to both sides of the coil but no juice to the points, or black wire on negative side of coil. I think maybe the black distributor wire is bad, as I know the coil, points and condensor are brand new. The black wire from the distributor looked old, with a spliced end on it. I took the splice off and connected directly to the coil, with no luck, so tomarrow I'll make a new black wire and see if that makes any difference. Any other advice you have would be appreciated. Thanks, Steve.

Steve, so if I am understanding you, the negative terminal on the coil has juice, but none of it is coming through the black wire that enters the distributor? If that is the case, either the wire is bad or the end is corroded. Also check to make sure your distributor has a good ground through the clamp down. Remove the clamp and clean up under it with some sandpaper, especially where it contacts the base of the distributor.

Sounds like you are getting close to a solution. :D

Don