Ignition Questions and Answers

I accidentally attached the wire from the ignition switch to the wrong side of the coil.

Probably blown the condenser. My guess is the coil will have survived. If you have a multimeter, you can test the primary 12 volt circuit (the and + connections). Zero resistance means it's blown -- any resistance means the circuit is still intact. the secondary (high voltage) circuit will be OK it's unlikely to be affected by a blown primary circuit, so you won't need to check this (if you want to, you check between the centre electrode and earth and you'll need to use a high resistance scale I forget the range it should be in, but much higher than the primary.

Also have a look at the little (should be black) wire on the points -- this might have melted. Also check the fuses quite possibly blown one of these too.

Also check the wiring to the idle cut off and choke -- cross wiring might have cooked these.

Condenser, the points wire in the dizzy, and the fuse are the most likely damaged parts.

One easy check (so you don't "shock" yourself with the main coil wire), is to use a spare plug on any of the plug leads and rest the plug on some exposed metal, such as against the inlet manifold near the plug holes. You should get a spark, and it's easy to see if it's in the shadow down there.

Replace the ignition cap and rotor: three minutes (give or take). Bosch is the ONLY brand of these parts that I recommend you install. Leave the clear distributor caps for the show cars (they run like crap). Make sure you switch wires one at a time!!

I am searching for an answer to my ignition problem. I have power going to my coil but it is not making it to the plugs. I have replaced the rotor, points and condenser. Is their any other checks I can do on the condenser or something else?

Disconnect one side of the coil (either one) and put an ohm meter across the primary terminal ( + and -). You should get 3-4 ohms. If it's either high or no resistance, the primary coil is shot and you'll get no sparks from that coil.

If the resistance is OK, then he could try wiring a spare plug to the centre wire, resting it on the case and turning the ignition. Should get a nice stream of sparks at the plug (all four cylinders worth). If not, then the problem is in the secondary (high voltage) winding of the coil. Replacement coil should fix either of these problems.

I read in a Clymer Manual that I could have shorted out my distributor, does that mean the points and condenser? I assume so -- I don't really know. The term "shorted out" would obviously refer to the electrical components -- I'll bet they're talking about the cap.

The only way of "shorting the distributor" is to put the wires incorrectly on the coil - reversing the + and - connections so the current is flowing the wrong way through the points. This can blow the condenser, and may cause pitting or burning of the points (obvious to look at).

I have an old distributor with the single vacuum line and one wire coming out from the condenser. I didn't want to change it out for a newer one.

Absolutely not! This is a Single Vacuum Dual Advance (SVDA) distributor, the best match for the 30 and 34 PICT carburetors. Don't let someone try to talk you into a 009 centrifugal advance distributor!

You may be talking about some later VW distributors with a different condenser arrangement. Some use the canister as one side of the circuit - so it's firmly attached to the distributor body. Some use a "two wire" condenser and that has to have one wire attached to the condenser and the other to the coil (as normal). Electrically, either will work.