I have a 1954 Ford Mainline. I have changed everything - distributor advance, resistor, coil, etc. I get 6 volts going into the coil, but nothing is coming out. The coil wire is not powering, I get no power to the distributor -points. I need help.
In order for a coil to fire it needs get a ground which it does every time the points close…A ‘54 was originally Positive ground and if you changed to Neg. Ground that can be part of the issue…
Disconnect the coil wire going to the distributor, do you now have 6 volts at that coil terminal? If you do, the coil is probably fine. If you don't, the coil has an open circuit in the primary winding. If you see 6 volts at both terminals with the distributor wire disconnected, you have a short to ground in the circuit and/or the distributor. Re-connect the wire to the coil and bump the engine over until the points are open. If you now have zero volts at that coil terminal, that will verify the short. The next step would be to disconnect the primary wire at the points. If the terminal at the coil terminal stays at zero volts, the short is in the primary wire. If the coil terminal goes to 6 volts either the points or the condenser is shorted.
Since as you say no voltage is coming out of the coil wire the fault lays somewhere in the primary ignition wiring circuit. Since you've only one (1) post here we've no idea of your general experience level. One thing I noticed about contact points though - they can be "here today, gone tomorrow", meaning they can get a layer of skunge on them from humidity or whatever very quickly even overnight and they will not work. Run a point file lightly over the contacts. This might hold true for new or never used points too.
Just because your picking up voltage does not mean you have sufficient current to power the coil. Run a jumper wire from the battery's positive+ to the coils positive + And see if she fires or at least shakes a little showing your getting power.. Positive ground systems leave too much room for error.. If the points are relatively new, I would set them with the feeler gauge, this will get it going until you can put a dwell meter on it..
If you did not change the system over the most evident item would be the current position of the battery cables with the + cable going to ground as @Bangingoldtin said. If the previous owner changed the system over to - ground then the - battery cable will go to ground and the +cable will go to the solenoid and other power supply connections such as the fuse box. If you are unsure then a little detective work will confirm what system is currently in use. Being you are from Europe, France specifically. Your vehicle could have been imported recently and have been through several unknown to you upgrades in it's life.
Ok…it’s negative ground…so it’s been modified from its original design. So try adding a temporary ground from battery negative to the base of the distributor and see if it will start. Otherwise the points are the first place to start. Take the cap off and the rotor…then safely have somebody crank the engine and look to see if the points are opening and closing…if that checks then look at the carbon button in the top of the cap that touches the upper most part of the rotor and make sure the button is there and in good shape. Then inspect the rotor and make sure the spring steel piece hasn’t been bent or collapsed. Maybe even bend it up a little to make sure it’s touching the carbon button inside the cap. Report back. The temporary ground to the base of the distributor can simply be a wire with alligator clips on both ends.
If you have voltage on the ignition switch side of the coil, but none on the other side of the coil, it could be a number of things. @jaracer gave you a good outline of what the issues could be. Keep in mind that when the points are closed the voltage should be zero on the "points" side of the coil. The troubleshooting methods are exactly the same whether positive or negative ground. I'd be interested in your reasoning for this comment. @75Mike is the person with the "no voltage" issue. Confirming that the points are opening and closing does not rule out a shorted condenser nor a short somewhere between the coil and the distributor. @greaser 35 was asking how to determine whether his car was positive or negative ground. Sometimes a hijack in a thread causes confusion.
A simple bad ground at the distributor can cause a no start…all the points are doing is providing the coil a ground to fire the high voltage wire from the coil to the distributor to spark the plugs…
This is true, but not applicable to the problem the O/P is having. A bad ground on the distributor would mean there is no path to ground for the "points" side of the coil, so both sides of the coil would read the same voltage.
That could well be. Or a shorted condenser, or the points adjusted wrong, or a short to ground on the wire from the coil to the distributor, or a short within the distributor. Do this: Remove your distributor, leave it connected but lay it on a rubber mat or something that will insulate it from the rest of the car (ie, no ground on the distributor). Now turn on your ignition. You will have voltage on both sides of the coil (IF it's a good coil), whether the points are open or closed, or if you have a shorted condenser. Hell, if your points are closed the body of the distributor will read 12 volts. Prove me wrong.
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