Hello, I was driving my Beetle down the hwy at.

Tiny
MKIMBRELL
  • MEMBER
  • 1974 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
  • 150,000 MILES
Hello, I was driving my beetle down the hwy at 60 mph and it just cut off. It turns over but is getting absolutly no fire. It is not a gas problem as I am getting gas. I replaced the coil, points, condenser, distibutor cap. I am getting 12 volts to the coil but I am not getting a spark AT ALL from the coil to dist. I am completly stumped. I have replaced the high voltage wire as well to the distibutor. Can anyone help?
Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 9:47 PM

44 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,796 POSTS
What about the harness to the distributor?

Roy
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 9:48 PM
Tiny
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Are you talking about the wire running from the coil to the distributor?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 9:58 PM
Tiny
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From the coil to the points

Roy
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 9:58 PM
Tiny
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Yes sir, I replaced this as well. It was the last thing I replaced thinking that I have missed something this simple. Also I have another simptom that may help diagnose the problem. When it was running, it would start just fine and run like a champ for 15 minutes but once it warmed up it would load up with fuel and backfire and want to cut off until it cooled back down. Then like I said it eventually cut off and now wont even spark out of the coil. I don't know if this helps?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:05 PM
Tiny
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When it wont start, is there still 12 volts to the plus side of the coil?

Roy
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:06 PM
Tiny
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Yes, I have 12 volts to the plus side or post 15 of the coil but nothing coming out.
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:11 PM
Tiny
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  • 1,883 POSTS
Coil "neg" needs to be able to get ground in the distributor via the points. Scuff the points with a file or sandpaper.

Also make sure that the points actually get ground (mounted to the vacuum advance / retard plate. There should be a bare wire that is attached to the
plate and the distributor body.

Make sure the cam lobes have not worn flat. You would have seen that though when checking / adjusting point gap.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:22 PM
Tiny
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Attach a test light to coil "neg" and ground the other end to a good ground.

Key ON - light should be ON if points are open.

Turn engine by hand (turn alternator pulley). Light should go off / on whenever the points close / open.

If not, check what I posted above.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:34 PM
Tiny
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Thomas, I have brand new points in and I will take your advice on scuffing the points. Would the suggestions you made have any bearing on why the coil is not throwing ANY spark? What I mean by this is I can pull the high voltage wire off the top of the distibutor, stick a screw driver in the wire, turn the engine over and it is throwing absolutly nothing out. Im not getting an arking spark at all. This is with the old and the new coil.
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:39 PM
Tiny
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That's why you want to attach a test light to coil negative. It the light is always ON, then the points are not grounding out.

If the points don't ground out, no spark is produced.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:43 PM
Tiny
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Great man! I appreciate your help on this. I will try this tomorrow during the day and report back here for sure to let you know. You can probably tell that I am not too mechanically inclined but let me see if I understand you correctly on the grounded points. When I purchased a set of new points, there was a wire already attached to them and then they plugged into a prong inside where the points set. Is this the grounding wire?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:54 PM
Tiny
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No, that wire attaches to the condensor wire, which attaches to the coil NEG terminal. This is still the "power" side.

The points mount to the distributor. There has to be metal to metal contact for the point to ground out.

Look for another wire. It should be bare and attached to the plate that the points attach to.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 10:59 PM
Tiny
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Ok, Im going to run out and test this now with the test light and look for this wire. I will be back in a few. You have been very helpful and appreciate your time thusfar. I will be back in a few.
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:03 PM
Tiny
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Ok man, I don't what this means but the NEGATIVE or terminal 1 is not testing at all. I cannot get a light to come on period. The test light comes on with the wire on 15 or the ignition wire so my light is good and I have the ignition "on" but I cannot get the test light to come on at all on the negative side of the coil. I don't know what this means. I did turn the pulley to make sure that the points were not contacting or to make sure the engine was not in the cycle where the light should NOT be on.?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:21 PM
Tiny
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If the light does not come on, then that means your points (negative side of the coil) are always grounded.

To be sure, disconnect the green condenser wire from the coil. Re-attach the test light to coil neg and see if the light now comes ON when the key
is ON. If yes, then the coil is good, if no, then the coil has an open.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:24 PM
Tiny
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My wire is red but it is the only one that runs from the side of the distibutor to the negative side of the coil so I believe you are referring to this wire. Yes, when I take this wire off and now nothing is attached to the negative side of the coil, the test light still does not come on. This is the new coil as well. Could this mean that the new coil is bad? Also, is there a way that I could test the old coil to see if it is bad without having to place it back in the vehicle?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:38 PM
Tiny
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Also, ya know my "know it all brother" came down when I first started having trouble with the car and just after I bought the new coil and he wanted to replace the coil (since he can do everything) and when he did he placed the ignition wire, originally to the Negative side of the coil and burned the set of NEW points up that I had in there then. Due to this, I had to go buy ANOTHER set of new points since it fried the wire that is inside attached to the points. Would this have possible fried the coil as well?
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:41 PM
Tiny
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You are not using a magnetic pick-up are you? Usually the condenser wire is green.

You can do the same test with the old coil without mounting it. Just attach Ignition + wire to #15 and attach your test light to the - of the coil.

If you have time, take pictures of various components and post them here so I can see.

Thomas
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:43 PM
Tiny
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You can install a coil backwards. It will not produce as much power, but should not burn out.
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:45 PM
Tiny
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I am not sure about the magnetic pick up as to what his is. I will take pictures now and up load them. Take me about 15 minutes
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Sunday, December 30th, 2012 AT 11:47 PM

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