65 442: difference between a condenser and a capacitor
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 35
65 442: difference between a condenser and a capacitor
My wife's 65 442 is all original.
it has a what appears to be condenser or capacitors at verious locations in the charging and ignition system.
what are the differences between capacitors and condensers. Many cars i have observed have them while others do not.
I've looked in the service manual and the parts manuals and have no luck trying to figure out what it needs and where.
Where in the service manual can I find more about these vexing little jewels.
I've seen vendors selling sets of three for our cars. Which is which. How are they tested ? I know and understand so little about them that I am asking for help and clarification.
Thank you and happy holidays.
it has a what appears to be condenser or capacitors at verious locations in the charging and ignition system.
what are the differences between capacitors and condensers. Many cars i have observed have them while others do not.
I've looked in the service manual and the parts manuals and have no luck trying to figure out what it needs and where.
Where in the service manual can I find more about these vexing little jewels.
I've seen vendors selling sets of three for our cars. Which is which. How are they tested ? I know and understand so little about them that I am asking for help and clarification.
Thank you and happy holidays.
Running On Empty
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 25,376
From: Earth
What you're reading is nothing more than changes in nomenclature. A condenser is a capacitor. Condenser is an older term while capacitor is a newer term. A capacitor (condenser) stores energy. What type energy is what's often confusing. The confusion (I suspect) arises from the purpose of the capacitor relative to where it is being employed within a circuit. It can be used to (trap) store/suppress electrical noise; yet, it can (also) be employed to hold/maintain electrical energy to start a device i.e. an AC motor.
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,659
From: Norfolk, Va
Only the names have been changed, to protect the innocent.
A "condenser" is an electrolytic capacitor designed specifically to be used in a breaker (points) style ignition distributor. When the points in the distributor open, the electricity tries to continue flowing across the air gap and burns the contacts. The condenser has a much lower resistance to the electrical flow and absorbs the electrical energy. The name has been used since before modern solid-state electronics were invented.
The addition of radios to automobiles led to the addition of "capacitors". They do the same thing for other electrical devices that cause RF Noise which interferes with the listening pleasure of the radio. Anything that opens and closes an electrical connection creates an RF Spike that can be collected and then heard through the radio. Capacitors absorb the electrical energy, exactly like the condenser.
Same device, same job, different name.
A "condenser" is an electrolytic capacitor designed specifically to be used in a breaker (points) style ignition distributor. When the points in the distributor open, the electricity tries to continue flowing across the air gap and burns the contacts. The condenser has a much lower resistance to the electrical flow and absorbs the electrical energy. The name has been used since before modern solid-state electronics were invented.
The addition of radios to automobiles led to the addition of "capacitors". They do the same thing for other electrical devices that cause RF Noise which interferes with the listening pleasure of the radio. Anything that opens and closes an electrical connection creates an RF Spike that can be collected and then heard through the radio. Capacitors absorb the electrical energy, exactly like the condenser.
Same device, same job, different name.
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