GasWorksGarage

Hello,

I have a 37 olds that will not start cranks fine but no spark. I don't seem to have juice at the coil. Where to start?

thanks in advance

MDchanic

I believe that these are Negative ground - Correct?

Run a jumper from the (+) battery terminal to the (+) coil terminal and see if you get spark.

After that, see whether you have power to the IGN wire coming out of the ignition switch when the ignition is switched On.

Welcome to ClassicOlds.

- Eric

GasWorksGarage

Hello,

no its a negative ground. There is only 1 terminal on the coil. I will take a picture and post later

oldcutlass

Is this your coil? The positive side is on the back.

Tedd Thompson

Just a guess but the coil is probably grounded through the coil case (holder).You may need to clean up the coil and its attachments to complete the circuit if they are painted or rusty.... Just a thought.... Tedd

Charlie Jones

To remove the cover from the coil , slide a thin blade knife between the coil body and the cover . rotate the coil body counterclockwise to remove it from the cover .
You may have to try several places around the coil to find the place where it releases .

GasWorksGarage

Ok I got the cover off and I have juice going to the coil but nothing coming out. Can I replace this coil with a standard coil?

MDchanic

I do not know '37s specifically, but you should be able to get it to run with a generic 6v (Volkswagen) coil.

Do you have an external ballast resistor?

If so, you need to get a coil made to use with a resistor (will say "USE WITH RESISTOR" on the case), if not get a coil with an internal resistor.

- Eric

oldcutlass

First I would remove the wire from the negative side of the coil, turn the key on and then momentarily ground negative side of the coil with a jumper and see if you get spark. It could possibly be an issue inside the distributor.

MDchanic

At this point, I think it's fair to recommend reading through this thread:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-ignition.html


- Eric

GasWorksGarage

I did this no spark. I see a voltage regulator but I don't see a ballast. I have a bunch of 6 volt coils we use on the model A's. they should work correct?

oldcutlass

Yes, a model A coil will work.

MDchanic

... But not a model T coil.

And a Model A coil may tend to overheat or become otherwise overloaded, so be circumspect.

- Eric

GasWorksGarage

they are modern 6 Volt coils

MDchanic

Okay. I've seen them in their original setting, but I haven't seen any new ones.

The Flathead-8 coil is a Bakelite affair full of tar that can get finicky after ¾ of a century or so.

- Eric

Charlie Jones

If you don't want to "mickey mouse" around with what may or may not be the correct coil , there is this original;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DELC...3D162226325714

You might want to make an offer on this , it has been re-listed several times , each time at a lower price.