Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

[HairyDave]

Hello, My Marina 1800TC Roadster ,bought as a non running project has chucked up a problem . I have been sorting out loads of little electrical faults. Now I have power from ign switch to the coil,13v. but the coil is a Motorcraft 79BB-12024-AA The label is torn but it may say 12V and a bit of '..ctronic ign..' . I don't appear to have a ballasted 9v supply. Does this coil need to be ballasted or will it run on 12 V? Great fun other peoples wiring , not!
Dave

[philcoyle]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

Well can I call you Dave? The intriguing part is the "ctronic ign" as not all coils fit all ignition types. Depending on what ignition system you have, points, capacitor discharge, magic eye, electronic etc. Coils for electronic ign work differently to coils for points and other modified systems, so it's always best to match up your system with the appropriate coil. Also bear in mind the age of the coil, its history (has it been fried by leaving the ignition on or clumsy fingers dropped it ) for £20 or so I would go for new, and peace of mind.

[HairyDave]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

Hi Phil. I have points ignition but what I don't know is if what I have ,worked. The car has been standing for a couple of years outside under a tarp. Switches didn't work ,bad connections etc. I don't even know if the loom is from an 1800TC or a different Marina. So it's back to basics. I did think of stripping all the wiring out and rewiring it but I bottled out of that. I am on a tight budget but I think you're right ,a new coil would be best. Then try and start it. I plan to do a 'Story so far' for Pitstop when I get it running and before I do the suspension, the front is bottomed and may always have been looking at the scrapes on the sump. Brakes, upholstery, trim and so on.

[b_caswell]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

The normal 12v coil has a resistance of 3 ohms a ballasted col is 1.5 across the connections.

[philcoyle]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

Your "ctronic" coil is from a 85-89 Ford Granada, Sierra, so it is probably a good idea to source a coil for your particular engine and ignition system. You could try wiring the coil straight to the battery ( hot wire it) and spin the engine up. This may help http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk don't forget to check if you are neg or pos earth.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

The standard Marina Inition Coil used across the Mk2 cars is a GCL 110, common to many other cars. It has a few variants, most notably for cold weather and high performance. Rimmer Brothers can supply.
It is not uncommon for the HT coil to develop a fault, that can only be detected at high voltages it internally sparks. The low resistance of the resistance LT coil can be a bit arbitrary due to very small variations in a multimeters test lead connections.

[HairyDave]

Re: Ignition coil what is it,what should it be?

Many thanks to all. I have decided to bite the bullet and buy a new coil. I have the rest of the wiring in the dash area to sort out yet. Onward and sideways.
Dave