1984 4k - no start

[Huw Powell]

> I cleaned up the grounds - put 2 new grounds in, one direct from the
> batt to the valve cover and one from the valve cover to the body up
> front.

And I think you said you ran a big one from battery to block.  That's 
the one that works the starter motor.

> Started, ran better - but still had a very slight hesitation when
> cruising. So I thought I'd clean up the contacts on the coil its self -
> busted one of the posts :( - but I had a new coil that I had bought and
> had tested with.

You bought a coil when so many of us have boxes of old good parts? 
Heck, I think I put an Audi coil on my '57 Trojan loader!  OK, no, I 
only used an Audi coil bracket.

> The new coil had a slightly different set of posts for the (-) neg side
> - so I switched them.

Yeah, I've seen that.

> Now I have no-start again...so I thought, let me see if I'm getting
> anything to the distributor - I don't really understand how the power
> flows to the/from the coil/distributor - but I thought that if I put a
> test light on the wire that goes to the distributor I'd see it light up
> - I don't. 

Ignition is pretty simple, really.  12v to coil, builds field in primary 
winding.  Then transistor (or points.... sorry) ground the primary, 
sending 12-30,000 volts out the secondary to the distributor and 
hopefully at the same time to a spark plug.

Basic coil test is to measure the two resistances (pri and sec).  If 
they are in spec, coil is good.

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/