Condenser trouble ?

[Frank Gooz]

My 1950 Dodge Coronet with a Gyromatic transmission dies, But restarts sort of easy, i can only drive very slow after this happens.

I am looking for help to find what is making the condenser go out. I feel this happens to my car after driving on the freeway. 

After i bought this car an older man, friend of the family said when he was a kid no one liked the old Dodge because the condensers always go out. They think it had to do with the shifting of the transmission. ( ignition stopping and stating )

I have not seen any common post here about this. I think there is some thing out of wrong with my car that i can not find or know what to look for.

Do any of you have leads for me to check PLEASE

 

Thank you

 

[Sniper]

Well, anecdotal evidence isn't evidence, it's gossip, hearsay at best.  As you say you haven't seen posts about that here where the opinion is probably more informed than the average joe in this regard.

 

A good capacitor tester, which is all a condenser is, will tell you what your condenser is reading.  However, a good one is not cheap. 

 

A nice write up on the subject

 

https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ignition/ig129.htm

 

One issue with NOS condensers is that the insulating paper between the plates ages and starts to fail, when the cap shorts out and you have issues with your ignition. 

 

 

[Tom Skinner]

From the Book: Automotive Trouble Shooting for WW2 Wheeled Vehicles, Volume 1, by Robert Notman. Page 27, and page 28.

"To test the Condenser without removing it from the Distributor, crank the engine until the fiber rubber block of the points in the distributor is midway between two lobes of the cam. Turn the vehicle ignition on and snap the contact points open and closed by hand. Observe the contact points for evidence of flash. No arcing across the points indicate a grounded condenser. A slight flash indicate a normal condenser."

I know this sound quite simple, however it is also quite a cheap way to test for a condenser that needs replacing.

Also check all pigtails in the distributor. Frayed wires can ground out stuff in there.

Tom

[greg g]

I also believe you can remove the condenser from the circuit.  This should allow the car to start and run.  The caution is that prolonged operation will shorten the life of the points.  But is should suffice as a limp home mode so further troubleshooting can proceed without intervention from a flatbed.