Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Can a condenser get weak or do they just go completely bad?
- Thread starter Anonymous-0
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Stephen Newell
Well-known Member
Yes they can get weak and also go completely bad. It doesn"t happen too often but I normally change the condenser every time I change the points to be sure.
Tom in TN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern Middle Tennessee
Hunting,
They can go bad slowly. The NORMAL failure mode for a capacitor (condenser) is a short. When that happens, the short is around the breaker points, so its like the points are closed all of the time.
If the short inside the condenser isn't a complete short, you'll have a parallel path for current flow around the points, so the coil won't be completely charged and it won't completely discharge.
Condensers don't fail VERY often, but it is always good to replace them when you replace the points or when you suspect that they might be bad.
Tom in TN
They can go bad slowly. The NORMAL failure mode for a capacitor (condenser) is a short. When that happens, the short is around the breaker points, so its like the points are closed all of the time.
If the short inside the condenser isn't a complete short, you'll have a parallel path for current flow around the points, so the coil won't be completely charged and it won't completely discharge.
Condensers don't fail VERY often, but it is always good to replace them when you replace the points or when you suspect that they might be bad.
Tom in TN
Problem is the new one can be junk.My condenser is on year 24.As long as you dont see metal transfer on the points the condenser is ok.I had a Model A that would travel about a 1000 feet then skip and die.Mimics a gas problem. Let it cool and go back home, it stalled again.New condenser fixed it.A condensers worst enemy is moisture getting inside.Ford used oil filled condensers in the 50s and 60s.
Janicholson
Well-known Member
They can be difficult to diagnose, but they go bad about every 50 years. How often do we change them in electric motors or radios. They never get replaced by me unless they show issues or do not work. I keep a known good one in the glove box, or in the barn if one goes bad, but i have found more bad new ones than I have replaced (when I replaced them as a part of a dealership tuneup). Jim
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Can a bad one mimic a carb problem?. Sputtering til it finally dies?
Tom in TN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern Middle Tennessee
I've screwed around with 'lectrics and 'lectronics since 1960 and the only capacitor I've actually SEEN that failed was in an old tube type ham radio receiver. The capacitor was a a filter capacitor in the power supply. When it would short out, it produced a VERY LOUD hum in the earphones that I used to listen to the radio. It would jar my head from the loud hum.
From the reports of you other guys though, it sounds like the new capacitors might cause much more trouble than the old ones did.
Tom in TN
From the reports of you other guys though, it sounds like the new capacitors might cause much more trouble than the old ones did.
Tom in TN
Janicholson
Well-known Member
Yes. Jim
Condensor also known as capacitor can short, open, or change capacitance. If value changes transfer of metal from one side of contact to other may reverse, depending on change. If shorted all voltage just goes to ground and no spark occurs. If open it is like broken wire and again, nothing happens. Condensor or capacitor is defined as two plates separated by dielectric(insulator). It function in ignition by charging and discharging according to points being opened and closed. Hope this helps, explaining is not my forte. If I remember right this is how it goes. If not, sorry I am 68. Dave
MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Condenser can fail catastrophically, or they can change value. It's fairly rare for automotive condensers to fail, and they don't typically change value enough to make much difference. If the value has changed significantly it will cause the points to burn.
Condensors in electronic devices (we call them capacitors) fail fairly often, typically because of over-voltage. They can fail either shorted or open, although they usually don't stay shorted for long because current through a shorted cap will blow it open.
Condensors in electronic devices (we call them capacitors) fail fairly often, typically because of over-voltage. They can fail either shorted or open, although they usually don't stay shorted for long because current through a shorted cap will blow it open.
You forgot leakage problems.I worked on a 51 Plymouth radio that had bad leakage in all capacitors.Capacitors that had been replaced before showed leakage.The filter cap was letting vibrator noise thru.The old radio came back to life as each bad cap was replaced.Then there are capacitors that lose value as they age.
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