Coil hot -- new one to me...

[dpb]

OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc., all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or experience such a thing before?

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[Doug Miller]

Internal short in the coil?

[dpb]

Got me...I suppose it might somehow be possible, but surely new symptom to me.

I took positive lead off and charged battery -- guess I'll go try cranking and see if there's any spark -- I disconnected stuff last night to be sure it didn't sit there and somehow heat up to a problem point. Since it didn't fire at all, I'm now thinking it probably wasn't sparking--I was thinking fuel last night when first messing around...

If so, seems like pretty bizarre failure while sitting when drove it in and parked it.

Maybe somebody else will come along and have had similar experience in past...

[dpb]

Ah...not bad! :)

It's a hybrid ignition w/ solid-state "points" module in distributor -- although a failure there seems more likely than the coil itself...

Gee, wonder what the chances of NAPA having one of them puppies in stock is? :)

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[trainfan1]

Points stuck closed or shorted.

Rob

[RBM]

I've had welded points overheat and fry a coil. Check to see that the module is opening and closing the ignition circuit, then check to see that the coil is still good

[dpb]

I'll have to do some larnin' to figure out how to do that specifically, but I suspect I already know the answer since I don't have spark.

It's a failure mode w/ points and the solid-state modules I hadn't run across before...

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[RBM]

The points or the module should open and close to complete the circuit furnishing voltage to the primary side of the coil. If you have a low voltage test lamp with alligator clips, attach the clips to the two primary terminals of the coil, and with ignition on and the sparkplugs removed, slowly crank the engine. The test light should go on and off as you crank. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the module or points or the wiring involved in that circuit