After my car quit running I replaced the points even though they did not look bad , replaced the condenser, replaced the coil new plugs. I had spark but car would not start and if you got lucky and it tried ru rough few seconds and die. So I finally went out to look at it first time sense Thanksgiving. Bottom line I the tune up had 2,000 miles on it to at the advise of a ford guy he said try another condenser even though I had put on a new one. It started right up and now I’ve test drove 50 miles seems to run great. I been getting my parts through filling station. Anyone else have bad new condenser or not last long before going bad. Any other sources out there ?. I read the the Chevy condenser is 0.22 if as the value. I currently have one for a 28 to 31 model A with the same .022 value. The model A say they hardly have problems with this condenser so I put it on my Chevy. Any body try any other year condenser with any luck. Here is a photo of the condenser I’m trying.
Ignition condensers are pretty infamous about being bad out of the box. Most are made in China now. There was a guy over on stovebolt.com who was making condensers by hand and was getting good feedback about them. I don't remember his handle but a search over there should turn him up.
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Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet
1938 Master Business Coupe
1953 210 Sedan
@tiny Thanks. I read lot more are bad then good even when new.
Hi Kevin
If an engine is running reasonably well, I no longer replace the condenser at tune up time UNLESS I see signs of considerable transfer of metal from one contact to the other on the points.
My uncle taught me this decades ago as the chances of getting a condenser out of a new box that was better than the one he was removing weren't good already back then. (except in the case of metal transfer on the points as said above)
For when replacement IS necessary, I keep a stock of older NOS Delco condensers I've picked up along the way.
Most of those have been good so far. 🙂
Ole S Olson
Saskatoon, Sask, Canada
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