Datsun 521 keeps breaking down help

[Kaden woods]

My 1971 Datsun 521 keeps killing the coils on the distributor and i don’t know why If anyone has any idea I would like to fix the problem soon please and thank you

[datzenmike]

Post a picture of your distributor, it may have been swapped for a EI unit. This won't work so well with a points coil.

 

 

[mainer311]

First, use punctuation. I know it's Ratsun, but some of us are civilized. 

 

Describe "breaking down." Does it die on you going down the road? Won't start? 

 

How do you know the coil is bad?

 

There's no coil on the distributor. Do you mean points?

[banzai510(hainz)]

he's either killing the points or coil(point coil) by not running a ballast resister 

Be honest if he ran no ballast with point he isn't going to make it down the street as the points would just arch out.

 

No ballast and feel if coil is HOT!!!!!!!!

[Crashtd420]

45 minutes ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

he's either killing the points or coil(point coil) by not running a ballast resister 

Be honest if he ran no ballast with point he isn't going to make it down the street as the points would just arch out.

 

No ballast and feel if coil is HOT!!!!!!!!

I had a points coil explode on me before because I swapped to pertronix and removed the ballasts resistor..... 

It was in the morning and still dark so I got huge flame that shot out from the front tire well.... proceeded by the engine dieing.....

 

Definitely make sure the setup is correct for the application.... 

[datzenmike]

Also may have replaced with POS after market coil. Always use the factory stuff and you can't go wrong.

[Kaden woods]

5 hours ago, mainer311 said:

First, use punctuation. I know it's Ratsun, but some of us are civilized. 

 

Describe "breaking down." Does it die on you going down the road? Won't start? 

 

How do you know the coil is bad?

 

There's no coil on the distributor. Do you mean points?

I don’t have pictures of it and it’s the ignition condenser coil I’ll go down the road and it shits out on me and won’t start back up it just dies 

[banzai510(hainz)]

we call it a condenser ,not a coil.

is it grounded good  screws tight?

 

is this dual points? the bigger condenser is the main set of points. replace it and make sure you have stock point coil and a ballast resisitor(white ceramic block)

 

 

Like I said ck if the coil gets HOT when this is happening

 

 

This is a simple fix.

 

Was truck ever running good for period of time?

Did this do this recently or ever since you had the vehicle, was something changed?

 

 

Edited June 5, 2019 by banzai510(hainz)

[Kaden woods]

9 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

we call it a condenser ,not a coil.

is it grounded good  screws tight?

 

is this dual points? the bigger condenser is the main set of points. replace it and make sure you have stock point coil and a ballast resisitor(white ceramic block)

 

 

Like I said ck if the coil gets HOT when this is happening

 

 

This is a simple fix.

 

Was truck ever running good for period of time?

Did this do this recently or ever since you had the vehicle, was something changed?

 

 

Thank you I’ve been call them coils for a while and yeas the ground is good and tight and I’ll check the points tomorrow morning and it ran good till I got home and then it just sat and head issues ever since then

[banzai510(hainz)]

your talking in CODE . I don't have a Enigma machine to decipher .

Now head issues.

 

If was working then goes bad you said the condensors are going bad. then replacing fixes it. So its the condenser right?. That's your orginal question.

But you have other issues I think.

To a novice POINTS ignition might be proplematic as a worn distributor (springs broke ,worn bushing, dual points not gapped right ect ) all compound the issue.

Maybe head needs valve adjusted ect.

 

tell us more and we can walk you threw this. If close by I could come over and ck out real quick, but you have to live close by I'm in Covington.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2019 by banzai510(hainz)

[mainer311]

Jeez Hainz, his grammar is almost as bad as yours. "Head" was a typo for "had." Blind leading the blind here. I'll go make some popcorn and watch the hilarity unfold.

Edited June 6, 2019 by mainer311

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Ok, guys. Chill on the grammar crap. If he sticks around long enough to become a true ratsun guy, he'll figure out the grammar.

[banzai510(hainz)]

my grammer is bad cause I'm trying to fix your cars on work time and in a rush to type this shit out so I don't get caught

 

Car must be fixed as his not back.

 

As with a lot of Datsuns owners I have dealt with I can show them in person how to do it and then they go home and DONT.

Edited June 10, 2019 by banzai510(hainz)

[datzenmike]

Last visited Ratsun 19 hours ago.

 

It's always nice to get updates so that a search showing this post also shows what was tried.

[mainer311]

It’s hard teaching someone online about ignition if they don’t know what they’re looking at.  Kid needs to get help from someone local.

 

If he has a 75 Camaro too, maybe he knows his way around. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by mainer311

[Kaden woods]

Sorry for not replying I just replaced the ignition coil the distributor and ignition condenser and put new gas in it she fired right up I haven’t taken her down the road yet to see if she’s gonna drive or if the condensers gonna blow agin but I’m gonna find out tomorrow still gotta tune the carb in a little 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

It is nice to get updates. That way we know our help wasn't in vain. And we also know that another Datsun is in the process of being revived, not letting to rot.

[datzenmike]

58 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

It is nice to get updates. That way we know our help wasn't in vain. And we also know that another Datsun is in the process of being revived, not letting to rot.

 

In addition someone, possibly far in the future, can run a search for a similar problem, read this post and learn from this what worked or didn't.