VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 29 Coil gets hot

I am working on a 29 Chevy, had the ignition switch rebuilt. With key off or on the coil gets very hot. I have juice to one side of coil but not to the other or the points.

Any thoughts?

the wire that runs from the amp meter to the coil. Whick post should it be on + or -?

The wire that goes from the ammeter to the coil should be on the plus side of the coil.

Ok I found the issue, I have attached the switch to the distributor wrong shorting it out. Can anyone tell me how to do this or have a diagram?

Send me your email address in a PM and I can forward an article or two from prior issues of the G&D on the electrolock that contains a part diagram.

The 1929 electrolock is wired differently than the electrolock for the 1930-32 Chevrolets, so you will want to use a 1929 wiring diagram.

Are you still using an electrolock or are you using a simple type of "off-on" switch?

Electrolock

P.M. sent

thanks

For the wiring on a 1929 electrolock (the 1929 electrolock only has one terminal.....not three terminals like the electrolocks used for 1930-32), one wire from the terminal on the ammeter goes to the hot side of the light switch. Another wire from the same terminal on the ammeter goes to the positive side of the coil. The third wire on the same terminal of the ammeter goes to the battery side of the generator cut-out relay. A wire from the negative side of the coil goes to the one terminal on the side of the electrolock.

I am shorting out the wire from switch to distributor some how.
I need an exploded view of how the pieces go.

I emailed articles published in the VCCA membership magazine "Generator and Distributor" years ago. They show the part assembly order. Hopefully that will help you solve your problem.

I got the car to start but even with the key off the coil gets hot??
What am I missing??

Started car let run for 30 minutes coil stayed cool. Turned off car and within 10 minutes coil was hot. I just don't get it.

Sounds like you have an issue with the way you have the coil and ignition wired.

Use a volt meter and see if you have current going to the coil when the ignition is turned off.

I wired it back the same way it was before the switch seized.

I have power with key off to positive side.

Looks like you have it wired wrong. Don't wire it the way that it was.....follow the wiring instructions posted above and see if that cures your problem.

If you have power going to the Coil when the Switch is off then you may have a short in your switch.

It is wired the way advised above. You always have power to 1 side of the coil that's the way it works.

The switch was just rebuilt by Chipper.

The '29 has power to the positive terminal on the coil as long as the battery post is connected through the ammeter. There should not be any current flow until the negative post goes to ground. That occurs when the switch is popped out and the points are closed. If you have current flowing when the switch is off then there is a short somewhere or an incorrect connection.

I have power to positive side when switch is off. No power to negative side. But Coil gets hot with key off. If the car is running coil stays cool. I cant find a short anywhere.

What voltage do you get at different places between the ammeter and distributor? One place of particular interest is across the coil with switch off. That includes each terminal to ground or the outer case. Maybe that there is a little current flow from the internal coil(s) to ground?

Any reduction from the voltage across the battery terminals indicates resistance or leakage in the circuit.

Where in Kentucky are you? If you can't get it going, send a message and I'll try to put another set of eyes on it for you.

I have 6 volts at battery at positive side of coil and on negative side of coil. This is baffling me. key on coil stays cool key off gets hot.