Need Help guys

I just bought a 73 mav in great condition except wouldn't run. When I put gas in carb started right up and purred like a kitten until gas was gone, no fuel from pump and pretty sure tank and lines are plugged with crap from sitting. Now that I have it home and can work on it I was trying to run it by trickling gas in it to see if the fuel pump would pick up prime then the starter drive quit. Put a rebuilt on, started playing again with the fuel pump and now I lost ignition, put new points/condencer etc. Best I can get is an orange spark out top of coil. Points are NOT grounded out, have nice blue spark across points. Put new selinoid on as it feeds the coil and when I was testing there was only 3 volts on + side of coil , I have run a straight wire from battery to coil still no difference, changed coil that I'm pretty sure is good as it was new but old stock still only orange spark and hardly any spark coming out of spark plug wire even changed the coil wire with a new one, any suggestions? Is the original coil a 12v + or a 6v the replacement I'm using says its 6v but it would seem that 12v from the battery should give me a hot blue spark out the coil at least until the coil burns out from 2 much voltage. I plan on doing a distributor upgrade change later on my 250-6 but can't right now..........Hank

I don't know how to read spark color, if I get spark that is usually enough for me.. the stock coil is a 6v, if you hook up 12v to it, the coil will overheat and you could damage your points. When I run motors outside of a vehicle I use a resister block in the jumper wire from the battery + over to the coil +.

If you are questioning the coil you can check the primary and secondary windings with a multi-meter, or you can hook up power directly to it, and then a coil wire to a spare spark plug. Then a ground wire from the spark plug back to the battery, and another ground wire from the coil back to the battery. When you connect the ground wire from the coil to the battery it should produce a spark. Then you can rule out the points/condensor based on your observations of the spark size/color.

To test the fuel pump normally I take a short piece of 3/8" hose and stick it into a small gas can, so long as the fuel line between the pump and carb is clear and the pump still works you should be in business to keep it running.

Your sig says something about a 63.5 falcon, you got one? HT or Conv? Dad's got a 63.5 convertible.

-ron

I've been away from cars for a few years, in the "OLD" days if you didn't have a blue spark forget it, wasn't going to run on an orange. My feelings are still the same as there is more spark loss after going thru the distributor and rotor and spark plug wire, even w/o the spark plug. (just wire to ground) I've got a full 12v coil coming into to play with and I shall see what happens after that. I have 2~ 63 1/2's a rag and a HT but the rag is going 2b a donor and going to sell off extra parts on ebay.........Hank

ebay.. makes me sad to see one go that way..Dad's needs a few parts when you get closer to selling things let me know. FWIW, Dad's is a factory 260/4spd power top car that hasn't been driven in over 30yrs.. needs restoration but it's been kept inside and on concrete, so aside from rebuilding everything the body and floors should be in good shape.. missing things like the fender ornaments, possibly some of the side trim, and I know for a fact that the trunklock is missing, I'd like to replace both door and trunk locks so they match again.

Any luck with the other recommended tests?

-ron

Does anybody know if the resistor wire in a column ignition system is between the switch and harness connector or the harness connector and the engine compartment. This case is a 1973 maverick. I can't imagine that both are resistor wires and hopefully I don't have to take column apart to replace as I've never done it before and it looks like a lot of work for nothing when I can use a $5 toggle switch

Have you had the alternator checked out?

Moved ground wire from points to condenser all is well again. Since getting it started again I changed the fuel pump and filter and added another between tank and pump for safety measure and purrs like a kitten