condensor failure

So a question has brought me back to the board. The condensor on the willys truck ( L-4, 6 volt system ) failed. By fail I mean there's a hole burnt in it at the bottom. This condensor was like 5 hours new. Did I get a bad part or should I be looking at the regulator as the condensor killer? If so, what should I be looking for in the reg or am I way off and have aproblem elsewhwere? Thanks guys.

 

I would obtain a new condedser and install it then run the engine with a volt meter attached to measure the voltage present during operation to see if you have higher than expected primary voltage. The condenser manages the electron flow during the colapse of the magnetic field in the coil when the points open. During this process the excess electrons are absorbed into the plates of the condenser and this controlls the excessive arcing that would otherwise occur at the points causing early points failure. During this process the voltage induced into the condenser is considerably higher than the primary (6V).The construction of the condenser (a.k.a capacitor) is 2 strips of metalic material seperated by a dielectric material , the combined pieces are rolled into a cylinder shape with one plate (metal strip) conected to the wire that protrudes out the end and the other plate connected to the bottom of the metal can that houses the finished unit. The connection to the bottom of the can is most often completed by a small spirng like piece of metal. (The whole thing unrolled looks like two pieces of sticky fly paper with tin foil strips stuck to each side but without the metal strips touching each other at any point within the completed assembly.) If you had high primary voltage there can be very high voltage within the condenser, possibly high enough to "punch through" the thin aluminum can. It's also possible that you just got a badly manufactured condenser. Replace and check the voltage with the engine running. Oh, if you have a multi-meter that can measure "microfarads" you can test the replacement unit before you install it .I believe that will want to see about .25 to .28 microfarads but I am pulling that figure from memory and could be wrong . The factory service manual should list the proper capacitance value.

 

If this were Family Fued, I'd have a hard time deciding which answer to go with for the steal. I hope you, Howard, are right. However, considering that it is in my nature to over complicate every facet of my life, Oz's answer intrigues me. I think I'll install one of the 3 condensors I ordered from the parts store, rip open the faulty unit for autopsy and prepare the tests ordered by Oz. Thanks guys. Once again it's ECJ5 to the rescue. I've missed this place.