possible coil problem on a '72

[Tony 38901]

Sould the black wire that connects to the positve side of the ignition coil get VERY hot? I recently replaced the carb and had some difficulty starting. I looked around around under the hood and noticed a bit of smoke. This wire was so hot it was melting some plastic insulation that was touching it. This was after only about 10-20 seconds of cranking. Any thoughts? It's an all stock setup for a '72 LT-1. It doesn't seem normal & I don't want to try starting again until I get some info.

Thanks,
Tony

[Joe C.]

Re: possible coil problem on a '72

Tony,

It is NOT normal. Trace the wire back to the ignition switch and check for a short. There is excessive current traveling thru the wire, causing it to overheat.

Joe

[Tony 38901]

Re: possible coil problem on a '72

It looks to me like the wire leads down to the starter. Is this correct? I removed some wire wrap that is near the starter, but I couldn't find anything obvious. I tried to restart the motor & it fired right up. So I think I'm onto something...

[Joe C.]

Re: possible coil problem on a '72

Tony,

You may have a separation in the wire, which caused high resistance (rather like the tungsten wire in a toaster or lightbulb). This will also , obviously, cause the wire to overheat. Your moving the wire probably re-established a decent connection, for now. R/R the wire with the correct gauge. If you don't know it, I will look it up for you.

Joe

[John H.]

Re: possible coil problem on a '72

The black/pink tracer wire to the coil (+) on a '72 is a resistance wire - if it needs to be replaced, don't use regular wire or the full 12 volts will fry the coil. Check the harness between the inboard half of the bulkhead connector and the coil to see if that wire is chafed, pinched, or shorted to a ground.