SMILEYWATTZ

I have a 1964 Dynamic 88 Olds. And had some Electrician Questions. Well first, How do I find what voltage my car uses? or is that just on the Battery? Second, How do I find the Resistance and Total Amperage to upgrade the ignition system? Third, would I have to change the distributor if I am going to upgrade the ignition system? If yes, how would I determine what would be best fit? Forth, What is a Capaciter and what does it do? thank you for your time and help.

joe_padavano

Your car runs a 12 volt system. In reality, the nominal system voltage is about 13.8 volts if the charging syste is operating properly. You shouldn't need any resistance or amperage info to upgrade your ignition. Your car should have a 394 engine - 1964 was the last year that this engine was offered by Olds. Your best bet for ignition upgrade is to convert to an electronic replacement for your points, such as a Pertronix unit. You can then select an upgraded coil if you desire. The first question to ask yourself, however, is why do you want to upgrade? Is there something wrong with the stock parts?

SMILEYWATTZ

Hey Good Point. I really don't. Stock Parts are Good as of right now. So what is this Pertronix unit? is it just a ignition or is this a kit of some sort with more then the ignition?

OLD SKL 69

Petronix is an upgrade whereby you can replace your points and condenser with an electronic unit and not have to adjust/replace points again. It is a two wire hookup to the coil, otherwise everything is under the distributor cap. That unit, is available through many parts warehouses (like Summit Racing). There are other electronic units available as well (Mallory is another example).

I had a Pertronix unit in one of my cars, and I didn't think it made much of a difference in the way the car ran. The unit lasted about 6 years and then went bad. I went back to points in both of my old cars simply because they work great and last for several years, especially since they are not daily drivers.

joe_padavano

If the points were relatively new, it wouldn't. There is no performance benefit from changing to a Pertronix unit. All it provides is a reduction in maintenance.

rustyroger

A capacitor is a means of storing momentary electrical power. It was discovered by Micheal Faraday, hence units of capacitance are measured in farads

It is basically two conductive sheets separated by a thin insulating film. When a current is passed through a circuit with a capacitor attached on opening the circuit the capacitor will absorb residual current, when the circuit is closed again the residual will discharge into the circuit.

The reason they are used with points ignition is to prevent excessive sparking at the points. A bad capacitor will normally prevent points ignition from functioning.
They are also used for suppressing radio interference from electric motors like fans or wipers and generators as well.
Modern cars have sophisticated suppression built into electrical components, not limited to fitting capacitors, resistance plug wires being a good example.

Capacitors have many other uses not connected with car electrical systems such as radio and TV.

Roger.