Has anyone ever had to replace the pickups under the distributor cap? Any tips on what to look out for?

 

never have needed to replace them. but it can't be too hard, couple screws hold them in. u'll need to readjust the air gap tho.

 

Why do you think your's need replaced?

 

not sure that it does. But I'm only getting spark from one of the lines that go from the cap to the coils. I changed the coils around and still the same one doesnt fire. I wouldnt think the wire it self would be bad so I'm thinking its a matter of the one of the pick ups not picking up the spark. The coils get power it just doesnt hit the cap.

 

well it's probably not the pickups inside the cap but rather the ignitor on the outside of the distributor.

 

I was thinking that it could be that to. Is there a way to check those?

 

Not the igniter. If it was, both trailing or leading plugs would be dead. Check the inside of the rotor cap, then the air gap for the pickups. Also the spark plug wires and plugs.

 

ok maybe i read wrong but sounded like one coil wasn't working.

 

swap the ignitor connectors, if the bad coil changes too, you've found your problem...

ive never seen a bad pickup coil assembly, but ignitors do go bad

 

I checked the coils. It is just the spark is not going from the coil to the cap. The trailing coil spark plug is not sparking, but the leading 1 is.

 

The air gap is cool and the wires are cool. I could use new plugs, but thats due to the flooding trying to get the car going. I will change them and see.

But would the dead spark plug cause the coil not to send a spark?

 

then the wire between the coil and cap is bad.

so u have leading spark(at each plug) but no trailing spark(at each plug)?

 

got new wires

 

I'm just going to find a used distributor for now, so I can get her back on the road.