Hi Jim,
There may be a couple of issues.
Insulation failure in the coil windings caused by poor insulation
failing when it is repeatedly heated is the most likely cause of coil
failure. Vibration of the windings/insulation can also be a factor.
The modern "replacement" coils from Moss etc. may be of much lower
quality than the Lucas originals. I think that any modern Lucas repro
is more likely to fail than a high quality coil. Chances are that any
of the high quality after market coils will last longer than the Lucas
repros.
The Lucas "Sport" coil draws about 20% more current than the original
coil. This would make it run hotter. It has to draw more current to
raise the output voltage. Any time coil current is increased, point
life will be shortened.
A high quality epoxy insulated coil such as the Pertronix 40501 draws
about 10% more current than the original & 10% less than the Sport
coil. In my personal experience, this lower current combined with the
very good insulation makes for a very good combination of hot spark &
long life.
Regards,
Dave Russell
James Shope wrote:
> during a trip to our monthly car club meeting, one of our members
> bj8 quit a couple of miles from the meeting place. i was dipatched
> to see what the problem was and quickly determined the coil was
> totally kaputt. no spark coming out. the coil was one of those
> sport coils they sell from moss, etc. it was only a few years old.
> do they go bad faster than regular coils, and main question, what
> is there to go bad in a coil. my old coil dated 1966 is still
> sparking along, so i am wondering if there is something to the
> sport coil not being right for the old system? healeymanjim
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