Hooking up my distributor

[ilsinc]

This is a Bosch mechanical advance distributor with electronic ignition.
Two wires coming off, one red, one black.
I know one should go to the coil but which one?
Where does the other one go?
Thanks.

[VW_Jimbo]

I would think it is red to the power side, 15.

Black would be the ground trigger side, so 1 side of coil.

If it is a Bosch coil, it should have circuit numbers embossed into it.
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[ilsinc]

I'll try that.
Thanks.

[ilsinc]

Oops...guess that wasn't it.
Just smoked my electronic ignition.

[VW_Jimbo]

This is what I was referencing.
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[ilsinc]

Yes, a YouTube video also showed that was the correct hook up.
I double checked and it my connections were right.
No idea why smoked. Engine hadn't been started in ten years or so.
Oh well, I'll replace and try again.

[tasb]

Some people rotate the position of the coil in the bracket effectively reversing the connections. You really have to look at your coil carefully before connecting one of these up.
_________________
Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[Tim Donahoe]

I have a new spare Bosch coil, like the one the OP has pictured. The plus side (15) is on the left; the minus side (1) is on the right—just like the coil I have on my engine now.

When I say left and right, I’m assuming the OP’s decals are in the same position on his coilnas those on my spare coil with the same decals.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[VW_Jimbo]

Near the terminals of the coil are the numbers, 15, 1 and 4. Look closely.
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[David_nc_72std]

[ashman40]

As mentioned above, the coil will operate normally even if wired backwards. If your coil is wired backwards and you connected the black wire from the electronic points to the "hot" side of the coil (the side with the incoming 12v from the ignition switch) it would have fried your electronic points.
So before connecting your electronic points confirm the coil is wired correctly. The following items are connected to the INPUT (#15) terminal on the ignition coil:

12v+ black INPUT wire from the ignition switch. This is the ONLY wire that will have 12v when disconnected.

Idle cutoff solenoid on the side of the carb. The choke coil on the right side of the carb should be daisy chained to this wire.

Reverse lights. This black wire will have an in-line fuse holder near the carb/fan shroud before it runs around the right side of the fan shroud.

The other terminal of the ignition coil (#1) may have the following connections:

Green (or black) wire from the points.

Brown/white diagnostic block wire

?? colored wire if you have a tachometer installed.

There is another thing you must check.... most of the budget electronic points require the coil to have an internal ballast resistance of 3-4ohms. Even if you wired your electronic points correctly but the internal resistance in the coil was too low it would allow too many amps to flow thru the points and fry the electronic points.
Some of the "Bosch blue coils" have an internal resistance as low as 1.5ohms. The part# alone will not ID the correct coil as these low resistance coils had the same part# as the correct coils.
Take an ohm meter and measure the resistance between the two small wire terminals of the coil (remove all wires). You want to see a min reading of at least 3ohms. If you get a reading less than 3-ohms you either need a new coil with the correct resistance or you need to install an external ballast resistor ahead of the coil to increase the total resistance into the 3-4ohm range.
_________________
AshMan40
---------------------------
'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[bluebus86]

You fried the electrics somehow. Even if you hooked up the electronic points to the correct spark coil terminals, the other wires on the terminals may have been hooked up wrong, thus sending positive voltage to the negative terminal and vica versa. With regular points, being reversed wont harm the points, and the Bug will still run, but with electric points, it wonts.

Please confirm the wires from the car are in the correct positions on the coil, if wrong, swap them, then try again with new electronic points
for reference, the positive wire from the key switch is the 15 terminal wire, this terminal also has wires to the choke, cut off solinoid, and even back up light is the Bug is so equiped. thus the positive side will usually have other wires ganged together on terminal 15. This is where the red wire from your electirc points go. Ideally these should be on terminal 15 on coil, but they sometimes get swapped when a coil is exchanged, and that will harm electric points, but not regular points

Bug On!
_________________
Help Prevent VW Engine Fires, see this link.....Engine safety wire information

Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022

[bluebus86]

ps.. also cranking the motor with no sparkplugs, or spark plug wires removed will often fry electric points, keep this in mind when doing compression tests, besure to remove the electronic points positive wire from coil PRIOR to cranking the motor if you have removed the spark plugs or spark plug wires, as is the case when doing a compression test!!!!!!

Bug On!
_________________
Help Prevent VW Engine Fires, see this link.....Engine safety wire information

Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022

[bluebus86]

Also fuel filter should be moved to a location that if the filter leaks, fuel wont be dumped near the dizzie, spark spark, kaboom! A good alternative location for the filter is under the car, above the right axle, near the tranny, no ignition source there, cooler enviroment.

Use of modern internally coated hose is recommened specially if you are forced by government mandate to use oxygenated fuels, which will degrade regular hose. a lined hose such as SAE30R9 is designed to resist todays government mandated fuels, the SAE30R9 hose or equivalent is lined with a Teflon like material, older SAE30R7 hose is NOT lined, nor is original type Bug hose.

also non serrated, solid band clamps should be used, as serrated clamps tend to allow the rubber to squeeze thru the serrations, causing the clamp to loosen over time.

Bug On!

See link below for additional fire safety info....
_________________
Help Prevent VW Engine Fires, see this link.....Engine safety wire information

Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022