I have 12 volts to the + side of coil, a little less than than coming out of the - side. Wire to negative side is going to the distributor, where it still has just shy of 12v. New distributor cap, rotor, points, condensor, plug wires, and plugs. I am getting nothing from the coil wire. Anything I am missing?
Points provide ground to the (-) coil side when they close. A test light (with clamp connected to 12+) should flash on the (-) coil side while cranking and all the way back to the points contact. Fixed side of the points should read ground at all times.
OK, I sat back, stared at a diagram/picture of how a standard ignition system SHOULD be set up, and noticed nothing wrong. Then I relaxed and had a beer. THEN I went out and verified all my grounds. When The points were open, one side was grounded. When they were closed, only that original side was grounded, so I verified they were actually closing. They were. So, I folded a piece of sandpaper in half, and stuck it between the points and did a couple swipes, and LO AND BEHOLD!!! Both sides are now GROUNDING!!! Even though the points were brand new out of the box this afternoon, they still had a coating of who-knows-what that was preventing them from making a good contact.
New points are always coated so they don't rust in storage, I suggest you wipe them with some petrol or similar, as they get some heat into them the coating will melt and cause the same symptoms
If you switch to even something simple like a Pertronix, I think you would be shocked at how much better it starts and runs. Took my car from being an ornery beast and turned into merely being pretty rowdy.
Not my Maverick...working on a different Ford. But the question would be relevant for any Maverick or Comet still running points. The sad thing is my uncle bought the 6-volt to 12-volt conversion 5 or 6 years ago, installed it, and never got a spark afterwards. I am betting those points were the same way. I bought all new electrical parts yesterday, rewired the entire thing from scratch, nice shrink-fit weatherproof connections, and no spark. Until I "cleaned" the points, then it lit right up.
I moved this to the technical discussion forum - while it does not directly involve a Mav / Com, it does cover general ignition problems with Ford points systems. I am a big believer in the Pertronix systems. I put the original *I* in everything from boats to road graders and for stock car applications. For performance I use the *II* with an upgrade to distributor, coil, and ignition voltage.
Yes, I used the pertronix when I had a Ford distributor in my Maverick. Not sure if they make one for the little 4-cylinder tractor. If they do....
They have a master catalog with just about anything ever made - ag, industrial, marine, you name it, they have one. http://www.pertronix.com/catalogs/pdf/ptx/2015/Pertronix2015.pdf
Before I switched to the Acel electronic ignition, I ran the stock points and never experienced that before. 'Never heard of new points having a coating on them.