Cleaning out the garage of the previous owner’s stuff and found this thing:
http://www.yearofglad.com/images/part.jpg
Picture is out of focus because my camera thought I was taking a picture of the box flattened on the coffee table instead of, you know, the big black piece of plastic.
Top has +/- for electrical connections; says “Use with External Resistor”, pretty heavy, about 6 inches tall.
Probably something really obvious to someone who isn’t me.
Thanks in advance.
Automotive ignition coil. Here’s an ebay listing for a similar part: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111506461512
Missed edit window:
Okay, so I guess it’s an ignition coil.
Does it have any value and, if so, how could I test it to make sure it works before selling it? I’m pretty clueless about these kinds of things.
It’s an automobile ignition coil.
EDIT: Took too long searching for an image. Beat to the answer, and beaten with an image.
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If you look closely, it says “since 1920”.
You can see where I’m going with this…
+1 to “things the kids will never know”…
Was a time when any 12 or older boy would instantly recognize it.
It mounts to the firewall - the large coupling is for the wire to the distributor, which then decides which plug gets that particular spark.
Once you said “Top has +/- for electrical connections; says “Use with External Resistor”, pretty heavy, about 6 inches tall.” I knew what it was. I did not look at the picture.
Pretty much, you will need to take it to a parts store, or a repair garage to find someone with the machine to test it. I would just replace the one in my truck with yours & try to start it, if the truck runs & drives OK for 30 minutes, it is good. Around here, they go for about $10.00 used.
IHTH, 48.
You could use it to make an electric fence: A Homemade Electric Fence Charger – Mother Earth News
Thanks for everyone’s help; I don’t have much use for it but will stow it away somewhere, I suppose, since it isn’t worth selling online.
OK, that sent me to the quarry for a few minutes, thanks fot that. 