Capacitor — removal, inspection and installation (Opel Ascona C)

1. The purpose of the capacitor is to ensure that there is no spark between open contacts, as this leads to unnecessary waste of voltage and premature wear of the contacts.

2. On the Bosch distributor, the capacitor is installed on the outer surface of the distributor housing. If the capacitor is shorted, the ignition system will stop performing its functions, because the contacts will stop opening the low voltage circuit.



3. If the engine is difficult to start or begins to misfire after a few miles, and the breaker contacts appear badly burned, the condition of the capacitor should be checked. For further testing, with the ignition on, spread the contacts apart with your hand. If a strong blue spark occurs, then the capacitor is faulty.

4. In the absence of special equipment, the only reliable way to check the capacitor is to test replace it.

5. To remove the capacitor, you need to remove the distributor cap, rotor and plastic plate.

b. Remove the support plates and disconnect the low voltage wire supplying the contacts from the spade connector located inside the distributor housing.



7. Disconnect the low voltage wire from the coil that connects it to the distributor.

8. Remove the screw securing the capacitor and low voltage wire to the distributor housing. Please note that the capacitor comes with a low voltage wire for connecting to the coil, a wire tip and a mounting rubber grommet.

9. The capacitor is installed in the reverse order.