My 914 is driving me insane, not so happy about having it anymore. Options

[weird_looking_cactus]

Ever sence I bought the thing I have been having toubles. I have only had 1 good memory about it almost 2 good memoys. The first good time is when I first got it started up and I was able to get it up to a high enought RPM and make it idle to take it for a drive around the block. The second almost good memory I had is when we were pulling it to my grandmas house I had to stay in the car and steer it. I was having such a good time steering the car and getting lots of attidion from everyone. I didn't realize that the door doesn't such tight and we went a round a sharp conor and the door flys open I almost fall out and the door miss's a car by 1/2 a feet. But for the past 2 weeks I have been having troubles trying to get the dang thing to run. I was filling pretty good about it tell the guy at auto zone told I should replace the ignition coil for good measures well that screwed me up big time cause now I can't figure out what the heck I burn't out and Im getting fed up with everything on the car being hard to replace and really expensive. Maybe I need to be a little older to have this car and get more auto repair experience behind me. I bought the car for $700 and I bet I can get $1500 out of it easy. I have put about $300 into already. And my parents are no help they just keep telling me I should of bought a car that runs I just don't see the fun in that but I guess there right.

[John]

Mr. Cactus,

Why do you think you "burned something up"? I am at a loss as to how you could do this by replacing an ignition coil. There are a total of 3 terminals on a coil (one of which is very difficult to wire incorrectly {the center post}). Power (+12 Volts) is attached to one of the other two posts and the other post is grounded through the points and condensor. There is one other wire attached to the coil and that is for the tachometer.

You can wire the coil backwards and the car will still run. If you attached the +12V and the switched ground wire to one of the coil posts, you may have "burned something out" when the points closed.

Did you get smoke? Did a wire burn it's insulation off? Did you blow a fuse in the interior fuse panel (#9?)?

The wiring to the coil should be:

Green wire (from points) ----> Negative pole on coil
Black with Purple Stripe (tachometer) -------> Negative pole on coil

Black wire or Black with Red stripe (HOT with ignition on) ---------> Positive pole on coil

Make sure your is wired this way then check to make sure you have +12volts on the Black (or black with red stripe) wire with a volt meter. If you do get +12v, then make sure you get a spark when cranking. I use a timing gun and watch to make sure the strobe flashes while cranking.

I am not sure what would happen to a tachometer if you applied +12 volts to that signal wire but I bet it wouldn't be good. It should not prevent the car from running.