Question: eletrical problem

[chevyman1759]

Hi! I have a question about an electrical part.Hopefully someone can help me.I have a 1972 coupe and had to remove the steering column to do a repair.After un-hooking all the wires I noticed a wire was hanging lose.I traced it done to a capacitor mounted on the ignition switch.I can not fix it because the wire is broken off inside which I can't get to.Can anyone out there tell me if this part is important?The part # is 801249 with the letters DR in the middle and .5 MF at the bottom.Will any one-wire capacitor with .5 MF work or do I need the original part?Thanks for any help you can give me! Ron,

 

[6880 Mike]

Do you have the '72 assembly instruction manual (AIM) or the chassis and service manual? Either will show the capacitor installation. If your car has a radio/stereo, I'm willing to bet the capacitor is for interfence purposes.

 

[JohnZ]

That's a radio noise suppression capacitor - you'll find it in the Radio section of your Assembly Manual; it reduces pops and static in the radio (mostly on AM) from the ignition system. If it's not connected, you probably wouldn't notice the difference.

 

[Mr. Chuck]

Two important aspects with capicator replacement are the capacitance value and the voltage rating:
Matching the .5 mf (Microfarad ) is essential and the voltage, which is the rating of the capicator dielectric (Insulation to ground). If unable to see marking on the old part, a value 35 - 50 volts should work. You should be able to take old part to auto parts shop and get a new one, electrical noise bi-pass caps are a pretty std part.