juggernaught wroteORC.........that was our first thought. My problem is exactly how ( and where) to test the ignition wires since they are so hard to get to and I don't know exactlly which wires to test.
I would still like to know whether the power to the coil comes from the relay when the ignition is in "RUN", or from somewhere else( the pos. coil wire(red) is split at the coil).
I would also like to know if the "other" ("I" ?) wire is supposed to be HOT in START position, the RUN position or both.
You are barking up the wrong tree. The relay you keep mentioning is the starter relay. It does 2 things, both when the key is in "start", sent +12vdc to the starter motor and +12vdc to the coil. It does not supply any coil power in the "run" pos. hence the name "starter relay"
The coil gets power in the "run" pos. directly from the ign switch "run" circuit. That is why from the factory there are 2 wires to the + side of the coil. The - side is fired from the Duraspark module. (Or breaker points on older jeeps) This allowed 12v to the coil for easier starting and 6v to the coil for normal operation. The old round coils are rated for 6v and thus had a resistor wire to bring 12v down to 6v so the coil didn't burn out.
You mentioned that you installed a new coil rated for 12v. I'm assuming you did not hook up the wire from the ign switch that runs through the resistor wire to the coil.
If you have an electric choke wire, you can check for +12vdc there. If you have power there, you ign. switch is fine, you are missing a wire to the coil. If you do not have power there, look for an unplugged connector or a bad ign switch.
I hope this helps... :-|
