Ignition problems

Start by checking for twelve volts at the ballast resistor when the ignition switch is in the "run" position. If you have that, check the voltage on the other side. You should find 0.0 or twelve volts there, and it should change as you rotate the crankshaft by hand. It should pop up to twelve volts when the breaker points open.

I didn't say anything about the resistor. I asked you to check if 12 volts is getting to it from the ignition switch. Based on "yes" or "no", we can figure out which way to go next.

Test light. Do not expect a carpenter to do his job if he does not have a hammer. An accountant cannot accomplish anything if he does not have a pencil. You would not trust your surgeon if he did not have a scalpel. If you expect to diagnose an electrical problem, expect to have the tools, otherwise you are left with replacing a pile of random parts, and that is the most expensive and least effective way to solve a problem. Evidence of that is the ignition coil. The engine runs when you hold the ignition switch in the "crank" position. That simple observation proves the coil is okay and should not have been replaced.

Based on what we know so far, it is just as likely you have a cut wire as it is there is a component failure. Another good suspect is one of the terminals plugged onto the ballast resistor is rusty and making bad contact. That could show up as what falsely appears to be twelve volts on one side of the resistor and zero volts on the other side. That is why we need to know the voltage at both ends of the resistor.

If you have a Harbor Freight Tools store near you, they have a test light for, as I recall, about four bucks. They also have a perfectly fine digital voltmeter for less than ten dollars. They often go on sale for around five bucks. If you do not know how to use it, I can help with that, but for diagnosing this circuit, a test light is just fine. We are interested in whether there is some voltage or no voltage. The exact value is not that important.