stock ignition coil temp

[creative1]

ok... i have seen a post somewhere that says that the ignition coil should run cool. i dont believe this because the ignition coil is basically a transformer, and transformers generate heat. the question here is how much heat should a coil produce? i have a random, intermittent miss problem that i have been trying to address through carb tuning, but i am at the point that i cant do anymore there till i get rid of this problem. last night i was trying (for the umpteenth time) to adjust the idle mixture, and i happened to lay my hand on the coil. the engine had been running just long enough to be at operating temp (the radiator was hot) but the coil was almost as hot as the top tank of the radiator. now, is this normal, or do i see a new coil in my immediate future? checked the primary voltage at the coil... 9.2v on the switched side, so i figure the ballast resistor is good to go. i also made a .007" feeler gauge from a piece of sheet aluminum and adjusted the air gap in the dist to that spec, as my books say .006 for some and .008 for others... i think it had been about .010...

i would really hate to spend much money on ignition parts, since im on don's list for his new ignition system, which will include a coil, but i reckon i will do what i gotta do...

[usdart]

I went thru three coils that kept overheating.. When the engine was warmed up it was very hard to start!

I bought an MSD Blaster 2 coil (which ,by the way,was the same price as the stock coil) and moved the coil from the intake manifold over to the inside fender.

NO MORE PROBLEMS!!!
I had blamed my new carb,ballast resister,distributor,fuel pump,wires (all new now) etc before I found it. About a six month hassle.

Your car may be different,but,this woked for me.

Hope this helps!!Dave

[Dart]

One little trick I used on my Dart. I bought a coil for a 2.2 turbo and used it. Hotter temp, cheaper price. One note is that the terminal is a post type, but they normally have a small screw that you can remove to ditch the post terminal. Hook it up and off you go, with hotter spark.