Do coils start to go bad at high rpm's high hp?? My car seems to start and drive fine until I really put my foot in it and run it to the top end of the rpm's. The engine then cuts out and the engine back fires and acts like it looses spark. If I sit on the side of the road for a few minutes it will then start back up. It has a dual points system. Any ideas????

Most coils with intermittent problems will go bad or open up with high current demand and/or heating. Then cools to complete the circuit and off you go.

High RPMS will use an average current (vs time) higher than at idle and therefore pull more current in the primary. This can cause heating of the coils and CAN cause them to open.

A good test of this would be to carry a bottle of ice water or cool water with you and cause the problem, get out and dowse the coil with cold water and see if it starts any sooner! This would tell you ......I have done this a few times myself.

Does the engine have a stock coil? If so ,on a high hp engine at the higher rpm range the coil doesn't have enough time between plug firings to build up maximum voltage. Even if it does jump the gap, there may not be enough energy to create combustion. Replace your coil with a good aftermarket one. Also you may want to upgrade to a pointless distributor. HEI or a electronic .I have an electronic distributor and a super coil from accel. Not one lick of problems and no points to adjust .Good Luck

1970 SS396 Chevelle 4 Speed
Red/Black Stripes
Saddle Interior

i put a new hei in.....problem solved.