How do you tell the difference between a 6v and a 12v condenser. I have 3 (I suspect they all have problems) But, one is stamped 19 (or if read upside down stamped 6V or a very French 1) and is 0.22uf. A second is marked 13 and 0.27uf and a third has no markings at all. The first two are Ducillier.
BobH

Bob,
considering that a capacitor has to cope with absorbing induced primary voltages measured in 3 digits rather then 2 digits, I'd doubt that the little blighters would be outphased by having to cope with 12v rather than 6v...

0.22uf or 0.27uf? Both should be OK...

Respect the answer Ken, but they do sell both 6v and 12v condensers. And the capacitance is a wee bit different. However, I see that on ebay, there are 0.22uf,0.27 and 0.33 types.
My query started off on another thread "Hot Start" and after a lot of mucking about, I am wondering if its the modern fuel could make Hot Start difficult. Somewhere (Austin 7 sites) I did read that adding a small amount of diesel improved modern fuel to make the 'burn' a little slower, but don't remember the mix ratio.

A splash of diesel in the petrol tank? Some swear by it, some swear at it.
http://speedsociety.com/what-happens-wh ... -gasoline/
One wag on a forum states he gets more power, but also higher fuel consumption.
The following are links to diesel engines running with ratios of petrol (gasoline), but are a bit off topic.
http://dieseldatabase.com/mixing-gasoline-with-diesel/
http://news.wisc.edu/gasoline-diesel-co ... t-engines/
http://newatlas.com/diesel-spark-plug-gasoline/12484/

What none of the above have mentioned is any increased rate of wear in the fuel injection pump when run using petrol in the diesel fuel. That's going to hurt.

Fuel mixing is a science that is hardly improved by internet and garden shed stories. Although there's one I keep meaning to try using acetone in a strictly calculated amount for petrol engined vehicles:
https://pesn.com/archive/2005/03/17/690 ... index.html

On the Pre-War Minor forum, there are some who use a 5% to 10% paraffin mix with modern fuel to make the petrol more amiable for an early 1930s engine. It's only legal for vehicles produced before 1947 though.

6 volt condensors are double the size of a 12v version. The have a screwthread on the end to connect it to the breaker points and cable. The smaller modern (12v) ones have an cable with an o-ring to be put under the screw of the points. They are not especially 12 or 6 volt. But the older ones are a lot sturdier than the new ones. The one on my green 57 is already in there +20 years never any problem yet. In the yellow 57 there was a new model condensor put by the previous owner n that gave up after 2 months.

the 0.27uf is usually the marking on the 12v ones
hot start is often valve gaps ,idle mixture or timing ( assuming youve already eliminated any coil problems) so a good service and the proper starting technique means you dont have to cut your fuel with diesel or parrafin.

I've found a splash of whisky works wonders.

Mosht definitely!
Sláinte, slàinte, cheers, etc...

Quick tip. When replacing the condenser, use a long bladed flat screwdriver poked up between the crossmember of the chassis and the engine. It saves taking off the complete contacts timing plate.
Ps, put a sheet of news paper underneath the front of the engine to catch the screw and washer etc.