IIRC, the condensor is to keep the points from arcing-burning. You should be able to run it a little while without one to see if that's the problem. A condensor that's going bad will either cause the points to burn (what I remember happening in my old cars), or short out, causing no fire to the plugs. All this reminds me why I love diesels!
Which answers the question someone asked about "What was wrong with the original engine?" when I was discussing replacing with a diesel!!!
Michael
