Olivier:

Coils can fail, however, it is usually when the engine has been running for a while and coil gets hot. After allowing the coil to cool it will usually run again until it reheats itself.

To test the coil:

Remove all wires currently attached to the primary circuit (the 2 small terminals marked with a "+" and a "-").

Using an ohmeter, attach the meter's leads to 2 terminals on the coil.

On a coil with an internal resistor the resistance should measure between 3 - 4 ohms.

On a coil with an external resistor the resistance should measure between 1 - 2 ohms.

That's the easy way to check the coil.

You may want to think about changing to electronic ignition in the future. It is a wonderful addition to the Atomic 4 and it's not that difficult to do.

There are two systems available for the Atomic 4:

The Ignitor - which Don Moyer sells.

The Indigo Electronics system, which I have on my A-4.
It works great and it is a complete kit which comes with new spark plugs, new coil, new spark plug wires, new distributor cap, and new rotor, in addition to the eletronic ignition components...making it quite a good value for the price.

The website for Indido Electronics is: http://www.atomic4.com

I don't want to sound like an advertisement for Indigo but, all their kits are wonderful.

Anyway...Good Luck

Keep us informed of your progress.

By the way you may want to join the Atomic 4 list on Salinet.com, it is very active and it is a great resource for the Atomic 4.

Again, Good Luck

Steve