My 1985 Jag XJ6 starting running a lil bit rough, and missing the other day. Turned it off it wouldn't start again. Figured out that there was no spark coming out of the coil although we were getting power to the connectors on the coil. Decided to try and bypass coil with wire directly from battery to the coil, and it worked! Car started and I drove it home. Is the coil the source of my problem? Note: coil has external resistor

 

Probably not the coil if you can direct wire it to the battery and get the car to run. More likely an ignition switch wiring problem that is not getting power to the coil when the ignition is switched on. If you are handy with a multimeter, you can test the coil lead to see if you are getting power there when you turn the key to run.

Tip: You'll probably get more/better responses if you use a post title that gives a quick (3-6 word) summary of your issue. When you use a title like "My Jag" many people won't realize you're actually looking for help.