Thread: what makes condensors go bad?

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I put a new condensor in my '51 Chevy to get it started and running, to move it 20' into our other tent garage last fall, shut it down, left if alone until this weekend, hooked up the gas ( soda bottle with hole drilled thru cap, 3/8" line running to the bottom ), hooked up the battery charger. tried to crank it, wouldn't. battery was shot, had almost no charge and was hissing like it was overcharging, so I pull it out, go to TSC for another 6v battery, put it in, engine now cranks, but no fire, tested for spark= nothing, so I called to order a condensor, but my nice auto parts guy, now stocks them for me ( had 1 the last time also ). put it in today, and it fired up with no problems, other than backing it out, the exhaust got hung up, and ripped most of it off ( muffler and a lot of cheap flex pipe ) wondered why it started to get loud and sound kinda nice ( forgotten how cool an old tractor sounds ). but, what makes them go bad?? there cheap enough, I don't much care about the cost ( $9.50 ), but it's a pain getting the 8mm wrench ( almost same as 5/16" which I don't have ) down in there to pull the nut to release the wire.