condensers (old ones) eventually give out they can be tested with a ohmeter but the real good test is with a high voltage tester using 250VDC + to detect internal leakage.
I take issue with "testing caps with an ohmeter." The fact is, trying to test caps with an ohmeter tells you NOTHING, unless they are so bad that the leakage or short actually shows up on the ohmeter.
What you are trying to determine is, "are they actually good?" There is one pretty much reliable test, and that is a high voltage leakage test as you mentioned. IF YOU CANNOT DO THAT TEST here is what you are risking:
1.....Even though you might have spark, the spark performance might be greatly reduced because of capacitor condition. This is going to show up mostly as either high speed miss, or a mysterious "doesn't quite seem like it's full power, or is it?"
2...Intermittend spark. Boy this can be the worst of all. the engine may not be reliable, may quit at "inoppertune" (LOL) moments, miss at times but not others, and so on
3...Of course no spark, even though you "tested" the cap with your meter, and concluded (wrongly) that it is "OK."
I did not mention capacitance, and there are lots of modern solid state meters and testers that will show capacitance. But that reading is meaningless if the thing leaks
If you can not test caps with a good tester and high voltage leakage test, do yourself a great big favor and replace them (which also can have some risk) or replace them with "orange drop" electronics caps.
COILS: If you remove the coils, or even if you don't be sure you have adequate clearance that the flywheel is not going to rub them. There is a "ring" install tool to clearance them, but I don't use one.
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