I am only getting 3v at the coil positive with the wire on and 8v with the wire off, any suggestions what is causing this?

Thanks, Mike

Do you have a points distributor? Rotate the engine and measure again.Closed points will cause that.

Well 3 volts isnt enough, im not sure what youre saying by "on" and "off" but you wont have 12V at the coil unless the engine is cranking. The ballast resistor reduces the voltage to the coil when the engine is running to around 9V.

I have electronic ignition in the car. I get 3 volts when the wire is attached to the coil and 8 v when the wire is not attached to the coil with the key in run position.

When the wire is disconnected, you are seeing the Potential voltage. The supplied voltage to the component. With the key on, it's going through the resistor. With the key in Start, it will be battery voltage.
With the wire connected, it is powering the component and will drop.

Should I be seeing more than eight volts with the wire disconnected and key in run position ? From what I have read, I should be seeing 8v with the wire connectedin run position . I have not tried cranking the starter over to see what the voltage is when the wire is attached....what should it be? within 1v of battery voltage?