I currently think i am having an electrical problem with my car. Its accelerating hard after warm-up. Its jerking hard if i give it anymore than just a little bit of gas to accelerate i mean hard to like its just cutting out. The rpms dont cut out. I just want to know how i can go about do a good check of the ignition system. I have already replaced the ignition coil. Thanks for any help.

 

Here's a partial list of things to check that may cause weak spark:

1. Remove ALL the plugs and inspect them. Look for gap erosion, insulator damage or blistering, and overall color. [8*]Test the spark plug wire resistance, and inspect them along their entire length for insulation jacket damage. Look for corrosion at the distributor and plug terminals.
2. Remove the distributor cap and inspect the terminals, towers, and interior contacts for damage, corrosion, contamination, or indicatiosn of spark flashover.
3. Inspect the rotor for the same conditions.
4. With the cap and rotor out of the way, inspect the pickup coil and reluctor for corrosion, cracks, damaged insulation, and meter the pickup coil resistance. A good pickup coil should indicate between 500-1,500 ohms, and infinite resistance to ground. A brand new pickup coil should read 850 ohms.
5. Check the connection at the HEI switching module for corrosion. Make sure the module attachment screws are clean and tight, since they provide grounding for the module.

Replace or repair anything you find that is out of order. Make sure spark plug gaps are at spec, and not just what they were when they came out of their boxes.

 

should i just be reading continuity across the wires or is there a certain resistance measurement for different brands. Thanks for the help and ill be checking all this shortly.

 

You should me measuring ohms (resistance) and it should be less than 1000 ohms regardless of mfg. Make sure your meter doesn't auto scale, that can confuse the hell out of you sometimes.

Ben