I am in some need of help quick i am stuck at my school right now and i am not getting spark, I have fuel and compression. I drove to school this morning fine and no problems wasnt beating on it or anything. I got to school and wanted to go out to breakfast, the car started for about 10 sec and then died i went to start it up again and it wouldnt start up again, i walked to my school auto shop and talked to my teacher. I am getting 12V to the pink battery wire going into the coil, I also have continuety at the ground. He gave me a new cap coil and condenser, i walked around the block and put them in. The car started for about 30sec while i was giving it gas and it felt really crappy i went to start it again it started for about 5 sec then died, I realized that i am an idiot and put the wires in the wrong order, I was one off for each wire so i wasnt too bad but when i corrected that the car didnt start at all. it cranked and cranked till no end but didnt start up the tach didnt move as i was cranking it this time either whereas before that it did so i went back and checked all the wires, they were all conneced good, the only thing that me and my teacher could think of is the control modual being bad could the control modual be intermittant or do you guys think this is something else???? I really need help soon

 

What distributor do you have in it?

 

I have an in cap hei distributor, with the 4 pin ignition module

 

Yes, they can be intermittent. Heat is the #1 cause of intermittency and failure. They often take the coil out with them when they go. And, sometimes the coil goes out and takes the module with it (pretty much impossible to tell which went first).

 

My car was completly cold this morning and i didnt even drive it enough for it to get hot, I was afraid that it took the coil with it now i need to find a ride to the parts store and wait for the rain to stop... thanks

 

I got AAA to tow me to my house and then I walked to the parts store around the corner, I bought a new module ($36) and installed it, it didnt work. Could the other module have taken both coils that i put on top? I will be getting another coil tommorow but i figured if i can drive my car to work tonite that would save me alot of hassle.
What can it be now??
I am not getting any response out of the tach in my car and i am sure the wire is hooked up to it good.
I am getting 12V at the pink wire going into the distributor.
I am getting a good ground as well.
I tried the new module with both coils one of the coils is an Accel supercoil and the other is just a noname coil. Neither worked, I also put in a used condenser that was good but that didnt help either.
What other parts can it be? I highly doubt that the rotor is doing this b.c it ran great this morning. And it started up for like 30 sec after that one time?
Anyother suggestions or am I stuck at my house for a while??

 

I would check the coil first...May have taken that out...I would maybe try the pickup coil if the rest checks good....Other than that...?? I dont have any further help.. GOod luck!

 

Wheres this pickup coil you speak of? I dont recall seeing any other parts in the distributor.

 

The pickup coil is actually wrapped around the distibutor shaft. There is a two pin connector that connects to the module under the cap. Disconnect it and check the resistance. I don't know what the spec is but some one here does. If it's out of spec it will require complete removal and disassembly of the distributor to replace it.

edit: Okay I noticed you said you have a 4-pin connector, I don't know where the pickup connects to the module on the 4 pin design, but the connector should still come from under the cap.

 

I had a problem once on an '85 Z28. Ended up being a bad wire for the pick up coil.

 

do these cars even use a condensor? he said he was using one and I thought only time you used the condensor is if you are using points breaker style system.
since he isn't and it sounds like he put a set of points on there could that be part of the problem?

 

I replaced the part that looks like a little cylinder and has a ground wire and 2 wires going to the ignition module.

 

Did you pull a spark plug out and physically check for spark? What you are describing could easily be a fuel delivery issue too.

 

What he said

 

yes i have a fuel, i have a fuel pressure guage and regulator it is at 5 psi i opend the throttle plates and saw the fuel go down as well, it is definatly spark, i am going outside right now to put in a borrowed coil module and condenser (cylinderal thing with wires). keep the suggestions coming i appriciate them.

 

Welp it still doesnt start i am getting very frustrated with it i am getting no results anywhere, I guess it still can be the coil but i highly doubt it since I am pretty sure this coil came off a running car. I dont know what to do I think my main hint is that the tach isnt moving when it cranks but when it started those few times yesterday the tach moved so I know if the tach moves it will start. I think if i find out that problem then the car will start. Is there a fuse that will cause this?? All of my other guages are working.
It is definalty not the ignition module since I have 2 brands new ones that dont start the car... I really need some help. Otherwise i dont know what to do. Im stuck... i have gone no where except on a tow truck...

 

Hate to repeat myself, but I would check the pick-up coil, inside the distributer on the shaft. under the rotor. You may want to see if someone has a known good one that you can test with. If you have power to the distributer but no spark out..gotta be something in there..since you have replaced everything else but that..thats where I would go next.

 

REDRIGHT9 I think you are right, I replaced and double replaced everything except that. I just got back from the parts store and they said it was $35 and they didnt have one in stock. I will go to a cheaper parts store since they are overpriced most of the time. Can you please tell me how to change this pickup coil, all the weights and everything have to be removed I am assuming. Do you or anyone else have more detailed instructions? I will either get outside tonite with a flashlight and do this or wait till tommorow. I really want my car to run again. Thanks and again I didnt ignore what you said the first time I just merely did what I could get for free first.

DLV555 you said that I have to remove my distributor from my car to get to this? are you sure? I really hope not even though it isnt that hard, i just want to keep the possibilitys of other probelms down.

 

Well I bought the pickup from a cheaper store that had one in stock, it was WELLS pn. DR106 for $25 I would like to put it in the car tonite but am not sure how to get below the weights, I took the rotor off, then took the 2 springs off, then took the 2 weights off but the one i am having trouble with is the center peice, it doesnt want to comeoff and i dont want to break anything else. Any ideas? I really need to get this done, and i think i do have to take the distributor out huh... I wish i had something other then my bird for a DD but i dont. I also really really really hope that this is what is causing the problem. I dont see what else it can be after this.?.?.?.? EDIT: I auctaully looked at the magnetic part of the pickup coil and i see that the magent is cracked so this has to be it.

Oh and BTW for anyone that ever has a problem with spark, the way to test a incap coil is with a Ohmmeter, set it o n a high ohm setting and connect the ohmmeter to the batt and the tach wire, the resistance should be very low. I found this from googling.

 

I didn't think you ignored me...No problems there...As far as replacing the pickup coil, I believe you have to take the distributer out of the car, tap out the roll pin on the gear and pull the shaft out of the distributer body. then you can replace it and put everything back together...the bad thing is the gear and shaft can be a pain to seperate some times....Good luck and keep us posted!

 

What he said. Once you remove the pin from the drive gear give the top of the dizzy a little rap with a small hammer and the gear will separate from the shaft. After that it all comes apart really easy. Make sure to mark the position of the rotor to the distributor and the distributor to the block before you remove it. I would do this in the daylight if I were you.

 

does the piston have to be at TDC of cylinder one for me to take it out or can i just mark off the position and unbolt the bolt then take it out? Thanks I finally feel like i am getting somewhere with this whole thing now i just need to do it.

 

you don't have to have the motor in TDC just MARK YOUR POSITION. fine where the rotor points put the rotor in the same spot. and make sure you also reference exactly where spark plug terminal 1 goes as well. this way you should have it close to. don't forget also when marking the rotor which is front and which is rear. did that once took me a while to move the dizzy little by little to get the timing back. didn't realize at first I was 180* out on my honda. oh well live and learn

 

You're not going to be able to put the rotor on backwards on an HEI dizzy. It is keyed. Like RX7 said don't worry about TDC, just mark the distrbutor so that you know it will go back in exactly how it came out and that the rotor is in the exact same position it was before. If it doesn't seem to want to sit all the way down where it is supposed to then that may mean the oil pump drive has moved slightly, so it may take a little it of fidgeting to get it to drop all the way back in.

 

you might not be able to put the rotor on backwards but you can still have the rotor positioned 180* off if you actually move your gears far enough. I didn't pay attention to what part of the rotor was pointing to my mark and so even though my rotor went on in the keyed spot it was still 180* off

 

I took note to that my neigbours thought i was crazy taking off my dizzy early in the morning so i can get to school, i will tell you how it goes.

 

Well Im pissed and stuck still, unless all 3 of the coils that i have are bad then i am screwed, no one that i talk to knows what else it can possibly be unless it is the coil.
I took the distributor to school and reassembled the whole thing with the new pickup coil and new ignition module as well as the adjustable vacuum advance and lighter springs... ( i found out that little cylinderal thing is just a noise thing for the radio, i went to the parts store with my whole distributor and that is what they told me) i put it in the car and it just kept cranking, i checked for spark and i got nothing i checked anyway just to be certain it is still a problem with the spark which it was. the tach isnt moving so i knew it wouldnt start but i figured i would give it a shot anyway, can someone find out if the coil goes bad will the tach still read?? this is what i really need to know. I am 100% certain that if my car starts the tach will start to work again... I dont want to spend big moeny on a coil.

 

Well, thought that the pickup coil would be it, especially since you saw it physically broken....I am lost then since you say you have power to the distributer but no spark out... thought it would be coil, pickup coil, or module....really anything else I can think of....Sorry, I am tapped out.. HOpefully someone else has an idea. good luck.

 

Are you sure you repostitoned everything exactly the way it was before removal? If not it would probably do something, but I had to ask anyway. Okay so you have power to the distributor, how about ground? The tach signal is the pulsing ground from the ignition coil. Unless something is simply disconnected I don't see what else could be wrong. If you have a complete circuit with good compnents then the only thing left is connections. Make sure you have a good ground and that there are no loose wires. The cylindrical thing you are talking about is a capacitor. Don't think I've seen one in an HEI distributor.

 

I was hoping it was the pickup coil as well obviously but it wasnt unfortunatly. I am certain that everything is put back exactly the way it was. It is also acting exactly the same as it was so i dont think taking out the distributor has anything to do with it. Although with my luck you never know. I checked the power to the distributor through the pink wire and the center terminal of the coil so that assures me that they are getting power and ground.
I think I might just buy a good coil to complete the i have every single thing new with my ignition system. then go from there.

 

Try grounding the plug to the body of the car instead of the engine when you check for spark, I had an identical problem and the car would not start at all. The car would not show spark with the plug grounded to the engine. Then I placed the plug on the chassis and boom, engine fired right up and ran fine. I don't remember what it was that fixed it. Coil ground wire connector if I had to guess.

Use jumper wires straight to the battery for both + and - terminals on the coil.

Check that the rotor is actually turning when you roll the engine over.

Last resort, get a J-yard distributor for 15bux and drive away..

 

I cannot catch a break with anything this week, i want to go fix my car only to look outside and see the rain coming down hard and not letting up... hopefully sunday will be nice weather.

The rotor is turning and i dont see why i would run wires to the distributor from my battery if i am definalty getting 12V there and definalty getting a good ground after numerous different occasions of checking and rechecking.

I wish i had a J/y around me that was reasonably priced...

I think the only thing left for me to try and buy new is the coil. Or take the coil from my dads 87 vette, does anyone know if these are the same coil and cap, I would assume they are but you never know. That way i will have a full complete all working parts guranteed distributor then work from there... even though i shouldnt have to b.c realistically it should be running right now...

I would like to thank everyone for their help.

 

It was the coil, i had three bad coils apparently, (2 of them being Accel super coils) I think what happened is the intermittant module took out two of the coils and the one coil that i found was just bad to begin with. But now I have a new problem, I think when i took out and put back in my distributor I put it in one gear off, I couldnt tell at the time but now it is running like complete crap and will not even spark sometimes, I dont have timing tabs on my engine yet, i dont know what to do yet again... and my battery is dying. My dad is coming back with a charger. Any ideas on what i should do about my distributor timing being off?? Thanks alot for all of your help and support.

 

you don't want to use 12v+ and ground directly from the batt to the coil
all that would do is fry the coil. coils work by the voltage going from 0 to 12v then back down. ify ou have a steady 12v going straight to the coil there wouldn't be any change and instead just steady voltage. your car wouldn't run.
plus another thing with the voltage going up and down from 12v to 0 and back again it gives small time for the coil to cool down being that it isn't conducting current 100% of the time. here you would always conduct current and haet that coil up so quick it would fry.
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try advancing or retarding the timing a little bit and see which way it starts to run better. then keep going in that direction.

 

I knew I would F*&K up while putting the distributor back in, in order to get it to run good the distributor has to be turned all the way untill the vacuum advance touches the intake and it can turn any more, thanks everyone for all their help i guess i have to take it out and put it in the right way this time.
,
Dennis