This is a recap from another thread, but lots more has happened:

After installing the engine and hooking everything up I went to start it for the first time. Nothing happened. Did some checks and picked up a distributor module. After installing the new module the engine fired right up. This is when I started playing with my 33 code. After about a week of playing with it in my driveway I took it around the block, still with the 33 code on. Parked it in the driveway then ten minutes later I started it agian to put it in the garage. Shifted to drive and the engine died and would not start. I left the key on and checked around the engine bay. Shortly after that I heard cracking sounds and then smoke from the back of the engine. I shut it down and felt the coil, which was pretty hot to the touch, as well as the ignition hot wire to the coil. I did the ohm tests on the coil and they all pasted, but today I replaced it anyway. It did not start. I took the distributor cap off and found a melted pastic bubble on the module right behind the P terminal going to the pickup coil inside the distributor. So I burned up the new module.
So I bought this engine with a burnt up module and then ran the engine for a week before burning up another one. Any ideas as to the cause? The pick up coil ohms out at 800 and does not go to ground. The star wheel in the distributor looks pretty rusty, but I feel no slop in it.

I just put in a reman distributor. I tried to fire it up and nothing happened. Just for laughs I put in the original coil (the one that felt pretty hot). It fired right up. So I took the other one back to pepboys and exchanged it for a MSD coil. Got home put it in and the engine fired right up. (By the way, my 33 code was solved with a new MAF) So I let it run in the driveway for ten munutes or so then went for a drive. 100 yards down the street it sounded like a backfire once then died. It would not start agian. In the mean time I had the original coil sitting on the cowl and it fell off when I went around a corner and it broke. So now that coil is out.

I hear the computer does nothing till the distributor module stops controlling at 400 rmp. So I'm thinking its not the computer. I wonder if I have a wiring problem. Can anyone tell me the volts I sould have on the 4 remote coil wires as well as the six distributor wires? Any other Ideas?

Oh, and one more thing, I took the burnt up module to Napa. It tested good.
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One more recap. Everything is new now. Except the computer, but the chip was just redune, and the ESC, which I belive only controles spark retarding. And wouldn't prevent spark from happening.

 

I checked everything over agian today. The only thing in question is one of the wires coming out of the 4 wire harness on the distributor module. The black and red one. It's the HEI ground wire. My book says it should have 0 volts with the key on and when the engine is running. I have just over 1 volt. That comes straight from the computer. Is one volt okay? Would this cause a no spark situation?

 

I don't know if this will help but I had some problems wih my ignition some time back. When I bought a new module the instructions said that one of the wires(I think the one labeled "b") from the 4 pin connector that goes to the module should have voltage with the ignition switch on. But mine never had any so I thought that was causing me not to have spark. Then some one told me that the distributor should fire even if I had that harness unplugged. I checked the coil and it checked out within specs. I replaced the coil anyways and it fired right up. So I learned that my engine will die if that harness is unplugged. But i never found any voltage on it. And also the bad coil checked out fine. So something weird was going on. The previous owner had replaced the ignition module twice already(it was under warranty). Maybe theres some wire that shorts out in these cars. I also had v6 sport coupe that the coil went out on it one day. It gave me spark but it wouldn't fire. It took me a while to realize it was the coil.

 

Same with me. The fist coil tested okay, but when I replaced it with the MSD, It fired right up. But now It wont fire, yet the MSD coil still tests fine. My book says that none of the 4 pin wires at the dist. should be have voltage with the key on, but one should have like 4 volts with the engine running. I haven't been able to test voltage with it running yet.
Hey, youre in phx. I havn't seen to many on the board yet from here. I'm in Mesa. Thanks for you input.
Josh.

 

Heres what I got from some other forum when i had my problem. I pretty much elimated as much as could.

"The in-cap HEI is a simple piece (even the computer controlled one). Disconnect the "batt" wire from the side of the distributor, turn the ignition on and check for 12V at that wire. If it's got voltage, it's NOT your wiring or ignition switch, etc. The computer does not affect voltage getting to this main distributor power feed wire.

Also, just temporarily, disconnect the "tach" wire from the side of the distributor and see if you suddenly have sparks again. If the tachometer is bad and grounding that wire out it'll never make sparks.

If it's not any of that then the problem is inside the distributor somewhere."

"
Just got mine back running from the same problem. first make sure fuses a good and not blown. Second when you put the ignition module back in. Did you make sure you hooked up both ground to the coil.. Mine has a black wire on the coil and a metal band that goes under the coil and hooks to the wire harness.. If you dont have this band then you need a wire that hooks to the other corner of the coil and the plugs into this harness.. If this is all correct.. Run a wire from the battier to the bat terminal of the coil and see if starts.. If it does then you are not getting enough volts from your ignition to the coil... This is what happen to mine.. And I found out that the fuse was wrong size... Hope this helps"

 

That is some good info. Only problem is that I have the small cap distributor, with the seperate coil. I'm sure the tests are the same though. I guess I don't understand the black wire though. Is it just for in cap coils? Do I need to add a ground wire to one of the two mounting bolts for my coil?
Thanks.

 

When I put the new motor in last year I added an old MSD box I had and a new coil . I started having an intermittant start/run like you're describing . I used the factory service manual and followed the tests til I got to "bad module " or "bad pickup coil " . Of course the module is $80 vs $25 for the pickup coil . Changed the module because I had that but it was the pickup coil . It ohmed out OK when cold but no good if it was warm . They rarely give trouble but that was my problem .

 

I have a reman distributor, just put it in. But let me through this out, Just after it died the last time and wouldn't start, I started blowing my ignition fuse. I then noticed that my tach wire was touching metal. I moved the wire and stopped blowing the fuse. While this was happening, could it have blown out the pick up coil, or anything else?