Hey guys,

I'm new to the TPI world and am embarassed to ask for the help, but I can't figure out my issue. I just swapped a tune-port injected 383 stroker motor into my 1986 Jeep CJ7 and I'm not getting fire to the coil. I don't have voltage when the key is on, nor when the engine is cranking. I verified that I have oil pressure, my computer is only throwing the normal '12' code, my fuel pump is priming the system, and I have fuel pressure at the rail. I also hear a weird "ticking" or "fluttering" noise from the injectors after I crank the engine and leave the key in the on position. This is a non-MAF system I am running, but I don't think that would matter with my symptoms.

Not sure where to go from here, but you guys seem very knowledgeable and I hope you can help me out.

If you don't get voltage with the key on, I'd look at your chassis wiring first.

you should try posting in the right forum. It will go over looked in here. You should post it on the TPI and/or tech general engine if you havent already.

Could it possibly be a VATS problem? I'd definately trace the wiring for ignition and such to see if there are any bad connections and look for good grounds.

waht fuel pump are you using? if its electrical which it should be since you need alot of fuel pressure for fuel injection, how is it on if your not gettin voltage with the key on?

When I turn the key on, the electric fuel pump kicks on for about 2 seconds. After I crank the engine, I can hear the injectors "fluttering". I know I have voltage on the ignition wire for that reason, but I am perplexed on the coil issue. Should the coil have voltage with the key on, or only when cranking the engine? I know that voltage is disconnected if you don't have enough oil pressure, but I get no trouble codes. My MAP sensor is hooked up but no codes. The only thing I don't have connected that I could possibly think of is the knock sensor.

Sorry if this is on the wrong forum.

Not the wrong forum....He said "Post on the TPI board", ad that's where this is. Me thinks he was confused as o where he was... :dunno:


Anyways....Your fuel pump shuts off when the fuel pressure needed is reached, so it should come on a few seconds, then shut off, until the engine is started.

Key on=coil voltage, so regardless of started or not, you should have coil voltage.

Hmmmmm......I guess I have some tracing on the wiring to do. Sure hope it's not related to the program or the computer. I let a buddy borrow my chip to test his engine and it didn't do anything in his computer. My luck it FUBAR'd something.

dude your power source to the coil is the issue. sounds like it got lost during the swap. I had this happen to me when I did a swap years ago. I acciedetly clipped the orange wire and when I re-connected it she fired right up!!!! Start tracing that harness!!!!!!!

Thanks for the help guys. I'll be back in town on Friday and get to tracing that harness. I sure am anxious to get this puppy fired up.

i could have sworn this was in the suspension chassis board last night unless someone moved it or my eyes decieved me??

good luck on tracing that harness for problems. I feel you'll find it

Traced the harness and no pinches, cuts, or connection issues. Pulled the computer and harness into the engine compartment and completely separated the distributor leads from the rest of the harness. From what I am reading in the manual, my black w/red tracer wire should be supplying the voltage to my distributor. I checked it and it isn't. Not even supplying power directly out of the computer plug.

I decided to try manually supplying voltage to the distributor so I did the following:
1. Cut black/red wire 8inches from computer and put the dist. side directly to the battery and tried to start engine. No luck
2. I have a non-hei setup so I disconnected the pink and white lead from the coil and put a test light on it and cranked the engine. No voltage their even though I manually am applying voltage to the dist.

I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Could it be a control module in the distributor and I am incorrect in thinking the black/red should be hot out of the computer? Should I go buy an HEI distributor and try that? I don't have an external ECM box like a buddy of mine has so not sure how all that plays out in this scenario.

hey dont feel bad i have a 87 gta with a 88 motor and wiring the guy i got it from spliced the wiring harness together and itia nightmare it was running great for 4 days then i went around a turn and it was like i shut off the key a cuple hours later i was just messing around with it and it started i was like yay i shut it off and its been a week has not started back up yet it i bought a new distibutor the ecm is new it has a super chip the vats is dissabled IM NOT GETTING SPARK AND CANT FIND THE PROBLEM i am so ready to send the car on its way no one has showed me the light i have checked almost all the wiring its all messed up but i dont know gm very well it looks like its right but what do i know the funny thing is i was die hard mustang till one day i decided to try 3rd gen car got this gta 5 speed loved it till this now im wondering if it was worth it any help out there?

Well I'm working with a brand-new painless wiring kit so at least I have that going for me. There's no cuts or aplices except for the one that I will have to make above now that I cut the wire. Maybe supplying 12 volts manually isn't possible and the 4-wire lead to the dist requires wires 2, 3, and 4 to actually fire the distributor.

A cuople of things pop into my mind...

What do you mean by "non-HEI"?

Secondly, your painless kit isn't like a GM, there are a few diff's depending on the application needed...since yours is obviously a swap, I'd be on the phone with them to get it straightened out,...they do have good phone support

Sorry, by Non-HEI I ma referring to having a distributor with a non-integrated coil. It is mounted separately on my firewall.

I am swapping into a vehicle that was not equipped with this motor factory, but since I bought the harness and motor secondhand, I figured they wouldn't help me out with technical support. Might be worth a try though.

Pianless used to have diagrams of thier harnesses on thier website, IIRC, I think I downloaded them and made copies at one time for a SD harness I had.

Are you sure it's the injectors ticking, and not the IAC valve, or something else...verify by unplugging the injectors.