rrchief67
Member
Car is a 4-speed manual with rebuilt 383. Week and a half ago on a Thursday, with the gas tank nearly empty, I backed the car out of an open carport to wash the dust off. It cranked right away, easily. After washing (including a light spray of fenders under the hood, but not on the engine or firewall), it cranked right up and I put it back in the carport.
On the following Monday, I added a gallon and a half of fresh gas and tried to crank it. It wound and wound but never fired. Checked the coil with a multimeter and the negative side was bad, so I bought a new coil, -- and a new coil wire, just in case. Plug wires are not new but are in good shape.
The new coil checked out with correct specs on the multimeter before installation, as did the resistance in both the old and new coil wires.
With the key on, I'm reading 12.4 volts on the positive post of the coil, about 8.6 on the negative side, and about 12.4 on the distributor end of the coil, plugged into the distributor but not into the distributor. Still won't fire.
There is no spark at the plug. I'm assuming (always a bad thing) it must be the distributor or the electronic ignition, but before I spend more money, I would appreciate further troubleshooting suggestions -- and instructions on what and where else I need to check for voltage and/or ohms, and what the readings should be.
I'm baffled because it cranked like a new one that Thursday, and four days later -- all the time plugged into Battery Tender to make sure the charge was up to par -- it would not fire at all. there appears to be sufficient voltage up to the coil wire, but for some reason it's not getting to the plugs. Would appreciate any and all suggestions. I'm learning as I go here, so forgive me if I've overlooked something that should be obvious.
On the following Monday, I added a gallon and a half of fresh gas and tried to crank it. It wound and wound but never fired. Checked the coil with a multimeter and the negative side was bad, so I bought a new coil, -- and a new coil wire, just in case. Plug wires are not new but are in good shape.
The new coil checked out with correct specs on the multimeter before installation, as did the resistance in both the old and new coil wires.
With the key on, I'm reading 12.4 volts on the positive post of the coil, about 8.6 on the negative side, and about 12.4 on the distributor end of the coil, plugged into the distributor but not into the distributor. Still won't fire.
There is no spark at the plug. I'm assuming (always a bad thing) it must be the distributor or the electronic ignition, but before I spend more money, I would appreciate further troubleshooting suggestions -- and instructions on what and where else I need to check for voltage and/or ohms, and what the readings should be.
I'm baffled because it cranked like a new one that Thursday, and four days later -- all the time plugged into Battery Tender to make sure the charge was up to par -- it would not fire at all. there appears to be sufficient voltage up to the coil wire, but for some reason it's not getting to the plugs. Would appreciate any and all suggestions. I'm learning as I go here, so forgive me if I've overlooked something that should be obvious.