Im getting out of options

[steve from staten island]

My 383 trying to get it running. This is driving me nuts. I had it running than not but what it seems to be coming down to is a weak or erratic spark. I have no spark at the plugs and the motor will not even pop. Now i when i crank it the coil wire will spark,i think it could be stronger but there is spark,yet no spark at the plug. The cap is new and i have total continuity at the coil tower to inside the cap,Rotor is new and I'm running a Petronoix ignitor2. Now what i found is a very high resistance in the coil wire. Im using some cheap wires while waiting for better ones. They say 7mm suppression. I really don't know what my next step should be other than going down to Advance or Auto zone and getting another set of wires. Any ideas would be very much appreciated

 

[HawkRod]

Hmmm.

Even if your spark is weak, you have spark. That same spark should make its way to the plug if the distributor is doing what I should be doing. While I am not personally familiar with the Petronoix system, I have heard that they can burn out. If it is burned out you would get no spark at the plugs.

That's my guess....

 

[snakeoil24]

First test is place a spark plug upside down in the coil. Ground the Spark plug body to the car body, crank the car Check for spark. If no spark here one of two things polarity wired back ward at Pertronix to coil or bad coil or pertronix. Pertronix has led. If lit its good if not then its bad. Wires are not the issue. alternate possiblilty did you eliminate ballast resistor??

 

[Chargerjase]

I know that Pertronix say that you cannot use solid copper wires. It sounds to me like that 's what the problem is. Here is an extract from their website;

You cannot use solid core (typically copper) spark plug wires with this product. Solid core wires do not suppress electro magnetic interference (EMI) which will interfere with electronics in this product. A suppression style or spiral wound spark plug wires must be used.

 

[66 coronet deluxe]

Also measure voltage at your coil while at the "start" position as well as the "run" position. Check out their website, they have some good diagnostics.
You may have grabbed the wrong wire when wiring this system. You might have 12v on "start" but then very low voltage to coil at "run". This happened to me when I went to electronic ignition, engine would start then die once I brought the key back to the "run" position. I found the correct wire and engine started and ran immediately.

 

[steve from staten island]

The engine is out of the car. Im using a jumper from the battery to Positive side of coil. Using suppression wires as per what Petronix says. Its got to be a firing order issue. Im positive i put the cam in correctly and when i bring #1 up to TDC the mark on the balancer is at zero on the timing tab,both valves are closed. Something aint right and its got me over a barrel. The cam came with the block,when i looked up the numbers on cam it was a stock replacement,perfect circle i think. I just don't understand why I'm getting no spark at plugs regardless of were i have the distributor. If it wasn't right the engine should just backfire through the carb,right?

 

[The Horvaths]

Unless the spark is jumping to ground inside the distributor cap due to dirt or other issue.

 

[6speedGTX]

I've run into the same problem with a couple of magnum small blocks. Spark like crazy at the coil but nothing at the plugs. Both times it turned out to be a weak coil. The spark wasn't strong enough to jump multiple gaps. Put a new coil and ran like a top.

 

[steve from staten island]

Thanks guys for the help. I did what Steve from NJ told me. I put a spark plug in coil wire to ground and it sparked good. Yet no spark or very weak at plug wire. I shimmed the rotor than just the stator and did get spark at plugs and it started. I can only get it started when the vacuum advance is pointed towards the front of car. No backfiring. I took those shims out put in the new stator rotor and it started. There is something still not right and my next try would be to put the points back in. The distributor is a rebuilt from Rock Auto and the coil is a new Petronix. Again i brought the piston up to TDC at compression stroke had timing mark at 0 ,had oil pump shaft slot facing parallel with crank and put the wires on were #1 fell.

 

[snakeoil24]

Also have you checked to make sure you have a good ground?

 

[major50]

just a thought pertronix says you have to bypass ballast resistor to use ugnitor II

 

[steve from staten island]

The battery is grounded right to the block,12 volts to coil and i have a jumper that goes from the battery right to the coil. The plug sparks like crazy when i put the coil wire to it,yet when i put the coil wire back in the distributor cap and tried the plug wire there was no spark. Still later i got it running so I'm really confused. I got it to idle somewhat but could not time it as my light is no longer working. The thing is it sounds good and is not smoking,no coolant leaking and oil pressure is good. I am worried that i need to have the distributor turned so much that the advance faces forward and in everything I've seen it should be basically pointed toward the drivers side fender. Also there is not much RPM difference when its running and i rotate the distributor. Could i have screwed up when i installed the cam? I lined up the marks but is it possible it is ever so slightly off?

 

[Dennis H]

That's it. I'm getting out of Options too.

 

[The Horvaths]

Did you degree the cam?
Anyway. if the distributor body needs to be rotated to the point of interference, simply move the plug wires one post each. Then put the distributor, wherever it needs to be, where it doesn't strike anything. Nothing is written in stone that a given build will have an exact alignment from stem to stern. Tolerances can add up.

 

[steve from staten island]

No i didn't degree the cam,i didn't think for a totally stock motor i had to do it. Lined up the dots on the timing and crank gears. I believe #1 piston was at TDC and that was it

 

[snakeoil24]

You have it running now? Did you use a ballast resistor? or remove as required? The engine is not kicking back when you shut it down? then you need a timing light and still check the coil with an ohm meter. these steps have to be followed. Do you have the rotor fully seated?

 

[The Horvaths]

The point in rotation where spark is giving best performance (ignoring damper marks, because they can "slip"), depends as much upon cam/valve timing as it does upon crank timing. Cam tolerances, timing set tolerances, and crank tolerances can add or subtract from each other. If your engine is on a stand, double-checking the cam timing is a very good thing and easy to do. I always check cam timing and piston to valve clearance on any build. That said, if you're happy with it, set it up so that the distributor has some rotational clearance and go.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I once had a cracked rotor that caused the spark from the coil wire go to ground along the crack to the distributor shaft. Took a little while to find that one but put a different rotor and fired right up.