At my wits end still!
 

Short history.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...threadid=91402

Parked truck because of cold and tranny leaking.

After 2 months, pulled dash bezel to install camaro tach.

Re-installed everything and truck turns over, but does not start.

Basically re-built the distributor (HEI) New cap, rotor, coil on top of cap, ignition module, and the thing that goes around the shaft of the dizzy.

I found loose connection on the top of the steering column next to the firewall. Pushed it back in, but then turned the key and nothing. Pulled the connection and wiggled while re-connecting, then motor would turn over but will not start.

Power to the dizzy with key in on position and while cranking.

I have tried the screwdriver in the spark plug wire next to metal, but no spark or arc.

What other way of testing to see if there is spark coming from the dizzy if I cannot get the screwdriver way to work?

Is there a way to pull the dizzy out and have the whole thing tested to see if it is in there somewhere.?

Where should I go from here?

Thanks

Ron

ttt

Get a 12 volt light tester and make sure you are getting juice at the distributor.

Pull a wire from a spark plug. Insert a spare plug into the wire and hold it against a good ground while someone turns the motor over. If spark your problem is not ignition. If not check for voltage at the distributor.

have you put a meter on the wire to make sure you have 12v to the dizzy with the key on? If so then it is either the module or coil,check connections on both.and both can be checked at Auto zone.

I did the same on my 72, installed a brand new accel dist, igniton module, cap, roter etc. I cranked and cranked, and finally replaced the ignition module with one out of an old dist that i had laying around, the new (45$) accel ignition module was bad from the factory. I actually left the one off the old dist in there to this day.

Just an idea of what to check.

Good luck
David

I think it's a good time to hit the junkyard and pull dizzy out of one that runs and install it in yours ($35), don't hook the tach up. You could also unhook all power leads to dizzy including tach and run hot wire from battery and see if it starts. JMO

I too had problems like that. Had 2 NAPA HEI's and kept blowing modules. I was gettin' real good at changing modules, though. A friend of mine gave me an HEI to try, and the truck has run fine now since last summer, and the tach works right all the time now. Try a different HEI.

If it ran before you worked on it odds are nothing would have just gone bad unless electrical stuff corroded or rodents. Are you 100 % sure that you have 12 volts going to the distributor while cranking? How did you check this? Have you tryed to run a wire from the battery to the dist? Did you have the same results? At this point timing is really not an issue, getting the spark is. How is the charge on your battery? Remember if the battery is low it will still crank a motor but will not have enough amps to create that spark and HEI likes good amps. Looking back at you earlier posts you mentioned that it was hard to start after it warmed up. Could be a a sign of a bad alternator or bad engine to frame ground. Check your engine ground cable remove it and clean both surfaces with sandpaper. Same at the battery. Also do as someone else mentioned use a spark plug to check for spark. If you have a bad engine to frame ground trying a screwdriver to the wheel well would do you no good. Clean a spot off the manifold and lay it down there. Also one other thing to consider is the condition of the gas. Bad gas can happen from something sitting.

Ok,

I removed the dizzy and had the module tested at O-Reillys. IT tested bad, ( new one I bought from them 3 weeks ago).

I got a new one (again) and had it tested before I left.

Installed it and still nothing. So I decide to put the old coil (thing uder the cap) back on, thinking maybe that new one was bad as well. It goes in and I try and start it and it backfires all to heck. Wow, something is working now. It continues to sputter and and sputter like it wants to start, but it does not catch on.

I am thinking I put the dizzy in 180 off, so I start it and it does the same thing.

So it seems that I have spark now, but no running motor. What now?

Thanks!

Ron

Check your distributor timing. Make sure cylinder #1 is coming up on compression stroke - you should be able to tell if you pull the plug and put your finger over the hole while cranking the engine over - slowly now. When you are sure that cylinder #1 is coming up on the compression stroke - stop the cranking and check to see if the rotor points to the spot on the cap where you have the wire for plug #1. If not, then you have the distributor in out of whack or the wires on it in the wrong spot. There is no specific #1 spot on the cap - ie you could move all of the wires one spot to the left or right so long as you move them all in sequence.
It is important that the right cylinder is trying to fire on the right stroke however.
This should get you close enough to time the engine and get it running if there is spark now.

It is running now. Thanks for all the help.

BBBBUUUTTTTT!

With the camaro tach now hooked up, it will not start. With it unhooked, it starts.

HMMMMMMMM!

Sounds like a short in your tach.

HG