loosing spark now

[primoflav]

So put in new fuel pump and rebuilt carb then had no spark pulled the distributor lined it up with number one plug then fired right up drove it all day then today to work went shopping fired right up stopped to get a coffee at has station and blamo no fire i vleaned and gapped the plugs other day so should be good my friend said its because i have a efi cap an rotor and coil and distributor bt need other stuff but cant get Specifics out of him he is a six pack into a twelver right now lol ANY IDEAS ANYBODY

[ujsf01]

If by efi you mean HEI, that's an easy diagnosis. If you have no spark at the plug wire to the plug, make sure you have power at the "bat" terminal on the dist cap. Should be hot with key in "run" position. If not, follow that wire back to find source of power loss. If power is present, check for a pulsing signal on the "tach" terminal of the cap while someone cranks the engine over. You'll need a small jumper you can attach to the tach terminal so you can touch it with a test light to ground while testing. If you have pulse, then most likely a bad coil/module. If no pulsing light, most likely pick-up coil, but still a possibilty of the module. HEI ignition modules have a current limiter built in to prevent oversaturation of the coil primary windings and if it fails, it will damage the coil, so I always replace together. If it is the coil/module, do yourself a favor and make sure to get an AC/Delco replacement. The pick-up coil inside the distributor can be checked with an ohm meter for proper resistance (200-600 ohms I think, but check specs to be sure). If resistance is within specs, switch the meter to AC volts and monitor output while someone spins the engine over. Seems I remember it should be .8 volt or greater, but again check specs. One last thing, make sure the ground that is supposed to be under the coil inside the cap. Have seen lots of folks leave this out when changing caps.

[primoflav]

Lol sorry about lack of punctuation.was in the heat of the momment haha.broke down with 300 dollars of groceries in bed of the truck.and yes hei lol again was due to agitation.the whole set up is only 3 weeks old but will have to look into all of you suggestions but sadly dont have a day off til sunday to do that.so guess back to public transportation til then.and again sadly supposed to snow tonight.would have been my first chance to try the truck in snow.

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Originally Posted by primoflav

Lol sorry about lack of punctuation.was in the heat of the momment haha.broke down with 300 dollars of groceries in bed of the truck.and yes hei

No apologies necessary around here for stuff like that, primo. I'd save the "sorries" for the little woman
when you come home with a warm milkshake instead of a quart of ice cream. And soggy fish sticks.

You are getting great advice from ujsf01. Check for power at the dizzy. And, it would be a good move to buy
an AC/Delco module before Sunday. That would be the very first thing I changed out after I was sure I had
juice at the BAT terminal on the HEI. Change the capacitor, too.

DAMHIK....I did not enjoy my no spark chase. Wish I'd changed those both out first.

BTW, if you find no juice at the BAT clip on the dizzy, for another test you can run a wire straight to the
"+" terminal on the battery. But make sure you don't get all tangled up in the front of the motor...And,
be ready to pull it off of the terminal to stop the motor.

So far, we haven't discussed the need for a full 12v at the BAT terminal. You need it. You can check that,
too, very easily. However, you HAVE been running and starting successfully. So, I'd do the other checks first.

[primoflav]

Was running fine.then fuel pump went out.replaced that.then floats went bad.were rubber bought brass floats and rebuild kit for carb.then all of a sudden no spark fixed that drove fine for two days now no spark again.in my limited time here got solid helpulf advice.so thought would ask again before i got cranky with the truck lol.only had it a month and its a 69 c10 thats sat for 5 years.only paid $1300 and the wheels and tire alone worth that.so i expected issuse to come up but not every two days lmao.

[primoflav]

If i get home before dark tomorrow.going to pull a plug and have my son turn ot over and see if i get a spark and start there.right now a old lady is the only headache i dont have lol

[primoflav]

Just weny outside and popped the hood the module does look pretty crusty capacitor could probably use a changing too.i ask for a project truck for christmas anf boy did santa deliver.......

[jjzepplin]

Hang in there brother! We have all gone through this. That's why we have advice. The biggest mistake people make is that FULL 12 volts to the dizzy. If you simply use the old resistor wire you will get all sorts of weird junk happening. Runs today-not tomorrow etc. This is due to it not being a full 12v.Hows you gas tank? Check the filter? Could be a bunch of junk in there. I once pulled my tank and cleaned and had all new parts. Went to the gas station and put a couple bucks in it and got one block away before I saw the filter full of rust. It came from the Gas station...

[primoflav]

I did a lot of internet searching last night.everything points to module and coil.the coil is accel brand and from my reading horrible choice.like stated above everyone says you have to be rockin the ac delco coil.question i bought the coil 3 weeks ago whats the chances its under warranty and i can pay difference to get ac delco coil.AND AM IMPRESSED 90 PERCENT OF GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS ABOUT CHEVYS LEADS HERE.THAT IS HOW I ACTUALLY FOUND THIS SITE

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Originally Posted by primoflav

I did a lot of internet searching last night.everything points to module and coil.the coil is accel brand and from my reading horrible choice.like stated above everyone says you have to be rockin the ac delco coil.question i bought the coil 3 weeks ago whats the chances its under warranty and i can pay difference to get ac delco coil.AND AM

Huh?

I have to tell myself in this situation:

"Hey! Magwa"..."Stop overthinking and researching"....
"Get your a$$ down to Napa and get that module and capacitor".....
"Change 'em out."
"One thing at a time."

That's how I do it now....just because I already did it the other way.

[primoflav]

That is the plan good sir.but has to wait til pay day single dading it with my son and in court battle to get custody of my daughter so cash is tight.unless a big tipper comes in.BUT AGAIN THANKS TO U ALL FOR GREAT ADVICE.MY HATS OFF TO ALL WHO REPLIED.SEE YOU NEXT WEEK WITH THE NEXT ISSUE LOL.

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Originally Posted by primoflav

That is the plan good sir.but has to wait til pay day ..... cash is tight.

I hear you.
Good thing this is about the least expensive approach to the fix.

If you go to Napa, you can get a non-US made module for about half the price...
Like, $25 if I remember correctly....which would get you on the road if it is, indeed,
the module.

In fact, now I remember that most Napas have a tester for your existing module...
You can check with them first. If your local guy has the tester (they tested mine four times in less than five minutes),
undo the dizzy cap and unscrew and pull the pins on the module...Take the module in and get the diagnosis.

[primoflav]

Pretty sure thats the problem i have not seen anything that crusty since i went to a five day music festival lol.o do want to test it though just in case.and i dont want the accel one.my searching has revealed aloy of baf reviews what brand would u reccomend.i rather take the bus for couple days over buying a cheap one.the plan is to give the truck to my daughter eventually.after its tip top want a 69 nova for my son.and then the c10 suburban is the end game for dear old dad after i hook the kids up

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by primoflav

Pretty sure thats the problem i have not seen anything that crusty since i went to a five day music festival lol.o do want to test it though just in case.and i dont want the accel one.my searching has revealed aloy of baf reviews what brand would u reccomend.i rather take the bus for couple days over buying a cheap one.the plan is to give the truck to my daughter eventually.after its tip top want a 69 nova for my son.and then the c10 suburban is the end game for dear old dad after i hook the kids up

If you have an HEI dist. it's usually always the module. I always carry a 1/4 inch nutdriver and a spare in anything old that has this setup. fine for 10 years then bamm. sometimes while driving down the road. Easy fix though.

[ujsf01]

I'm gonna echo magwak's earlier post. Lots of times when people convert to HEI, they forget the power wire to the original coil is a resistor wire. HEI must have full system voltage to operate properly. A test light can trick you on this depending on its impedance. Use a meter to measure voltage on the power lead to be absolutely sure. It must be system voltage in crank and run positions of the ignition switch. Hang in there, you'll get it!

[primoflav]

Thanks guys i cant wait to get done with custody battle.so can take this other job i was offered so can dump some real money into the grey goose.but my current employer will let me miss any days i need for court.but its a commisioned based job and its the slow season for few months more.i have had issues left and right with the truck so far.BUT ITS STILL MY ALL TIME FAVORITE VEHICHLE I HAVE OWNED HANDS DOWN.......

[primoflav]

So looked at it a lil bit before it got dark.the power wire is three wires spliced together.all of which are different gauges smdh.i was how ever getting 12v most the time lol.going to switch the wire to one solid 10 gauge piece and switch module.my friend since first grade is putting me together a parts care package and letting me give him a lil cash every payday.in it is a spare starter distributor (full set up shaft to coil) alternator water pump belts and another fuel pump just in case lol.anything else parts wise you guys can think of that might crap out........

[Boog]

I can remember back in the day it was common practice to carry a spare module in the glovebox. If your distributor is as crusty as you say it just might be the connections at the module. Also i might add that i once had intermittent power to the distributor that turned out to be a broken wire in the harness where it goes through the housing. Like to have never found it. Working by myself i moved the wires around then tryed to start until it finally did. Thank goodness it was a cheap fix with a used harness from an extra dist.

[primoflav]

Yeah its crusty.i was wondering if.could use like carb clean or something of the sorts to clean it all up.gonna have the module tested today and buy another one.and the wire u speak of is three pieces of speaker wire scabed together.replacing that today as well.I ACCIDENTLY UNSUBSCRIBED TO THIS THREAD SO WILL CHECK I PERIODICLY....CAN ANYONE SUGGEST ANY OTHER SPARE USED PARTS I SHOULD SNAG FROM FRIEND TODAY BESIDES THE ONES I LISTED ABOVE

[primoflav]

Well i just swithed it out and still wont turn over.time to make dinner.tomorrow i guess i start checkin wires.when i opened it up there is like a red powder coating on every where in there.i have seen it before on plugs does that oofer any clue as to problem

[jjzepplin]

What is powdery? Look up inside your cap. Is the contact good? This powder has me concerned. Have you tried the positive wire straight to the battery? You can bench test that dizzy pretty easy by grounding it and hooking up the positive and just spin the gear with your hand. Don't do this around flammables though...

[Boog]

Got pics? Might help.

[primoflav]

The contact is good.the red powder is on the weights under rotar.it looks like when your plugs are foweled red.it was very thin coat rubbed right off.i dont recall seeing it there when installed cap rotar and coil.if had been i would assume would be thicker and caked on not rub off easily.Cant mess with it.kids havin sleep over and teaching them how to make salt water taffy.but i have next three days to get her running again

[primoflav]

So i found the power wire had a burned section.replaced an no sparrk.tested module was fine.went to test coil and its fried.going to get new one now.hopefully the bad wire was the cause and burned coil was the effect.and by fixing both problem solved.update soon.AND AGAIN THANKS TO ALL U FELLAS I LEARNED MORE ABOUT MY GREY GOOSE....

[primoflav]

Replaced the coil i have power out of distributor to plug wires.but still wont trun over.any ideas