55.2-59 No spark

[popeyestruck]

Motor turns over but no spark at the plugs. HEI dist with built in coil. Before I put gas into it I ran the starter to get oil up into the motor. The cotter pin that holds the foot start linkage hit the positive lug of the starter and it was smoking. Would this have caused a coil to blow? Starter circuit is all good. Ignition circuit is good. I'm going to check for power on the pink wire tomorrow and if I need pull the coils and check it

[dsraven]

first check all fuses and fusible links if you have them
next check for power at the large pink power wire at the HEI connection
if good, pull the cap off the HEI coil and check connections there. make sure everything is plugged in all the way and ensure there is a ground wire for the coil there, some miss that if a new cap were installed before. next check the coil physically for overheating marks.
if all good, put that cover back on and pull the dist cap. check the terminals and the rotor for wear or breakage. remove the rotor and check the wires that come from the pick up coil as they commonly break. just tug them a little and see if the wire stretches, if it does that means the wire inside the insulation is broken
might as well check the advance mechanism since youre there. the mechanical advance set up gets worn or can become seized if unused for awhile
next check to ensure the distributor turns when the engine is turned/cranked
since it is apart and I assume if you got this far you haven't found a problem yet, maybe remove the ignition module and have it checked at your local parts store, a lot of places can do that, or simply replace the module with a new one or known good part

[dsraven]

forgot, check the underside of the cap to ensure there is a carbon terminal for the coil high tension power to come through. check for carbon traces inside the cap that would indicate a crack (this wouldn't cause a no spark but may cause misfire). check the rotor to ensure the contact strip in the middle isn't worn off and also the "pointer" end is in good shape

[popeyestruck]

Its a brand new distributor and it fired on the engine stand. Its either my wiring AAW or I fried something when I let the smoke out of the wires. I've retraced all the starting circuits and haven't found anything yet . I'll go down your checklist. Thanks. I have the courtesy lights and dome lights on without the key on and doors closed too but I'll figure that out after I get it started.

[mr48chev]

Make sure that the terminal on the wire has a good connection with the connector in the cap. Pink wire says that you should have the proper HEI connector on the wire but if you just have a female slide terminal that is probably where your problem is with my experiences on my 71.

I have the NAPA HEI service bulletin saved here https://photobucket.com/u/mr48chev/a...8-34b5e1631d08

That is from the 80's when the Napa Echlin rep used to come to the school I taught at and put on clinics for my advanced students. That is still the best trouble shooting guide for the non computer HEI distributors I have found.
It's well worth printing out and keeping in a binder for troubleshooting.

You may have blown a module rather than a coil though. Provided that the power wire is getting power to the distributor.

[popeyestruck]

I'll check that too . thanks

[dsraven]

take a 10ga wire, install an inlIe fuse and a switch and run it from battery positive to the pos connection at the HEI. use proper connections etc. turn the switch to on and then crank the engine. it should spark and start if all else is good. if you wanna shut it off just flip the switch to off. then you know if it is a wiring problem. this eliminates all the other wiring on the vehicle for the ignition system. it will work 9as in have spark), you have a problem with the HEI or the distributor isn't turning.
just cuz it's new doesn't mean its awesome. (sorry, hadda say it)

[dsraven]

inline fuse, sorry, gotta start proof reading, lol

[popeyestruck]

Thanks I'll try that too

[mr48chev]

Ah wait a middet, The only thing on the starter on a 59 or earlier six cylinder truck that is involved in the ignition is the resistor by pass stud on the switch.

That is to give you 12 volts to start with when you are cranking rather than the 6-9 (somewhere in there) volts you get on the coil side of the resistor or resistor wire.

HEI have to have 12 volts to fire good and if you connected the plug with the pink wire to the old ignition wire to the coil you aren't getting full voltage all the time.

with the Key on that plug that goes to the hei should have 12 volts all the time. You shouldn't have to use a bypass wire at all with the stomp starter.

A wiring diagram that 1project2many posted in 2017 in answer to a question shows the resistor in the wire to the coil. If you haven't I would bypass the original ignition wire all together and run the heavier wire for the HEI all the way to the switch or non fused pin that is powered when you have the key on in the fuse block if there is a fuse block.

[dsraven]

if using the original wiring but also an HEI dizzy then that section of the wiring will need to be redone. the original wiring is not lartge enough wire to supply the needed amps to the HEI dizzy. you need a 10ga wire from ign switch to dizzy and at least that from power supply to ign switch.
thats why I suggested the "hot wire" process a little earlier as it will bypass any truck wiring and let you know right away if your dizzy is operating. if it does then you know the power supply problem is in the truck wiring.
curious now, what exactly are you using for truck wiring?

[mr48chev]

I'm thinking that is pretty much an all original truck except the HEI. No fuse block like my 71 has so going to the fuse block on with ignition pin is out. That is a real easy deal on 67/72 trucks with the stock fuse block.

I've got a feeling that he didn't fry anything in the ignition but something isn't hooked up so it works the way he needs it to.

I've been involved in several V8 TF trucks that guys had a no start when cranking with the key deal going on and they had forgotten to hook up the resistor bypass and the I post on those switches doesn't get power in the start mode. A couple of them were tuned well enough that when you let of the key they started because the engine was still spinning enough and they fired up. The last one of those was when a guy dropped a complete 350 and transmission out of a late 70's rig in his 57 that didn't have a resistor bypass post on the solenoid. That was one that fired when he let off the key. I just had him put in a start button that he could hit with his left hand that he pushed when he was cranking it. Hot lead to the distributor when he pushed the button.

[popeyestruck]

I'm using american autowire classic update. Its made for HEI so that shouldnt be an issue

[mr48chev]

Looking at the instructions (what they are) it does like there is a fuse for the ignition wire to the coil. https://api.americanautowire.com/sho...481_IN_6.0.pdf

The wiring instructions for the distributor it's self are pretty straight forward.

[popeyestruck]

That page is a generic setup this is my fusebox. Theres no fuse in the box just the big 175 mega fuse

[mr48chev]

Dang, I looked all over their instructions online and couldn't find anything like that with the fuses marked.

If you haven't done so, get the test light and multi meter out and start checking to see if you do have 12 volts to the distributor or not and go from there.

[popeyestruck]

Ok I have power to the mega fuses and power to the alternator but no power to the distributor(pink wire). Do I need to engage the starter to get power to the pink distributor wire?

[dsraven]

Should have battery voltage power to pink wire in start and run key positions. Unplug pink from dizzy and check as being plugged in can fool a multimeter. Is still no power check at ignition switch.
What are you running for ign switch and wiring harness?

[dsraven]

It would help to know what you have for wiring, as in modified original, owner built harness, aftermarket universal harness etc. There may be fusible link wire or an inline fusible link in the harness. Either way, check for power at the ignition switch with key in run position and then go from there.

[popeyestruck]

American autowire. I removed the pink wire and 0 volts . I'll start backtracking from there

[vintovka]

My 350 crate engine started running funny and then flat quit resulting in no spark. I tried everything. And i mean everything. Eventually i found my chinese crapola HEI module had died. In researching this issue i found that this is a very common problem. So common that some (myself included) carry a spare. I found the only HEI module with real 5 year warranty came from NAPA. So far so good. Came with the dielectric grease as well.

[mr48chev]

The same Napa Echlin rep that gave me that Hei test bulletin and put on the clinics said that the big difference was that the "good Napa module had all the circuits in it that the Delco did and the cheap ones lacked a lot of them. That was in the 1980's when all the Napa Echlin parts were made in the USA before the bean counters said they could keep more beans if they had them made overseas.

I save every old Delco 4 pin module that works that I get my hands on. I've about run out now because I haven't scrapped any cars or trucks to speak of in the past few years. I still have several old Chevy HEI non computer distributors minus the modules hanging in the garage.

[popeyestruck]

I think it may be the switch or how its wired. key off I have power to battery feed -red wire. Key on I have power to the battery feed and the acc terminal. No power ever goes to the ignition (Pink ) or purple (Starter solenoid.) Starter turns over so it picks its power up elsewhere' . The ignition switch goes through a six way connector to the fuse box but there is no fuse. From there it goes thru another connector and terminates into the distributor. Shouldnt it get its power at the ignition switch?

[vintovka]

Been there done that (and more) and it was still the HEI module. Swapped it out for a Echlin and fired right up.

[popeyestruck]

I'm not sure . No power is going to the distributor. The pink wire goes a roundabout route from the the ignition switch to the distributor. Its supposed to get its power from the red battery feed in the ignition switch when the key is turned on but it doesnt. It looks like if I had a jumper from acc to the pink wire it would start. The switch has 2 positions one for on and one for off. I would think on would supply power from everything not just accessories. I'm not using any of the accessories fuses