Dead Ignition/MORE WOES : The Young and The Restless!

[_DeeVee8_]

Well, I thought I was on the right track today-- the sun was shining bright, I had several hours at work to do before I could tackle the dead ignition problem--
After lunch I installed the NEW Ignition Module-- then put everything back in and plugs and wires where they should go--rubbed my hands together like i was rubbing a lamp waiting for a Genie to pop out--went to crank the engine thinking THIS WAS IT! And she no go!

No spark! Removed a few plugs to check for a spark-- but NO lightning!--
NOTHING.
I was devastated!
NOT TO WORRY, one other LAST CHANCE...
I had yet to install the Coil!
The next 45 minutes was dismantl and install of that component. Then put it all back together and get inside the cab--

(key shaking in my hand as I crank over the engine)
she cranks just as before-- and still no fire!
NOTHING!
Nothing. I'm at Wits End Now. I've installed everything I thought/ you all thought was the problem.
I have traced down every wire in the engine bay looking for a short or a wire that had come loose or a wire grounding on the metal-- but there is nothing!

New Coil!
New Ignition Module!
New Premium Cap!
New Rotor!

Now what?

I'll try just about anything--I have until wednesday to get it going-- then the wife is going to call the tow truck(UGGGHH!) and have it taken to a more qualified weekend mechanic!

(D'oh!)

What am I missing possibly?

is it that red eight star thing under the rotor?

Maybe the Neutral saftey switch?

What? What? What?
c'mon boys! Show me something I may have over looked.

Your Wisdom is greatly appreciated.....until wednesday then SHE gets to be the wiser.

-DV8

 

[mudfanatic]

You've got power at the Positive side of the dist, where the red wire comes in, I am assuming that you have checked this allready and there is power there. If the neutral saftey switch were bad I wouldn't think that the engine would not turn over. The red eight point star is operated with the module that you replaced. is the top flex steel on the top of the rotor bent up high enough to reach the carbon rod in the dist cap? is your battery putting out a full 12 volts?
other than this I'm currently lost.
'77 K5

<font color=red>mudfanatic</font color=red>

 

[Goose]

I didn't go back and read all your posts but you said that there was current at the coil if I remember correctly. It there is current there and fuel, maybe your engine isn't grounded. Have you checked to see if the engine grounding strap is still good. Also, when you checked for current at the coil, where did you ground your tester? My only other thought was a fusible link, but if you have current, probalby not. It is a full 12volts, mayber a fusible link went out and instead of totally blowing, is only letting a trickle of voltage through.? I believe you have a fusible link in the wires by your starter and also by the junction box on your firewall. On my blazer, it's mounter to the left of the engine as your facing the front of the vehicle.

Good luck

 

[turbo]

Sounds like a HEI ignition.
Intermittent problems suaully traceable to (in order of likehood)
1)Bad Coil in cap (check it with a meter)
2)Bad module (especially aftermarket)
3)Bad connection at firewall for wite that eventually goes to bat terminal on cap.
4)Bad connection of wire at cap
5)Grounded tach wire anywhere along its length (this can also burn up a coil)
6)Bad rotor.
7Rare birds like dist not turning because of mechanical failure of dist shaft or rear or cam or timing chain.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Does yours have a round piece that has 8 small triangles pointing in ? If so it has a pick-up coil and they go bad too !! If you have changed the cap, coil, module, rotor, and the distributor is turning and you have power to it then re-trace every wire in you igintion system for a lose , bad, or broken piece. Good Luck

<font color=red>BigBurb<font color=red>

 

[James Rusty 79]

If you have a tach in your blazer watch the needle and see if it bounces when you crank the motor. This will tell you if the pickup coil is telling the module to fire. My best bet would be a pickup coil because they go out with out no warning. To change the pickup coil you have to pull the distrubator. BIGBURB was on the right track.
hope this helps you out some.

James Rusty 79

 

[DangerB]

The pickup coil is a good idea. I also got a defective cap & rotor once, the black metal contact in the center was not hooking up right. took us forever to find that one.

DangerBrett

<font color=blue>life is a race, you have to look good and go fast!</font color=blue>

 

[RaisedK5]

Best bet, the pick up coil, i rebuilt my distributor with all new electronics, then started getting an intermittent go-no-go problem, i agonizeed over it for days, then started replacing things, i tried three moduals, thinking the coil was overheating them and frying them, then i got down to the pickup, which was an accident really, one of the leads broke, so i bought a new one, can we say vaarooom, fire right away, no problems in three years, if everything else is new, change the pickup, the original one in mine was very brittle. I think they're around $15. but you do need to pull the dist. take the gear off the shaft, and pull the shaft up out of it to get at the pick up.
Good luck

RaisedK5

"Friends don't let friends drive Fords"

 

[_DeeVee8_]

I DID IT! FIXED HER REAL GOOD!


Well, you know what I have learned from owneing smaller european / German Imports... It s that if you want to do it right-- don't cheap out on the parts and never replace things that are part of a grouping! If it's an indepentent part, great! Slap that bitc* in there and torque it down to spec. But if it's a part that is attatched to another part that has other possible parts that might need work soon....better off replaceing the whole dang area!

Went to http://www.Summitracing.com and bought a blueprinted Distributer complete without core exchange and slapped it in there, advanced the timing 2 degrees and she fired up! I was over joyed!

It could very well have been the puck up coil, but what they hey! This should give me some insurance anyway-- at least until I decide to up the nati on the Ignition system!

So, thanks for all of your input and wisdom. My wife thanks you as well, because at least I didn't abandon this project and leave it sitting in the yard for our neighbors to complain about.

-Woody