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Random Stop/non start... need help

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KeyBlazer

1/2 ton status
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Jul 18, 2007
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Location
Irvine, California
My '73 K10 with a 350 is doing something odd.
Some day it wont start... I leave it for anything from 5 mins to a few days and it start and runs as always...

Today is a perfect example...

Jump in it, and it fires first spin and I turn it around to load some stuff.
After 15 mins it starts again first time and as I begin to pull away it just stopped... stone dead in an instant., and wont restart.

I am 99% sure its ignition related.
I can smell fuel at tailpipe.
I checked voltage at coil, and got 12V., but removing the Coil HT lead and putting it near to ground, I get no spark.
It has an "Stinger" ignition system, mounted on the drivers side inner fender and pulling the cap revealed no contacts..
I checked and double checked all I could think of and no luck.
Nearly an hour later, I gave up, put my MM and Tools away was ready to come in an post this.
As I pulled the keys from it I just thought I would try one more time.

It started like nothing was wrong!

I am thinking its the Coil or the Stinger ignition.

Anyone got ideas or maybe suggestions for a "Budget" replacement Ignition as I am out of work and cant afford to throw money at it...
 
Agghhh.
So I post this, go out to move the truck from the front of my drive... it starts, I move it half across the street and it stops dead again leaving it stuck, and blocking the road.
Now I am really pissed.
 
Well I got it put back straight, so its not blocking the street.

I looked up the Stinger Ignition and it dates back to the 70's/80's.

Anyone got any ideas?
 
i had a 78 grand prix that did that years ago.. turned out to be the cap and rotor...
 
Ok, it may have been on that, and thanks BTW for the input, but the cap and rotor is downstream of the HT coil output, and I am getting no spark output fro the Coil...
Unless I have this wrong?
 
Is the stinger some kind of points conversion or an hei system? You can get a new hei dizzy from summit with coil in cap for around $90. But, if your running points style cap right now you'd need new wires and plugs too. Still should be in the $130 range and that would fix any ignition issue you have.

I've got some barely used points style stuff and a Crane XR points conversion I'd send you for shipping/12 pack Lonestar cost if you want it. Will have to check Monday and see whats laying around as I've been doing some shop cleaning if you're interested.
 
Its a conversion by the look, and had some sort of trigger unit in the Distributer under the weights.
Dont think its HEI, as the coil is mounted on engine and is conventional style .
4 wires coming out of the Stinger unit... 2 go to the coil... one onto the + and one onto the -. The other 2 wires go into the Dizzy to the trigger unit.

Hurt my back leaning over working on it or when I was pushing the dang thing back and forth to get it outta the middle of the street!
Thanks for the offer....
Its gonna be a few days before I feel up to lifting the hood again!
I did pick up a new Coil and set of plug leads, as I noticed that #1 had melted its self on the header a couple of weeks ago...
Or, thinking about it... maybe that is what caused the breakdown???
Is that possible... a melted plug lead overloaded/shorted to the header cause the Coil or Ignition module to die?
After I rerouted it, the engine ran fine for maybe 100 miles tho.
 
My back is on the mend...
I swapped the Coil with a working one I had close to hand, but no spark still... I can assume its the Stinger then...

I have a mallory HEI distributer I can fit instead, but can someone tell me what wires go where on it?
The instruction sheet says "replace the original wires" But mine is all messed up with the Stinger Conversion!
I have 3 wires coming to the + side of the coil, one goes to the stinger box, and one seems to drop down to the back of the engine and I cant follow where it goes from there... and another wire goes from the + side of coil thru the firewall, and is hanging loose...
On the - side of the coil is only one wire and that goes to the Stinger too.
As mentioned before, there are 2 wires from the Stinger that go to the trigger unit in the Distributer Cap.

Anyone care to tell me what needs to go where if I try the Mallory??
 
Hei should just need an ignition on power wire. Other 2 wires will be unnecessary. Points dizzy's had a resistor in the power wire, so run a new 10-12 ga wire from the fuseblock to the dizzy. Rest of that stuff you can prob yank out.
 
chalet2506 said:
Hei should just need an ignition on power wire. Other 2 wires will be unnecessary. Points dizzy's had a resistor in the power wire, so run a new 10-12 ga wire from the fuseblock to the dizzy. Rest of that stuff you can prob yank out.
Click to expand...


Holy Crap... I wonder if that is the prob with what I have... there is a wire that goes inside the truck and terminates under the dash... just hanging free...
Could it be that it was attached to the fuse block?
 
KeyBlazer said:
Holy Crap... I wonder if that is the prob with what I have... there is a wire that goes inside the truck and terminates under the dash... just hanging free...
Could it be that it was attached to the fuse block?
Click to expand...


Could be.
 
If that WAS it, I could not get it started with the wire reattached and a full 12V flowing.
I puled the dang Stringer unit and distributer out and swapped the HEI unit I had laying around in...'
Running and stomping about again!
Thanks for the help Peeps!
 
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