All back together and it won't start??? ( PROBLEM SOLVED)

[4406v]

Just tried to start the Challenger and it won't start. The car was equipped with a single point distributor originally. I bought a new engine harness from Evans Wiring with the ECU plug and a kit from Summit with a new distributor, ECU, and ballast. This was a SIMPLE plug and play last year on the 'Cuda. For some reason I'm not getting spark??? It cranks good but does not even sputter. Tested the - and + posts on the coil I have 12.08 volts showing on both posts? 12.08 inside the coil wire socket as well? Is this normal? I checked the wire inside the ECU plug that goes to the coil 12.08 volts as well.

What should I check next ?

[lulurocks]

I would check the coil , confirm the dist isnt 180 out from tdc. (It wouldnspitter if you were 180 out)Make sure rotor is making proper contact inside the cap (center tab not bent)

A coil is simply a step up transformer see video below and test coil

http://youtu.be/h8vSwfnX3Xc

You should have 12dc at ballast resitor with key (on )also

The 12v reading from the coil output seems weird

[roadman5312]

      Voltage at coil when cranking ? 

[4406v]

It's 11.8 volts while cranking which is the same on both the positive and negative posts on the coil ? Is it normal to have power showing on both posts of the coil ? The ballast resistor has 11.8 on one side and while cranking lowers to 8. I'm really stumped because the identical set up on my Cuda literally fired right up first shot ?

[lulurocks]

From battery ground to   Coil  + and - you have same voltage with key in the on position?

[4406v]

Yes it is 10.8 on both with key on and ground on the battery ?

[mopardave]

Easily missed. but check the ground connection ECU box to the cowl. If the Box its self loses ground NO spark. I have had this issue in the past and ran an additional ground wire from the voltage regulator to the ECU inside the cowl.

[lulurocks]

 

Found this searching :

. Recheck all connections for being loose or poorly connected.
b. Check to see if battery voltage (12 volts) is being supplied to the ballast resistor when the ignition key is held
in the start position. If not, clean or repair all the electrical connections from the battery to the ballast
resistor,
c. Check to ensure that the ECU is grounded. This usually occurs when the ECU is bolted down, but a separate ground
wire from the ECU bolt to the body or engine or battery may be required. See page 7, section #6.
d. Recheck the Main Ignition Feed splice if one was required.
e. Double check the distributor position to be sure that the distributor is NOT installed 180 degrees out of phase -
rotor points the wrong way. Check this against the valve position on the #1 cylinder.

[HP_Cuda]

You should have 12V cranking and then around 9V during engine running.

Can you do a resistance reading across your ballast resistor? It should read 1.2 ohms if you are using a stock coil.

Otherwise, pull a plug like cylinder #1 and crank it over and see if you are getting spark at the plug.

[Bullitt-]

     There are two separate wires that provide Run voltage (Blue) & Start power (Brown).. You need to check that there is +12V during cranking on the Brown wire. 

[4406v]

I've double checked the grounds at the negative battery wire and firewall to ECU. Both are good grounds.

My question is why am I showing the voltage on both the - and + posts of the coil??? Is this normal???

The car was running fine when torn down so I believe the components I reused are still good. I changed the engine harness , added a new distributor and the ECU with a new ballast. I feel like the problem is so "simple" I'm overlooking the obvious and it's driving me crazy.

Maybe I have a bad ECU out of the box?

[lulurocks]

Can you take some pics , it might help the more visual people  see something your not...

[4406v]

I have found a couple more things that add to my confusion. The orange ECU that came with the kit is a 4 pin. The harness I bought is wired for a 5 pin ECU. The wire that has no pin in the ECU is a green wire with a red tracer. That wire is on the bottom right of the bulkhead connector if your looking at it straight on. Is it possible I need a 5 pin ECU What is the green/red tracer wire for???

[Bullitt-]

I have found a couple more things that add to my confusion. The orange ECU that came with the kit is a 4 pin. The harness I bought is wired for a 5 pin ECU. The wire that has no pin in the ECU is a green wire with a red tracer. That wire is on the bottom right of the bulkhead connector if your looking at it straight on. Is it possible I need a 5 pin ECU What is the green/red tracer wire for???

Engineering changes made the 4-pin standard..Works fine in the 5-pin cars...

[1 Wild R/T]

9-10v on both legs of the coil is normal until it receives a signal from the control box... The negative leg should receive a pulsed ground which your meter will likely read as 5-6 volts... A low impedance test would show a pulsing flash....  Seeing 12 volts means you may have a shorted ballast or the harness is wired wrong which I've had trouble with every Evans harness I've ever installed so I wouldn't be shocked to find yours is wrong...  Sending a full 12v to a Chrysler module usually works for a little while but it will overheat & cause it to fail... Knowing how prone to failure the orange boxes are I wouldn't send 12v to one....

First run a few tests...

Ohm the pickup coil & wiring back to the module....  It should be between 150-900 ohms (Pins 4 & 5 in the schematic)

While your already set up switch your meter to volts & look for a signal from the pick up coil while cranking.. You need to see at least 1 volt....