Ignition Module?? PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

[challenger72rt]

any thoughts to my next course of action?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

At this point, I would almost be willing to take the battery out of the trunk, and try jumper cables. The only flaw here is, I'm not sure how you would connect the positive cable up front. I just want to know that something hasn't gone wrong in your wiring to the battery.   

   Mike

[Robb]

If theres enough juice to turn the motor over via the starter, I question whether its voltage issue because the batttery is in the trunk....   




Describe your trunk wiring situation...   what size cables and at what point do you have the alt output wire connected to the system ?  did you use a union block in the engine compartment or run it all the way back to the trunk too ?   Is it grommeted safely ?   

Is your battery draining on you if you leave it connected for a few days without running the car ?



couple of other things:

Is the voltage at the coil different from the run positon on the switch compared to the start position, if so, you tell us what youre getting in real life.


Is there a chance you have a bad ignition switch ? (where your key goes)

[challenger72rt]

is there ANY chance it could be the distributor cap??

Robb...I'll try to answer these when I have a l'il more time later tonight

[wart1de]

Although unlikely, you can test if its the distributor cap by removing the lead that goes from the coil to the center of the distributor cap. Place the end of it so the metal/plug part is about 1cm from the rocker cover and try and start the car. If the coil is working you will see a spark jump from the end of the lead to the rocker cover. If that is the case it is your cap.

[Bullitt-]

OK Challenger72 I have read the manual, was little help, so I got out my trusty multi-meter & took some measurements. My battery read 12.65 volts. Incoming voltage to the ballast resistor 11.65 volts, thru the resistor also 11.65 volts at room temp. Voltage will drop as heat builds up. I also read a 0.6 volt feedback from the module to the ballast resistor. Now get your meter and check your voltages, if not correct you will need to backtrack the wiring to find the leak or loose connection.

[challenger72rt]

ok...in the 'off' position, the battery is reading 28 volts. (??)  it kinda bounced around a lot but settled at 28.  The ballast was reading 9 volts.

now, bare in mind that this is my very first time using a voltmeter (hadda take it out of the package just tonight) so I MAY have done something wrong..BUT I was getting the same Ballast numbers as last year when bro-in-law did it (and he's s-m-a-r-t smart!)

I tried to unplug the coil plug, and turn it over...no spark.  Tomorrow (too late tonight) I will try to start it with a boost...see what happens as an experiment.  If there is a leak or a loose wire/ground, it's such a rats nest under the hood, it'd take forever to find it :0(

[Bullitt-]

You use the term bounce so I assume you have an analogue meter. The way those read you may just be looking at the wrong scale. You know 28 volts out of a 12 volt battery can't be right. (or maybe that's 12 volts Canadian  ) So with that in mind the 9 volts would be cut roughly in half to be 4.5 volts. I think your are getting to the root of the problem. Now where is that pesky brother-in-law when ya need him? Just keep the faith. 

[challenger72rt]

yeah, the thing has a dial with a bunch of squiggles and stuff I don't get, and the operating manual was useless.  Maybe I need to take a class?

[ShelbyDogg]

Send me a plane ticket and I'll fix it in 5 minutes.
Rob   

Other than that, it might be time to sell it, I'm first in line

Does the rotor turn with the cap off and cranking? Maybe the bottom tab broke off of the bottom of the Distro.    DON'T PULL IT, just look at the rotor.  I don't want to add to your problems.

[Bullitt-]

yeah, the thing has a dial with a bunch of squiggles and stuff I don't get, and the operating manual was useless.  Maybe I need to take a class?

Try this. Take a known DC power source, maybe the vehicle you drives battery, set the meter to measure DC voltage. Test the 12volt battery. Study the #s the needle points to. One should be about 12, then you will know the scale to reference.

[Robb]

Try this. Take a known DC power source, maybe the vehicle you drives battery, set the meter to measure DC voltage. Test the 12volt battery. Study the #s the needle points to. One should be about 12, then you will know the scale to reference.

also on your multimeter:

black is negative and red is positive

[MEK-Dangerfield]

OK Challenger72 I have read the manual, was little help, so I got out my trusty multi-meter & took some measurements. My battery read 12.65 volts. Incoming voltage to the ballast resistor 11.65 volts, thru the resistor also 11.65 volts at room temp. Voltage will drop as heat builds up. I also read a 0.6 volt feedback from the module to the ballast resistor. Now get your meter and check your voltages, if not correct you will need to backtrack the wiring to find the leak or loose connection.

This is it in a nutshell. If you don't have near 12 volts going into the ballast resistor, the coil, module, and distributor, are not going to function properly, if at all. In the "on" position, you should have close to 9 volts on the "+" side of the coil. Somehow, there is a voltage drop from the battery to the front of the car. Any chance you can post some pics. of your engine bay. There has to be a clue there somewhere.

  Mike

[cjm]

More than likely if you changed your intake manifold (initially), and that is all that you did. It could be that you accidently disconnected a wire in your ignition system...  You have to diagnose the basics...

1. Ar you getting spark at the cylinders? (check each one) If the spark is good (it's not electrical), you probably put the cap on 180's off (also make sure that the firing order is correct)(or fuel ) (or compression), (or timing) (or maybe even the plus are bad). If there is no spark, check the high tension lead (remove it from the distr. and crank the engine and see if you are getting spark.)

2. If you are getting spark at the high tension lead, check the cap & rotor........ If not check ALL connections at the dist. and coil and retest (the high tension lead wire could be bad as well)...

3. Are you getting voltage at the coil??

4. If you put in a new coil, check the polarity (the wires might be reversed)  -- Connect a voltmeter (-) lead to the coil (high tension lead) and the voltmeter (+) lead to ground. Crank the engine (If the voltmeter reads down-scale the leads have to be reversed.)

Try these steps and see what happens.........

[cjm]

Follow up --  I just noticed that you said that you are getting only 9 volts to the ballast..  Check the wiring and fuses. One ballast lead should have two wires connected to it (one going to the + side of the coil, one going to #22 on your bulkhead connector). The other balast lead should connect to a splice of 3 additional wires (one going to voltage reg (ign), one going to alternator, and one going back to bulkhead connector #23...

You might have pulled one of these wires when you installed the intake...........
 
Good Luck........