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By PWH42 - 16 Years Ago
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Don't turn on the ignition and leave it on without the engine running for more than a minute or two.Leaving it on for an extended length of time will fry the ignitor.I won't tell you how I know that.
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By GREENBIRD56 - 16 Years Ago
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Guys used to cut a hole in a sacrificial dizzy "test" cap, so they could see the rotor tip as it passed number 1 plug wire. Then they would hook up a timing light to number one and watch the rotor tip in the dark using the strobe light to isolate what they were watching. I have watched this done on a GM engine but not done the set-up. Keep your fingers out of the monkey works!!!! As the engine accelerates through the mechanical advance you can see the position of the rotor tip versus the cap post change. Sometimes called "phasing" a distributor cap - racers would move the cap (or trigger) to a more advantageous position.
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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Sometimes its better to just back away from the problem and restart from zero. Don't assume on anything you've previously tried. I would find TDC on number one, check compression stroke with plug out and dampner to zero or TDC. I use a finger in the hole but a compression tester works too. Pull this distributor and check it out for cracks and/or carbon tracks. Determine best location of the vacumm advance to allow max adjustment. Don't forget to check the advance while the distributor is out of the car. Suck on the advance tube and see what happens with the advance. Might be a good time to remove and add some grease on the advance plate. Reinstall the distributor with the rotor at number one. Reinstall the plug wires one at a time following the exact firing order of the engine. Make sure you have the rotation direction of the distributor correct. They sometimes get wired correctly but in reverse. Set the distributor against the rotation for a little advance and tighten the hold down to snug. Try it! If you are 100% sure all is now correct (I've miss wired more than one Y-Block) and you still have the same problem its probably not in the distributor/wiring. If thats true I would run a compression test to see if you have a burnt valve problem. Hope this helps, Chuck in NH
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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If the coil is dead it would definitely cause problems. Ask anyone who helped me chase an eventual bad coil at Columbus last year(thanks again for the help, guys). Coils aren't that expensive and it never hurts to carry a spare. Get one and try then you will know. Also think about putting the points back in (after the coil swap if it dosen't run). If it starts then its the Ignitor setup. Chuck in NH
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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You can use a 12v light bulb and two wires for a field expedient test light. You can also run a wire direct from the battery to the coil to see if it will fire. Chuck in NH
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By MoonShadow - 16 Years Ago
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At this point I would put the points back in and see if it will start. Chuck in NH
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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Ignitor trigger did not correspond to point/cam lobe in my case (installed with distributor in car), and engine required re-timing to start/run right. You would think they'd mention that in the instructions.
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By rick55 - 16 Years Ago
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From what you are saying about how the engine runs, it is certainly not timed right. If it is popping as you say, that is more likely to be because the engine is too retarded and it will definitely do everything you say. If it is too advanced you will hear that by the way the engine cranks over. If it is real hard to crank over and kicks back on the starter it is probably too far advanced.
Either way it sounds like you did get the tooth wrong when you replaced the distributor.
Regards
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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So I got the starter and installed it, I had already installed the ignitor and flamethrower all this on the 58' f100 with a 292. I wrote about all the problems I was having, well here is were I am. With all that done and the timing restored to where it was before everything went terribly wrong it starts up again . The only problem is it is poping and will not idle unless I give it a good amount of gas and have the choke on. The second I go to see what is going on under the hood it dies. Where do I go from here. I know that I need to rebuild the carb but it was drive able just two weeks ago, so that is not the real problem. I would love to have it run long enough to dial in the timing and then I can take the carb off and rebuild it. Any suggestions?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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tried to tune it to idle a little higher and when I tried starting it, it wont again. I will have to take a look at the spark again, but not until Sat., have to work for 48 hrs but have a free weekend. Thanks for the help, we will see what happens Cbass
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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The firing order is right but not sure if it is too advanced, would this cause this problem? If not any other ideas?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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Still kind of wondering if I had it too advanced would it give me this same problem? I moved the tooth and think I may have gone two. Would the problems I have show up if this was the case?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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didnt change the dizzy completely, just changed points to ignitor. I burnt out the starter trying to get it to run in the first place. The problem is exactly what I have right now. It will start once in a blue moon and only for as long as i keep my foot on the gas and it pops (backfires) and runs like crap until i let off the gas and then it dies. Then it will not start back up. I am trying to keep it simple, that is why I am just dealing with the dizzy right now. I just cant figure it out but I think that I will take the dizzy out and make sure it is all set up perfect this weekend and go from there. Will let you all know what happens. Thanks a ton Cbass
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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John how would I check for this?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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Ok, just got off the phone with pertronix tech help and they think "it just might be a bad ignitor", you think. So I am going to just exchange it through the company I bought it with. Will keep you all posted. Thanks for all the help so far.
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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And..........she is alive. I got the new ignitor, installed it and was wicked excited to start her up. I make sure I have the timing set, all the wires connected and double checked it all. Go and turn the key and nothing, the battery is died. I connect the charger and go do some house work and come back to a full battery a few hours later and turn the key and it sounds like she wants to start up but just wont, so give her a little gas and she starts, yes. but once I take my foot off the pedal she dies, so I go and adjust the dizzy timing and start her up again and sure enough she runs and pretty strong. So I go through and tune all of the timing and idle using the vacuum and tach. What I do know, after all this, is I have to work on the carb because the float is definatly off because I can hear it sucking gas when I rev it fast. I guess this will be my next project but I think I have to drive her for a day or two before I do that. I know that I have to go get lumber for a house project or my wife might try to sell the truck next time I go to work.
Thanks to all for all of the help.
Cbass
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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Ok, I double checked all of the timing and the dizzy. got it TDC on 1 to make sure the dizzy was set correctly, I made sure the plugs were all right and still wont start. I am thinking that I am not getting spark at all. Like maybe the coil is bad or something. Is there a easy way to test this. I thought that if you remove the wire going from the coil to the dizzy and hold it close to the block and crank it it would spark but I did this and nothing happened. What can i do from here? The worst part is that I had all of this on, the dizzy with ignitor, the flamethrower and wires and it did start up but just ran bad and then stalled. Have not been able to get it running again since. Let me know what you guys think, I really want to get this girl running again this weekend. Thanks
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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I found a test and the posts are right on at .3ohms but I am not sure what the center resistence is supposed to be. I am getting right around 6000 ohms is this right for the new flamethrowers? I already sent a email to pertronix but was hoping to get this done this weekend and they wont answer till monday. I am definatly not getting spark at this point.
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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how do I check to see if I am getting voltage at the + side. Is it as easy as turning the ignition to the on position and attaching a multimeter? John- is there a way of telling if the ignitor is working or not?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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Ok, now I dont think I am getting power to the coil. Cant find my test light but set the multimeter to voltage and tried that and got nothing at all. I thought that I would be able to see something with this. If this is the case, that the multi is showing no voltage at the posts which direction do I go? or do I need to use a test light?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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Ran the jumper cable and it was getting power (turned the dash lights on without the key turned on). But still would not start, took the jumper cable off and tested each post connecting the + of the multimeter to it and the - of the multi to the - battery post and was getting a solid 11-12 so both sides are getting power. So were to next? This would be fun if I didnt really want it to work. I tested the spark wire from the coil to the dizzy and it is fine so how do I know if the coil is getting a signal to send a spark to the dizzy and then if it gets the signal if it actually is sending it?
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By cbass139 - 16 Years Ago
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yep, that is what I did and all problems seemed to point to the ignitor but now it sounds like it wants to start but wont. Almost sounds like it is bogged down but it isnt. I am going to take a break from it now and go to a show (see some nice old ones that actually run for insperation). when I get back I will start back in, I think now I want to know that it is getting spark at the plugs.
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By John Mummert - 16 Years Ago
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It could simply be a defective ignitor, it wouldn't be the first.
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By 57f100 - 16 Years Ago
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try tunning the carb so that it idles high it should stay on once its on u can just lower the adjustment that use to happen to me before
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By 57f100 - 16 Years Ago
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make sure you have the firing order right
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By shakey pete - 16 Years Ago
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check to make sure sparkplug wires are in the correct firing order, then remove #1pug and bring eng. up to compression stroke on#1 and check timing for tdc then #1 wire connected to spark plug and grd.plug to blk. and ignition on rotate dist. till #1 pug fires this should be tdc then you can fine tune it running hope this helps you shakey Pete a newbie Canuck 
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By shakey pete - 16 Years Ago
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what was the original problem for you to change the starter and the dist was the problem before or after this I use the kiss rule it works for me stay ,with the basic,s 34 years as a mech.learned the hard way don,t fix it if it aint broke !!!!! shakey Pete
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 16 Years Ago
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cbass: Just got to thinking about Thunderboy and his problem with the distributor cam. I'm wondering about the mounting of the ignitor. Is it possible that the manetic pickup that triggers the spark is doing so when the rotor is NOT pointing to a spark plug wire tower? That's what was happening with Thunderboy's distributor because the cam was not indexed properly with the rotor.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 16 Years Ago
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cbass: I don't know what your ignitor looks like, but it has to have some kind of trigger and a magnetic pickup or a light source and a slotted "wheel" for a light beam. Either way, turn the engine by hand until the "bump" is adjacent to the middle of the magnetic pickup, or the slot in the wheel is aligned with the light source, and put a mark on the outside of the distributor housing where the rotor is pointing. Put the cap back on and see if one of the spark plug wire towers is aligned with the mark. If it isn't, the magnetic pickcup is not positioned correctly on the point plate.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 16 Years Ago
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Thunderboy: The spark has to be in phase with the rotor, whether it is caused by points or an electronic device. The magnetic pickup has to be in the same position as the rubbing block on the points relative to the point mounting plate. Did you get your carb back from Casco after testing? What did they tell you?
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By charliemccraney - 16 Years Ago
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You can check the timing without the engine running. Crank it over with the starter and see where it's at.
Or have a friend man the distributor while you keep it running and see if the situation improves.
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By charliemccraney - 16 Years Ago
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I don't know that this will happen if it is too advanced. But, if you don't know where the timing is, then timing could be a factor. Are the marks on your damper accurate? You can position the crank to the point at which you want the points to open and use an ohm meter to turn the distributor until the points are just opening. That will get you very close.
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By charliemccraney - 16 Years Ago
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Are you getting any voltage on the + side of the coil?
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