No start after tuneup, 440

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Ken_B

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:help: Working on my buddies '75 Imperial and I am completly stumped, car ran and drove fine before but was in need of a tuneup. Ran when we pulled it into the garage. Put a new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, coil, and now a ballast resistor hoping that was the no star issue, but still no start. It has factory electronic ign, Ive quadruple checked everything is connected in the right order and Im still not getting anything, I have fuel, air, and spark but I cant get the dammed thing to fire. Any ideas, am I missing something obvious? :banghead:
 
did you plug in the ballast correctly? there are locating pins on the connectors that sometimes break off and get turned upside down. make sure the EI box and everything else has a solid ground. do you in fact have plenty of fuel? didnt flood it out?
 
the wireing order is opposite of a sb .i mean the rotor turns the oposite way .just a thought
 
Very first thing is to check spark

You MUST check spark by using the key, and NOT by jumpering the start relay.

So use two people, or "rig" a gap. You can buy test gaps, or "rig" a spare plug, or even pull one plug.

It is important to check for QUALITY of spark. If you have two people, one operates the key, the other holds a screwdriver/ probe grounded to the block, and hold near the top of the coil tower. You should get a nice, snappy blue spark at least 3/8" long and typically more like 1/2"

If this happens, double triple check your cap/ plug wiring. You sure you didn't get the wires "off one hole?"

How much do you know about checking timing/ timing marks/ setting up the distributor? Did you have the distributor out/ loose?

If you do NOT have spark at the coil, check the ballast As posted earlier, one end of the ballast has a "U" cutout.

From "MyMopar," http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18

Look at this diagram:

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/Ignition_System_5pin.jpg

On a 4 terminal ballast, the end WITHOUT the "U" cutout has a jumper. If not, it is turned around backwards, which puts the incorrect resistance into respective circuits

If not spark:

Run a temporary clip lead from a battery source (start relay stud) to the coil POS terminal and try again. Don't leave this hooked up any longer than necessary to check for spark.

Pull the distributor, ballast, and ECU connectors, and examine both half's of the connectors for corrosion, and "work" them in/ out to scrub the contacts clean, and "feel" for tightness.

If you have a multimeter (why don't you?) hook it (on low AC volts) to the distributor connector and crank the engine. It should generate about 1V AC

Pull the ECU off, scrape around the bolt holes both on the ECU and firewall and reinstall with star washers.

Get more serious. Clip your multimeter to the coil POS and measure voltage in key/ run and when cranking. In "crank" you should get at least 10.5V, the higher the better, and in no case below 10.5

Clip your test light or meter to coil NEG and crank the engine. You should see "pulsing" (bright/ dim) as the engine cranks.

Check the distributor gap with a .008" (inches, not metric) feeler gauge made of brass. You can buy these at O'Really Auto Parts.

If none of the above helps, try another ballast because they are cheap, probably next the coil, and last the ECU.
 
Ballast is plugged in correctly it is the 4 pin style with the "u" cutout on one end, pins are still there and lined up. All of the other connections have been checked and are good. Yes have plenty of fuel, is no flooded though.

Yes spark is at the plug. checked using the 2 person key method and the spark is bright blue and "snappy".

Wires are in correct bb firing order and not off in either direction.

We did not remove the distributor or adjust the timing at all. As for how familiar I am with distrubutors, I have tweaked timning with a timing light before and replaced a few sets of points but thats about as advanced as I get.


Thanks for the suggestions guys I will keep checking things and rechecking.
 
Most Mopar distributor caps have the arrow showing the distributor rotation
as clockwise. This is correct ONLY for small blocks (the caps fit both SB & BB
distributors). The correct rotation for a BB is counter-clockwise.

I know this has been mentioned. Just want to make sure you're not following
the (incorrect) arrow on the cap.
 
Take a look at the cap and rotor. Twice I have got a rotor from a parts store that was actually smaller (shorter) than the original. It actually had a 1/4 space between it and the inside of the cap. No idea where that rotor belonged but it did fit the on the distributor. Never gonna work though.

Good luck
 
okay i going to through this out there check the ballast, and when i say this you may have it hooked up right but the ballast might be bad, my jeep had one on the fuel pump, 92 Cherokee, I replace the fuel pump and then found out my ballast was bad, just thought i put that out there
 
If your ballast checks good,then I suggest you "static" time it. Crank the motor until the No1 cyl is tdc,then check under the cap and make sure the rotor is pointing at the correct terminal. You could have a jumped timing chain,or perhaps the dist was pulled and reinstalled 180 out?
 
My money is on a wrong set/match Cap and rotor :glasses7: This has happened to me more then 2 times buying new parts, now I always bring the cap and rotor with me..

to all the responders =D>
 
Plugs are new and gapped to spec.

I'll try throwing the old cap and rotor back on, new ones look the same but could be wrong.
 
Plugs are new and gapped to spec.

I'll try throwing the old cap and rotor back on, new ones look the same but could be wrong.

What I meant was "are they fouled?"

Jumped timing?


Look at the plugs, swap them if fouled. And I agree with above---might be time to suspect the cam drive has jumped.

IF you know about where the timing was, and have NOT changed the distributor, you can easily check that. Also, watch the rotor while moving the crank back/ forth a against the timing chain slop to get an idea of sloppy it is.
 
Thanks guys, looks like I have lots of good ideas to try after work tomorrow, I will update back with my progress then.
 
67dart273 I bet they are after all the gas that has been thrown at them
Defiantly put the old plugs in, or remove and dry them off by putting them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, it;s easy to fowl plugs, I have dun this before a few times and on time on my 63 because my new cap was the wrong one and gas fowled my plugs, they will not fire.... a must do for sure
 
Thanks for all the help guys!!! Shes back up and running, as you guys suggested the cap/rotor was wrong and this in turn caused me to foul the plugs. Pulled them and cleaned them car runs great again!

THANKS FABO!!!!
 
My Dad was a Johnson/ Evinrude mechanic. Fouled plugs, 'specially with a 2-stroke, "are one of the first things," LOL
 
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