Dead on side of the road ! ! ! Help !

-
dartman59

dartman59

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
142
Reaction score
21
Location
Florence, Massachusetts
71 Charger 440 mopar dizzy orange box msd blaster 2 coil. Car just died going down the road. No spark. With key in run position, Have 9.4 v at dark blue wire at ballast resistor, 7 v at brown wire at coil. Battery shows 12.5v. A spark plug held against a ground shows no spark when cranking. Any idea??? Thanks!!
 
I just had exactly this happen last weekend in my Dart. Orange box was bad, swapped it out with another I had in the trunk, all better. Is yours properly grounded?
 
Could be a lot of things including the box

You said 7V at coil brown. Is that in "crank" or "run?" In "run" that would be normal

Is orange box GROUNDED?

Wiggle all connectors

Remove the distributor connector, with key in "run" repeatedly touch the ECU side of the distrib. connector to ground----the bare terminal. Should make a spark each time.

Here's my solution for firing up junk engines and 'mergencies...........a GM HEI in a box..........

hwlcfa.jpg


Same circuit as what I run on the car........

attachment.php
 
70DartMike said:
I just had exactly this happen last weekend in my Dart. Orange box was bad, swapped it out with another I had in the trunk, all better. Is yours properly grounded?
Click to expand...

Always carry one and I have been many years, Change the box out in under 5 minutes :glasses7: That's my first test I always do :glasses7:
 
dartman59 said:
With the key in the run position, I see 1.5 volts between the coil's "plug wire" and ground. Is that normal??
Click to expand...

You talking about the high tension tower, or the coil NEG. 1.5 or less from coil neg to ground I would say "normal."

Try disconnecting the tach if you have one connected.

Repeat.....wiggle all connectors. Might be distributor just as easy.
 
67Dart273 said:
Could be a lot of things including the box

You said 7V at coil brown. Is that in "crank" or "run?" In "run" that would be normal

Is orange box GROUNDED?

Wiggle all connectors

Remove the distributor connector, with key in "run" repeatedly touch the ECU side of the distrib. connector to ground----the bare terminal. Should make a spark each time.

Here's my solution for firing up junk engines and 'mergencies...........a GM HEI in a box..........

hwlcfa.jpg


Same circuit as what I run on the car........

attachment.php
Click to expand...

Specific coil or just a stock coil?
 
dartman59 said:
Thanks for everyone's help and assistance. 67Dart273--I love that gizmo you got there!
Click to expand...

I first started using HEI when I built the Toyotrac, 'er Cleota, a Toyota powered Cletrac dozer I threw together. I had the breakerless Toy distributor but no ignition box

attachment.php


Eventually, I put HEI on the Dart, and one day, I needed to fire up a junk engine, and it occurred to me that I could use this as an emergency box

Just before I fired it up. The box, wires and cap, and a little gas in the carb............And no, LOL, you don' need no steenking exhaust manifolds LOL

34nf6l0.jpg
 
clifftt said:
You ran it like that, chained up in the air?
Click to expand...

Yeh, no problems!!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJuS0jR6_E4"]Rolls Royce Meteor V12 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgtsEoJzxK4"]350 CHEVY ENGINE START UP ON GROUND * HOT RAT ROD ENGINE * REDNECK ENGINEERING - YouTube[/ame]

And I found THIS LOL

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDGbzm_fSKg"]Chevy V8 running with only one head - YouTube[/ame]
 
Just about all 1st generation ECUs are interchangable. Lucas,Bosch,Toyota,Ford,GM,,,,
 
Update. New orange box ecu installed. STILL no spark!! The ecu is definitely ground too.
What should the voltages be at the distributor two-wired pickup leads?
Thanks for any help!!!
 
Troubles in these can be just about anything

Power to the system from the car section of the harness, IE "ignition voltage"

Problems at the various connectors, ALL of them

Problems with the Distributor pickup

Bad or UNgrounded ECU

Bad coil

Bad tach

"General" wiring problems, IE bad splices, wires shorting, whatever

==========================

Some stuff

1.....Put a clip lead on the coil + wire to the battery stud on the start relay. Don't leave this on any longer than necessary to test. Crank the engine, see if you have spark. Test for spark by using a GROUNDED probe (screwdriver or 12V test lamp) right at the coil tower.

2.....Turn key to "run" wired up "normal." Measure coil + should be anywhere from 5--9V

3.....Measure coil -- should be low, perhaps 1.5V or less.

4.....Unhook the distributor connector. Repeatedly touch the bare terminal of the harness connector to ground. Each time you do so, it should make one spark

5....Remove dist. cap, inspect interior of cap and rotor for carbon, moisture, dirt, damage.

Inspect reluctor and pickkup for debri, rust, damage. Get a .008" (inches) BRASS feeler gauge (O'Reallys used to) and check the reluctor gap. "Feel" the shaft for wobble and bushing play

Hook your multimeter to the distributor connector, set on low AC volts. That's AC volts. Crank the engine. It should produce about 1V AC

6....Try another coil? Pretty much a shot in the dark. Remove any unecessary wiring from coil, including tach and radio supression cap

7...These are not necessarily in order. Make ABSOLUTELY certain the ECU is grounded. Scrape paint of the back of the flange, and around the bolt holes. Use star washers

8....I said this before.......Wiggle and work all connectors, ESPECIALLY the distributor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top