68 Cuda no start

[aa-1159]

New wiring in whole car, new ecm, vr, coil, ballast resistor, rotor, distributor cap,wires, plugs
No wiring in car when I purchased it, just a rolling body
Not spark when cranking, will fire one time (some times) when letting off key then will not fire at all after that sits for awhile then will fire only one time
Doesn't have 12 volt at coil to start
Unplugged distributor
Touch grounded emc and can get a spark from coil,
could the pickup in distributor be bad, what am I missing ?
Is the ballast resistor directional
Sorry for long post, just don't want to wipe this motor out

 

[Deltatech]

What is the reluctor/pickup gap set to? May be too wide not getting a good signal to spark.
The ballast isn't as far as I know.
I recently saw a thread where a few guys are having the rotor button on new caps break off, might want to check that.

 

[413]

Sounds like you don't have spark when cranking, ony with key on.

That means a bad ballast resistor or the wiring to it.

 

[Deltatech]

Sounds like you don't have spark when cranking, ony with key on.

That means a bad ballast resistor or the wiring to it.

Thanks, this jogged my memory, I had this problem a few times before but had forgotten, when the ballast heated up it breaks connection and wouldn't spark until it cooled off.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Is the replacement working harness an OEM type or an "EZ" (ya right) or "Painless" (make that painful).

The ign 2 feeds power to the coil plus side of the ballast resister during cranking

Ign 1 feeds power to the other side of the ballast resister during run.

To test.

Turn key to run, look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, one side should be battery voltage the other lower like 7v

Now disconnect the yellow wire from the starter relay

And have someone hold the ignition key in the start position ( the removed yellow wire will prevent the engine from cranking) look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, both sides should read battery voltage.

After the test record your findings and report back

 

[aa-1159]

Is the replacement working harness an OEM type or an "EZ" (ya right) or "Painless" (make that painful).

The ign 2 feeds power to the coil plus side of the ballast resister during cranking

Ign 1 feeds power to the other side of the ballast resister during run.

To test.

Turn key to run, look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, one side should be battery voltage the other lower like 7v

Now disconnect the yellow wire from the starter relay

And have someone hold the ignition key in the start position ( the removed yellow wire will prevent the engine from cranking) look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, both sides should read battery voltage.

After the test record your findings and report back

Evan's harness and M&H harness
I'll check that tomorrow
Thanks

 

[67Dart273]

A couple of other things added to Dana, above:

ONCE YOU have determined that current is flowing through the coil, THAT FACT will show that the ECU is powered, grounded, and that the coil primary is continuous. With the key in "run," coil + should NOT be battery, but as Dana said, quite low, perhaps 6--10V (It varies.)

If the coil + is "same as battery" then check coil neg. If it is also battery, then the coil is not drawing current, and either the ECU is not getting power, or the ECU is not grounded. If coil + is "battery" but coil neg is low, then there is likely an open coil primary

With that established, "rig" a gap from the coil tower to a spark gap USING a metal core wire, NOT resistive OEM wire. With the key in "run" separate the distributor connector. Take the engine harness end, NOT the dist end, and tap the bare terminal of the connector to ground. Each tap should give you one single blue hot "snap" spark at the coil. if that is happening, it may be pickup/ dist issues

Work the dist connector in/ out several times to scrub the terminals and to "feel" for tightness. If you can round up a .17 caliber rifle bristle brush, they will fit the dist connector, the VR connector, the terminanals on the ECU connector, as well as the flat trailer plugs

MAKE CERTAIN the ECU is grounded. Scrape paint around the holes (also the VR) and use star lock washers.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Evan's harness and M&H harness
I'll check that tomorrow

Reason I ask is the ez / painless are not OEM like, m&h is, so wire colors and connections are what I expect on a wiring diagram for the year

 

[67Dart273]

It may be likely that the harness simply had no provision for the bypasss/ IGN2 circuit. It is simple. OEM, one wire, comes of the OEM key IGN2 terminal, brown, goes out through the bulkhead connector, and connects to the coil + terminal wire at the ballast. You could also just run it to the coil +

 

[aa-1159]

A couple of other things added to Dana, above:

ONCE YOU have determined that current is flowing through the coil, THAT FACT will show that the ECU is powered, grounded, and that the coil primary is continuous. With the key in "run," coil + should NOT be battery, but as Dana said, quite low, perhaps 6--10V (It varies.)

If the coil + is "same as battery" then check coil neg. If it is also battery, then the coil is not drawing current, and either the ECU is not getting power, or the ECU is not grounded. If coil + is "battery" but coil neg is low, then there is likely an open coil primary

With that established, "rig" a gap from the coil tower to a spark gap USING a metal core wire, NOT resistive OEM wire. With the key in "run" separate the distributor connector. Take the engine harness end, NOT the dist end, and tap the bare terminal of the connector to ground. Each tap should give you one single blue hot "snap" spark at the coil. if that is happening, it may be pickup/ dist issues

Work the dist connector in/ out several times to scrub the terminals and to "feel" for tightness. If you can round up a .17 caliber rifle bristle brush, they will fit the dist connector, the VR connector, the terminanals on the ECU connector, as well as the flat trailer plugs

MAKE CERTAIN the ECU is grounded. Scrape paint around the holes (also the VR) and use star lock washers.

I've tested ecu, it sparks
Gonna check coil voltages tomorrow,
Thanks

 

[aa-1159]

Is the replacement working harness an OEM type or an "EZ" (ya right) or "Painless" (make that painful).

The ign 2 feeds power to the coil plus side of the ballast resister during cranking

Ign 1 feeds power to the other side of the ballast resister during run.

To test.

Turn key to run, look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, one side should be battery voltage the other lower like 7v

Now disconnect the yellow wire from the starter relay

And have someone hold the ignition key in the start position ( the removed yellow wire will prevent the engine from cranking) look for voltage on both sides of the ballast resister, both sides should read battery voltage.

After the test record your findings and report back

Tried starting it again,
Cranks, then tries to start when letting off key
Only change i made was newer style vr, and 2 field alternator, ran separate wire from alternator to ballast resistor, using single post ballast resistor

 

[Dana67Dart]

Do you have points or Chrysler electronic or other ignition?

If points or Chrysler electronic run a jumper from battery positive to coil positive then try starting the engine.

If other ignition your on your own

If it starts and runs you have a bad ignition switch OR the wiring between the ignition switch and the ballast (coil positive side) is bad

Did you do the voltage checks I posted earlier

 

[aa-1159]

Do you have points or Chrysler electronic or other ignition?

If points or Chrysler electronic run a jumper from battery positive to coil positive then try starting the engine.

If other ignition your on your own

If it starts and runs you have a bad ignition switch OR the wiring between the ignition switch and the ballast (coil positive side) is bad

Did you do the voltage checks I posted earlier

Did volt checks, see picture
Converted to electricnic ignition
Checked voltage at key switch,
Voltage drops to 10 volt when in start position, see picture

 

[67Dart273]

You need to check the voltages right at the coil. You may have it at the key, if you EG still have a bulkhead connector, might be a bad connection in there. Possible, of course, that it is not even related to the work you did, but the chances are that it is.

 

[aa-1159]

You need to check the voltages right at the coil. You may have it at the key, if you EG still have a bulkhead connector, might be a bad connection in there. Possible, of course, that it is not even related to the work you did, but the chances are that it is.

See prior reply

 

[Dana67Dart]

when the key is in the "start" position is the engine activity cranking or did you remove the yellow wire from the starter relay.


Brown wire voltage looks like your ignition switch is working properly.

Did you measure at the switch or at the ballast?

Your followup photo shows proper coil plus voltages for key position.

So I think we can rule out the key, wiring and ballast.

So that leaves ECM, dist, and their associated wiring

 

[aa-1159]

when the key is in the "start" position is the engine activity cranking or did you remove the yellow wire from the starter relay.


Brown wire voltage looks like your ignition switch is working properly.

Did you measure at the switch or at the ballast?

Your followup photo shows proper coil plus voltages for key position.

So I think we can rule out the key, wiring and ballast.

So that leaves ECM, dist, and their associated wiring

Removed yellow wire,

Disconnected distributor and touched ecu wire to ground gets a spark
Will probably change distributor tomorrow, mine looks pretty ratty inside(pickup), all wiring is new. But that doesn't really mean anything

 

[67Dart273]

See prior reply

View attachment 1716415336

You have it titled "key switch" I assumed you measured that at the key. If you say at the coil they look OK

 

[67Dart273]

You may have a connector/ distributor pickup issue.

 

[aa-1159]

Want to Thank everyone for the help
Changed distributor and it fired right up, I thought that was my problem all along, now have to rebuild or get a distributor cause this one is borrowed, Again Thanks