Stupid freaking mistake with Coil

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 2:33 pm

mbouse wrote:i may have gotten lost in this post, so please forgive if this is a dumb question.

the pink/red wire that was sooo hot in the beginning of your post. did you replace that wire?

No, I didn't replace it. That's my ignition wire. It reads 12v when key-on and 0v when key-off, so I assume it's still ok. I made sure to get it on the correct side of the coil as soon as I realized the mistake.

kmartin83 · Post by **kmartin83** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 5:02 pm

You may have also fried the control module located under the coil? I did that when looking to find the short near my ignition switch. The control module can be bought at local NAPA store or Autozone for about $20.

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 5:19 pm

kmartin83 wrote:You may have also fried the control module located under the coil? I did that when looking to find the short near my ignition switch. The control module can be bought at local NAPA store or Autozone for about $20.

As Mine no longer has electronic ignition, I don't use that control module any more. in fact, I should post in the wanted/for sale forum that I have one if anyone ever needs one. I don't know if it works though, lol.

Anyway, problem solved. I changed plugs (waste of time now, i bet) but it's done. they all had lots of gas on them, indicating no spark (duh). I thought, let me go through this little by little one more time.....

Step 1. Coil. (check with new and old)
Step 2. Test with and without fan wire to ensure proper voltage to the coil(i'll post about that elsewhere, but it's always on and wired at the positive point of the coil)
Step 3. Open up dizzy and clean points
Step 4. Check cap & clean pickups on the cap
Step 5. Check to see if points are opening.

This is the part where I wish I knew a thing about cars!
Step 6. Wonder if points are opening far enough
Step 7. Decide they are not.
Step 8. adjust them.
Step 9 try it all again.

VROOM.

yep, that was it. So the prize goes to Mark who suggested that one wayyy back in the thread. I don't know much about this sort of thing, but the plastic that touches that center "axle" thing in the dizzy seems to be wearing down. I've certainly got plenty of movement left to compensate for that in the future, but why in the heck is that plastic? Seems like some genius would have designed some bearing system that would never wear out. anyway, there is a step in the plastic, I'm assuming that step indicates the maximum that you should let the point wear before replacing it. They seem to be cheap to replace at autozone, so not fearing that right now.

So, just to make sure I got it right, how far should they open up? right now it's a very very small amount. like less than a millimeter, i'd guess.

(ps. each project just uncovers MORE stuff to take care of 1. need new wires, the boots are cracking and crappy, 2. need to get a temp sender for the fan instead of the hardwired on deal)

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 5:21 pm

sorry, dbl post!!

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:14 pm

the points rubbing block used to be a type of hardboard, but the new improved plastic came out in the late 60s or early 70s. You still need to use cam lube on the rubbing block though. Now you're stumbled upon one of the main reasons that electronic ignition became oem. When federal emission laws came into effect, mfgrs were required to guarantee emission compliance for 50000 miles. Since points need adjustment twice a year and replacement every 10000 miles, the oems would have had to cover it under warranty. Hence, the onset of maintenance free electronic ignition.
Anyway, get a tube of cam lube, it will last you the rest of your life. It will make the points last longer and more importantly won't result in a worn cam in the dizzy

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:21 pm

cam, thanks mark, that would be what I just called the "axle thingy"

anyway, what should my gap look like when the point is open?

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:09 am

.016 which is about the thickness of a matchbook cover. (geez, can you still get match books?) Now I'm feeling ancient!

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:18 am

So Cal Mark wrote:.016 which is about the thickness of a matchbook cover. (geez, can you still get match books?) Now I'm feeling ancient!

It wouldn't start again this morning before work, so i opened it up to adjust it. It was in the middle of the closed position, so I pushed the point in as far as possible without opening it up. I didn't check to see how far that opened it in the open position, but it did start and idle ok, I got out on the hiway and it's running all choppy, then, when i reached my destination, it was running choppy at idle too.

Stinking thing still is running cool. I need to take care of that thermostat....

edit/addition: I just drove it home for lunch and it ran awesome. It was about 45 this morning and now it's 60ish, maybe that made a difference. I really put it through its paces on the trip back to work from lunch and it zipped right along. I had the top down and was cooking at 65 just to see what it did. Ran nice and smooth. I'm happy with my exhaust, i need to take pics and post the sounds with a description of what I went with/tried sometime soon.

manoa matt · Post by **manoa matt** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:48 pm

Probably didn't start in the morning because there was moisture in the distributor cap, as it heated up the moisture evaporated.

Make shure you cooling system is full and all the air is bleed out. A "T" fitting in the heater hose above the exhaust cam box helps a lot. The "T" fitting will come in a radiatior flush kit, $5 at local parts store. Back flushing the cooling system might not be a bad idea.

Now you can see why a lot of guys have switched to electronic ignition.
Props to stickin with it and gettin it running.

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:38 pm

manoa matt wrote:Now you can see why a lot of guys have switched to electronic ignition. Props to stickin with it and gettin it running.

That's the thing that kills me, Matt, I have an '80. It SHOULD have electronic ignition, don't ask me who or why this was changed. For now though, I'm kinda liking it. It's one more little thing that puts me in control of the car. It's kinda like why Guys like Fire. I mean an electric heater is nice and all, but it doesn't make you grunt in caveman victory.

Besides, it was fun to see people look funny at me while I had the hood up and things taken apart at work. I just throw my tie over my shoulder so it doesn't hang into the greasy engine, push my sleeves up, and try not to lean my legs against anything too dirty.....

manoa matt · Post by **manoa matt** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:47 pm

I hear ya on that, its fun to tinker and when co workers find out that you are willing to keep up an old car insead of buying a new plastic computer car they have a bit more respect for you.

I like the idea of a mechanical distributor. Parts don't just go out without warning like an electronic, but on the other hand, you are constantly tinkering and adjusting points, condensers etc.. Keep that multimeter and a few spare points condensers etc. in your car just in case.

Matt

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:41 pm

that's why I leave the second set of points and cond in the dist after converting to single points. If you have a problem, just switch the wire over to the other set.

HOLLYWOODSPIDER · Post by **HOLLYWOODSPIDER** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:50 pm

Danno, did you get it running yet? If not, try disconnecting the tach wire at the coil. Faulty tach reading could mean the tach has gone bad. The tach/tach wire can short the coil out and cause a no spark situation. If it starts w/o the tach hooked up, try running a new tach wire or maybe the tach needs replacing.

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:39 am

Hollywood, it was just that I needed to adjust the points. The tach is not working, and doesn't affect the car whether its connected or not. I don't know if that's because its a tach off of the electronic ignition so it doesn't work with this coil, or if it's because the tach is bad.