FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Help needed,went to start car this morining as usual fired first time. but died and wouldnt start, checked it out tonight its not firing . No spark at sparkplug!!!
I have over the past few weeks replaced--

dissy cap for vk pointless dissy
new hipo coil
new 8mm slicon leads
new NGK sparkplugs
new rotor

I have tested for power at +ve side of coil and do have power, please help

Is your timing gear stripped?  I.e. is your rotor rotating?

Chuck

Have you checked that the coil is firing?

Sounds like the electronic module in the distributor has gone west, the module switches on the negative side of coil. Really only two ways to check, fit a new one or take to auto spark / tuning house and get them to test with their gear.
Effie C

Sounds like the module as Effie C suggests.
FWIW, I bought 2 sets of new NGK plugs prior to the Gold Coast Nats. Fitted them before we left. By the time we left, I had fitted the old Bosch plugs & tossed the NGK's in the bin, half of them had failed!
Colin

timing gears arent stripped as I have compression on all .
checked coil thats fine
checked modulator thats ok
next thing to do is to pull dissy out and replace with a old HQ model I have lying around, see if thats makes any differents?

gee,doesn't this sound like similar thread and result to one posted the other month.
even same solution,(put old HQ non elec back in)
for the life of me i cant remember what thread was called but have a read of old posts mate.
cheers Nick

Is there spark at the coil lead?

If yes, and then there's no spark at the plugs it's most likely in the rotor, or the cap. The small carbon contact at the top of the inside of the dizzy cap can fall out giving this problem.

If there is spark at the plugs, its timing and then go for the module.

It is also remotely possible that the coil has failed. When cranking spark at the plug should jump a gap of at least 2 mm to ground and be bright and make a cracking noise. If its not bright and won't jump that far it might be the coil, coil lead, or rotor. Rough check I know, but without test equipment its the only way.

I have also seen a cracked rotor so the output from the coil was grounding to the dizzy drive shaft, but not until the engine was cranked. It was harder for the spark from the coil to fire the plug than it was to get to ground through the rotor.

Be methodical in your approach and think about whats happening in the ignition circuit. Here is the sequence of events:

1.+ve voltage to coil

2.negative of coil is grounded (via points or module)

3.energy builds up in coil

4.points or module opens path to ground at coil -ve

5.coil field collapses

Primary circuit's job is done.

6.secondardy output voltage (30Kv) at coil lead

7.dizzy cap, via carbon plug, rotor, dizzy cap, spark plug lead directs voltage to appropriate spark plug

8.fuel under compression is ignited

Secondary circuit's job is done.

Hope this helps in some way, but if all else fails drink beer, its easier and makes you happy the more you do it. Unlike trying to fix cars that won't co-operate.

Cheers,

Craig.


P.S: Can you sign off your posts with a name? 10 minutes of one finger typing and I don't know who I'm trying to help :-)

problem has been fixed ;D ;D ;D
I went to remove the dissy and put a HQ one in when as I pull the dissy out of the block, I notice something very strange ( shouldn't they have a gear at the bottom of the dissy with ALL the teeth on them, oh bugger!!! this ones missing almost half of them )..
What to do?? well that old HQ dissy got a old fashion steel gear where the Commodore has got ""it'll break"" plastic gear.
10min with a pin punch and a hammer  swapped the broken gear with a steel gear .
put dissy back in block  set the timming and she fired first time ;D ;D ;D ;D
cheers everyone for their help
Tony

so you now have several large chunks of hard plastic bouncing around in your sump.

Isn't that what the strainer on the oil pump is for?? ::)
Effie C