chevyfiftynine

I have an HEI distributor, not on my Vette, but on my '58 Chevy pick-up. It's non-original, so no point in asking the truck forum. I think they were fitted to Vettes from '75. It's a Delco-Remy 6 cyl, and I can't get a spark out of it. I replaced the module, the capacitor, the coil and the pick-up coil, and although power goes into it, no spark comes out. I even checked it with an ohmmeter, and everything seems in order.

I had this trouble just a year ago, and I replaced everything then, and only when I put back the old module did it start up. I can't think of anything else to replace. Anybody got any ideas?

69427

Is the 12v going to it a low impedance supply?

Any marginal connectors/wires in the setup?

MrForce

Check the engine ground straps. HEI grounds through the block.

chevygod

HEI with internal coil,right? If so, did you rebuild/replace the coil in the cap, or did someone else? Either way, make sure the ground strap from under the coil to the connector is installed. Found a car in a junkyard with a new-everyting in the ignition system and the words "no spark" on the windshield. It was missing the internal coil ground strap in the cap under the coil that goes to the harness for the module. No ground, no coil.

Another thing to check is for a crack or hole in the rotor. My car stalled out, all seemed good, even had signal at the tach when cranking. Spark was going straight to ground thru center of the rotor into top of dist shaft. New rotor, fired up fine.

Good luck, post what you find so we can all learn.
Tom

snoopykissedlucy

And my experience:

The guy before me managed to break the carbon button (below the coil) clean off.
I figured he was trying to place the cap on and somehow bent the carbon button and cracked it off.

Also, make sure the full 12 volts are getting to the distributor. The early cars had a resistor in line.

TopGunn

Similar experience for me also only I drove it in the garage one night and the next day it wouldn't start, no spark. I screwed around with it until I pulled the cap and noticed the button was gone......it was laying inside the dist housing.

chevyfiftynine

Hi, thanks to all who replied with advice on my HEI. I was curious about the rotor button as TopGunn and Snoopykissedlucy both mentioned that the button had snapped off. I checked the coil and cap tonight, and found that the rotor button in the cap is barely showing - just a stud which looks worn and only just protrudes through the cap. There is also a ring in the plastic around the button. Should the button stand out more than this? The coil looks okay and is earthed properly, and if I can't get any life out of it I'll have to take the dis out and check every component. When I try to start it, I get one tantalising cough from the engine, then nothing more happens.

TopGunn

From memory that sounds about right concerning the button sticking out, there's a spring attached to the other end of the button that makes contact with the coil I believe. From your original post it would seem there's something with the module or it's installation maybe that is causing the spark problem. Maybe try another module just in case?
I assume you pulled a plug wire off and maybe stuck a bolt in the end and held it close to the manifold to verify there is no spark???
Any chance the wiring is messed up so you're only getting spark when the starter is engaged and when the key is released it quits?

chevyfiftynine

Now I've tried everything possible and still no spark. Here's what I've done so far - new module and capacitor, new coil and pick-up coil 300 miles ago. All check out with an ohm meter, except the module which I think needs some other equipment. Power into module, good earth at dis shaft, and at internal coil. Rotor, cap, button and wiring seem fine. Silicon grease under module.

I noticed though that the test light comes on as power goes into the module, but not at the other end, and comes on at the coil terminals but not at the copper wires into the coil. Is that normal?

When I put it all back together today, it gave one splutter as if about to start, but then nothing. When I held an HT lead to the block, it was lifeless again. The only thing I can do now is to buy another module. I can't think of anything else to try.

centralcalvette

1) do you have a ground wire or metal strap coming from the coil to the wiring harness? The distributor shaft is not a ground.
2) is the carbon button UNDER the insulator (the the coil on top of that) ?

chevygod

Might be optomistic to hope you have someone that can help you this way, but you could try to find someone else with a running Chevy powered car with an HEI and swap in their dizzy for a test. You could also put yours in their car to see if it works there. I know some people may not want to tear their car apart that way for a test but my friends and I do such test swaps often to help one another out.

Good luck,
Tom

mrvette

BINGO BABY!! you fixed it right there, those HEI coils have been caught pants DOWN by me as a open primary...not the coil itself, but the lazy assed production shortcut of not shaving formvar off the coil wire, and expecting the crimp of the end connectors to make forced good connection to the copper.....

take a soldering iron or torch to the wire ends with coil outta the HEI unit....and then reinstall.....

easy find, assuming you have a VM and know how/when to use it....

hey, before long U 2 can speel elektronik tech....

chevyfiftynine

I thought my problem was that I couldn't get a spark from the HEI distributor. I took it out and changed all the parts, checked everything there was to check, and when I laid a plug across the rocker cover and turned the engine over, I could see no spark. A professional mechanic friend came over but was more concerned that the plugs were not getting flooded despite the numerous attempts for weeks to start the engine.

He suggested we tried jump-starting the truck from my old Saab 900. It was a faster turn over and after a few times it started up. The next day, using the truck's own battery as before, the truck started fine, and now I could see a positive spark on the rocker cover. The only thing that was different was that it had been running again. As the engine was very clattery when it started up, and the valve clearances must have been almost half an inch, we came up with the theory that over the winter the oil had slowly seeped out of the hydraulic lifters, causing too great a rocker gap, and therefore very poor compression, so no fuel was being drawn through. The extra speed from the Saab was just enough to get it started, and then when the lifters filled with oil again, the engine got quieter and the valve clearances were reduced, giving proper compression. Maybe the hydraulic lifters had not been set up properly when the engine was rebuilt a few years ago.

This might explain why no fuel was getting through, but I still can't understand how come when I had no spark before, that after only getting the motor running, that now I've got a spark again. All the new parts I bought were all unnecessary. I'm glad it's running, but I don't know about the spark, and I'm not that sure about the hydraulic lifter theory either.

69Vett

never assume a "new" cheap *** part was assembled correctly,..
Not from todays ... "lowest bidder -Global Supplier."

I also found very poor assemble of a "New" cheaper HEI unit.
mine had a pinched wire under the Module.

I test almost everything possible before installing, these days.

Avette4me

I'd like to see a pic of your truck. I've got a '58 as well...

edit:

You may already know about this site. I've seen one guy from Glasgow on there. Some of these guys are purists and bitchy, but there have been a few that converted 6's to HEI that may be able to help.

Wrecked82

Does the button need that heat paste on it like the module?

TimAT

No. The carbon button really won't care how hot it gets.

Wrecked82

That's what I thought. When I replaced my module yesterday, saw that the button had the paste on it also. Wiped it off. Seems like it might even get in the way of proper functioning of distribution.

chevyfiftynine

I posted a message on the forum in March asking why I was getting no spark for my Chevy Apache pick-up. As you can see I tried everything imaginable and it wouldn't start for months. I was even buying brand new parts to replace brand new parts in case they were faulty. Finally, I found out what was wrong.

My retired mechanic friend suggested that I took a live lead off the starter and back up to the battery. One lead still goes to the starter. The first thing was a faster turn over. Sure enough it started with not much trouble. I had of course been pumping the accelerator trying to get it to start, but what I do now is pull out the choke, pump the pedal six times, ignition and starter pedal, and now after a week of languishing in a cold, dank garage the engine fires up first time with no use of the accelerator.

I'm not quite sure what that lead is for, but although I was getting power into the dis, it must have been that too much current was going to the starter and not the dis. It was misleading when everything seemed to be okay. Anyway thanks to everyone who offered their help, and I'm pleased it starts all right now.