Hi I recently took off my carb, intake and distributer off my 1976 vette so that I could paint the intake manifold. When I put everything back in the engine will turn over but wont spark. Smells like gas. I pulled one wire off and see that there is no spark running through the plug. I brought the engine to tdc and then checked my marks. The distributor is pointing at cylinder #1. Any suggestions on why it wont start.

 

Well, see if juice is getting to the dizzy and to the coil, then be sure the , yuck , points are okay,

 

'76 should be an HEI - check that it has power (test light in the plug) when cranking and with key to run position.
If yes, take the cap off and check the rotor - I've had them come loose and not turn (correctly).
Next check the coil - not sure how other than replace.

Even if you had it in wrong you should have spark.

If none of the above works - sounds like time to get our your wallet and throw money at it.
Good luck

 

Check under the distributor cap as well and make sure the spring loaded center terminal for the coil to touch the top of the rotor, is actually not shoved up inside the cap. We found out, just that, the other day. No spark, good voltage (12V!) and then a really close look, found the spring loaded deal-e-o, shoved up hard under the cap (brand new distributor too!) and we just had to use a thin pick along the side, to gently pry it loose.

Also, a test light will tell you if there's power, but it won't tell you how much! Some of these systems require a full 12V. Some, like points and MSD, go through the resistor or resistor wire to produce 5-6V and please, go on and add to this if you have more info. For our unilite style distributor, we were running it through the resistor wire and 9V made the spark come out very weak. Once we ran it straight to the battery, it cranked right up!

 

Just checked and i'm getting no volts. I did try to start the motor without my headers on in november. Havn't started the car since then. It is an HEI. Do you think that I need a new coil? Or a whole new distributer?


"Check under the distributor cap as well and make sure the spring loaded center terminal for the coil to touch the top of the rotor, is actually not shoved up inside the cap. "

Also what do you mean by this?

 

If by "no volts" you mean no power when checked at the (wiring harness side) of the plug, them you'll need to track that down before looking at the distributor. Power goes in (plug side by side with tach hookup), other plug on the cap is the coil from the distributor body - if these are all hooked up and you have powering going to it, (next step) pull the cap and inspect the inside for anything that looks a miss .

 

Gotta have volts to the ignition system before it even works! Trace it back and also check the fuses as well.

 

Ok thanks. When I measured the voltage I was checking at the end suppression cable going to the spark plugs. Where should I check the voltage for so that I know if the is any power going to distributor?

 

at the plug to the distributor - we are just making sure there is power to the distributor - the plug in that goes to the bat side of the cap
here's the pic again

 

Ok just tested. all the wires for voltage the only wire that was reading any voltage was the red bat. wire.

 

That's the only one that should - now we know we have power to the distributor. I'm sure the back plug (from the distributor body to csp) is plugged in?
If so, you'll need to pull the cap and be sure nothing in there is wrong.

 

Thanks for the help ill do that. What is the csp?

 

Should be cap

 

Ok thanks the wire is plugged in. What should I be looking for under the cap?

 

There are 8 contacts around the perimeter - corresponding to the wire towers - be sure they look good - no wear. Middle of the cap is the spring loaded contact check it. Check the rotor and it's contacts for wear.

If it's me - I'd buy a new rotor.

 

Don,

The exact same thing happened to me.
I had the engine of this '73 running, but didn't like the Edelbrock manifold due to the hood clearence issues (plus I wanted to get the engine back to stock looking). So, after installing a GM manifold, replaceing the roller rockers and valve covers with stock, adjusting valve lash, and re-installing the HEI distributor, NO START. It turned over great, but never fired. Got an occasional shot of fuel mist up & out of the carb while cranking.
I slept on it overnight, and it came to me that when I put in the distributor, I installed it with rotor position referenced to #1. But in adjusting valve lash, the engine TDC mark was last positioned for #6 TDC. In other words, I had positioned the distributor 180 degrees out of where it should be.
After repositioning the distributor 180 degrees, I was confident it would start. BUT IT DIDN"T! No more farting fuel mist, but no fire either.
It's in the shop now getting troubleshot, but one other thing that I did to the distributor since it last ran: a new ignition wire source. PO sold me the car without a distributor: Had to buy one. Went with a tach drive HEI. I had ran a new wire to it directly from the fuse box (IGN terminal), and the engine ran. But I hate running new wires. The schematics I have show the distributor power coming off a yellow wire that also feeds the windshield washer pump, but I couldn't find that original yellow distributor wire. So I spliced a wire from the WW pump to the distributor. And I also used the wire/terminal end that came with the distributor (a push-on with a locking tab), dicarding the "new" wire and it's standard push-on female terminal. I should have ran that same fuse block IGN wire to the distributor before I had the car towed to the shop for repair. I may have been able to drive it there, but I'll never know now.

What I'm just saying here, in short novel form, is some of the things that perhaps pertain to you, and that you should check. Once again, sorry for the long post (and the no-solution ending).

Steve

 

if the red wire has power going into the distributor, then either the coil or the ignition module went bad, or there is a possibility a wire came loose. Remove the cap covering the coil, make sure when you plugged the red wire back in the distributor, you didnt shove the connector back up in the area of the coil.

 

Did you check the ignition module?