last week i was having a problem with my 79 vette,it suddenly shut off about 15 ft out of my garage and wouldn't restart, although it turns over fine. i thought it was possibly an electrical problem,since it shut down like turning off a light, no sputter, just dead. i took the ignition module to Autozone and they tested it several times letting it get good & hot, it passed. so i got the multimeter out and the pickup coil and coil are also good. I pulled a spark plug, no spark when turning the motor over. however the rotor and cap didn't look so great, so i replaced them. the vette fires right up and i'm thinking, great!!! i go drive it around and get on it hard, it runs great. Friday nite i go to leave my local watering hole and NOTHING, it turns over fine,just won't fire. after about 20 attempts to start it, I call my son to come get me. just for the heck of it, i try it one more time while talking to my son and it fires. WHAT IS GOING ON?? can somebody help me? the distributor is a rebuilt Accel, 2yrs old, the plug wires are Taylor spiro pro, 2 yrs old. yesterday, i started the vette probably 20 times in the garage, just to see if it would start and it did. this morning it wouldn't start on the 1st 3 tries but fired up on the 4th. how do you find a problem when it's not always there??? as always any & all help appreciated.

 

First thing I would do is to hook up a volt meter at the pink wire on the distributor to check voltage when it wont start. You should have a minimum 12v. If you have good voltage even when it wont start that will eliminate the ignition switch and wiring.

If you have good voltage then I would lean towards the pick-up coil. It is hook to the vacumn advance and moves every time the vacumn changes. I have seen a partially broken wire from the pickup coil to the module that was intermitant.

If you do not have good voltage then you have to look at the ignition switch or wiring to the distributor.

 

Put the original distributor back in. If there is a problem with the aftermarket dist. (and there probably is) you will isolate it with the swap.

I would leave the GM dist. in the car. It supplies more than enough voltage up to 6000 RPM, in its stock configuration, regardless of what the aftermarket companies tell you.

George

 

just tested the voltage on the pink or red wire going to distributor, & got 12.06 volts. i also started it again.FYI, the original GM distributor needed to be rebuilt,so i just bought an Accel rebuild 2 yrs ago when motor work was done, it's basically the same as the original GM dist, in fact i removed the coil from the old and placed it in the new distributor 2 yrs ago. where is the ignition switch? on top of the steering column near fire wall? or inside the steering column?

 

The ignition switch is on the top side of the steering column near the firewall. If you have 12v that would eliminate the switch and the problem will be inside the distributor.

 

thanks pete. right now, it starts, so i'm going to carry my multimeter in the car so the next time it quits, i can test the voltage.