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75 l48 auto, cleaned up the distributor while working on getting timing correct, wasn't sure if I had installed the distributor gear correctly so took everything apart last night to verify, replaced last night, went to work on the car today at lunch to get the timing reset and now the car won't start. battery if fine, starter is turning motor over just don't think I have any spark, so not sure if I have a loose connection or damaged something that would cause this with taking everything on and off the car. Where should I start?
Do you have 12v to the BAT terminal on the Distributor? If you do.....then when you had it apart you disturbed something. Maybe knocked a wire off of the four prong module.
If you have 12v to it and no spark, it is in the distributor for sure.
take a close look at the two fine wires from pickup to module ... white-yellowish and greenish. ...if they lay up against dist housing, they can wear thru insulation & short.
I’ve got 12v at the distributor battery terminal, disconnected and reconnected all wires with distributor, no wires are worn or have defects in the insulation.
Pull off a plug wire and use a spare plug to verify spark or use one of the testers that plugs in between the spark lead and the plug. You'll know if you have spark or not.
I agree I think it is a timing issue also, I am going to get the spark checker now, if that checks out should I just orient the rotor 180 degrees from where it is and see if it fires? I did check tdc and thought I lined it up correctly but who knows what step I messed up.
. All over ebay and amazon. Put it in. Run the car. Clean up orig distributor body. Put it back in and start swapping parts till it runs. Then buy that part new and put new dist together as a functional spare.
Did you do any 'cosmetic' improvements to the distributor and/or the intake manifold when you pulled the distributor?
Electrical ground for the ignition system is from the intake manifold (bare metal required under the hold-down clamp), thru the hold-down clamp, and into the distributor housing (bare metal also required under the hold-down clamp). If you painted some of those surfaces or put an insulating material between ground connection points, you will not have a grounded system...and your engine WILL NOT START.
I agree I think it is a timing issue also, I am going to get the spark checker now, if that checks out should I just orient the rotor 180 degrees from where it is and see if it fires? I did check tdc and thought I lined it up correctly but who knows what step I messed up.
I would start over....blow your thumb off of number one spark plug hole....the mark on the balancer will be close to zero on the tab....line it up.....where does your rotor point? If it does not point to number one then make it so....from here, hook up a dial back timing light....rotate the distributor just a touch counter clockwise from #1....snug it so you are still able to move it....
Start the car and dial 36 degrees on your light......rev to 3000+ rpm til it stops advancing.....on a dial back you shoot for zero.
So 0 at the tab at 3000+ rpm.....lock it down and hook up the vacuum advance.
Done.
This is assuming you actually have spark.
I don’t play with HEI’s anymore when they go bad....I just replace them.....
7T1, no cosmetic changes, it was running fine with what had been cleaned up, the rotor portion was changed attempting to place it correctly and it went down hill from there
jebby, going to check spark now and then agree with your recommendations to just start from scratch
I have spark, verified tdc with paper towel plug in #1, it shot out and I stopped cranking, balancer shown in second picture so about 12 degrees after is where it stopped and third picture shows position of rotor pointing at #5 cylinder, so should just reposition rotor to about halfway between 1 and 8 correct? Spark
I agree I think it is a timing issue also, I am going to get the spark checker now, if that checks out should I just orient the rotor 180 degrees from where it is and see if it fires? I did check tdc and thought I lined it up correctly but who knows what step I messed up.
I would pull plug #1 and get it to tdc then try and reinstall the distributor.
Yes the inside of the cap and the rotor itself appear intact and I damaged. I am wondering if I should just get a new distributor and try it. I have moved this current one around a multitude of times with no success or even glimmer of trying to work. I figure even if it weren’t positioned perfectly that it would have seemingly tried to fire up.
Thanks leigh, I do think the plugs are starting to get fouled with all of the attempts to start, when checking TDC, #1 plug was slight tan to begin with but is starting to appear fouled. With getting the engine to exact TDC over slightly before I haven’t had any luck bumping the engine and getting to a location near that, I have tried turning it by hand on the alt pulley, doesn’t go and on the crankshaft bolt it is just tightening it and I really don’t want to break that bolt
Then get somebody to bump it with the starter. Take out the plugs. Spin it over to blow the gasoline out. Let the plugs dry or clean them or buy new ones. Now, put thumb in #1 plug hole. Take cap off. Crank motor and see where rotor is when blows your thumb off. Ideally it should be forward, slightly right, but will run wherever. Now watch timing mark and bump engine until it is close to tdc with rotor where you felt pressure. That is where 1 goes. Now you are timed close enough to start. Plugs in. Wires on. 18436572 clockwise. No pop? Put timing light on and crank it. No flash? No spark. Get a 40 buck distributor and run it. Then like I said reinstall orig and swap module, coil, etc until it starts. Now buy that part new and put cheap Chinese stuff back in new one and you have a spare.
Last edited by derekderek; Feb 29, 2020 at 01:33 PM.
Distributor work now won't start
