Engine Quit while driving - Ignition?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 851
Likes: 10
From: Palm City, FL
Engine Quit while driving - Ignition?
I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction here.
I was driving my 69 as normal, and without any warning my engine quit.
Everything else and all electrical still works, lights, gauges, starter, etc., etc.
There is fuel getting to the carb so that is ok, wires and plugs are pretty new. I think I've narrowed it down to ignition.
I noticed the ignition coil was seeping boiling oil and a small hairline crack on the top of it, so I figured it was just the ignition coil..... swapped the ignition coil, and still it will not start.... I'm still thinking ignition, but I don't know what.
It has an MSD Blaster 2 ignition.
Again, everything else having to do with electrical on the car is still working fine.... so I don't think I blew a fusible link.
Does another ignition component usually go bad when the coil goes? Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a fuse I don't know about? Any real suggestions and/or illustrations would be great.
I was driving my 69 as normal, and without any warning my engine quit.
Everything else and all electrical still works, lights, gauges, starter, etc., etc.
There is fuel getting to the carb so that is ok, wires and plugs are pretty new. I think I've narrowed it down to ignition.
I noticed the ignition coil was seeping boiling oil and a small hairline crack on the top of it, so I figured it was just the ignition coil..... swapped the ignition coil, and still it will not start.... I'm still thinking ignition, but I don't know what.
It has an MSD Blaster 2 ignition.
Again, everything else having to do with electrical on the car is still working fine.... so I don't think I blew a fusible link.
Does another ignition component usually go bad when the coil goes? Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a fuse I don't know about? Any real suggestions and/or illustrations would be great.
Last edited by genuine1980; May 16, 2021 at 01:38 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 95
Likes: 28
From: Southern MD
Okay, I have seen post that say that our car didn't have a ballast resistor installed from the factory. My 71 had one on the firewall, that when it went bad, the car acts like it wants to start when cranking it over but immediately dies when the key was taken to the run position. Look on your firewall for a rectangular ceramic looking thing with two spade connectors. If you have it, like I did you can check to see if you have 12v on one side and none on the other. If bad you can temporarily run a jumper from the 12v side to the coil and then change it out. You don't want to leave it that way though, it is hard on the points. If you don't have it then you have a resistance wire in that line feeding power when in the run position. It is possible that it is open. I would assume with all this discussion you are still running a points distributor. If you are running HEI then this is all a waste of typing. If it is HEI and you have that symptom, I would think it is you module gone south. Good luck. I will attach a link to what a ballast resistor looks like so you can find one if you have it. Standard Motor Products RU11 Standard Motor Ballast Resistors | Summit Racing
Last edited by ddsmith60; May 16, 2021 at 02:06 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,513
Likes: 1,949
From: Temple Terrace Florida
The ceramic block resistor disappeared in 1968. GM replaced the ceramic block with a resistor wire. If you have your stock ignition shielding, check to see if the negative wire going to the coil got chaffed by the shielding and is grounding out the engine. it does sound like your module is bad. Jerry
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 18,665
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It's not too clear what ignition system you are using. You state you switched out the coil but then say you have a MSD Blaster 2 ignition.
Isnt that the name of the coil you removed?
Do you have the stock distributor or something else?
Does the distributor have points or is electronic?
Need more details on exactly what you are using.
Isnt that the name of the coil you removed?
Do you have the stock distributor or something else?
Does the distributor have points or is electronic?
Need more details on exactly what you are using.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 851
Likes: 10
From: Palm City, FL
It's not too clear what ignition system you are using. You state you switched out the coil but then say you have a MSD Blaster 2 ignition.
Isnt that the name of the coil you removed?
Do you have the stock distributor or something else?
Does the distributor have points or is electronic?
Need more details on exactly what you are using.
Isnt that the name of the coil you removed?
Do you have the stock distributor or something else?
Does the distributor have points or is electronic?
Need more details on exactly what you are using.
I still have no ignition. I don't seem to have power (voltage) to the positive side of the coil... I assume there should be.
I have no idea what else could have gone bad at the same time as the coil that it still has no ignition after replacing the coil.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 63
From: Deep in the Pisgah National Forest
I have an electronic MSD ignition. The MSD box is under the front driver side wheel well. The ignition coil was an MSD Blaster 2. I believe the coil went bad because it was seeping boiling hot oil from a hairline crack on the top of it. I replaced the coil.
I still have no ignition. I don't seem to have power (voltage) to the positive side of the coil... I assume there should be.
I have no idea what else could have gone bad at the same time as the coil that it still has no ignition after replacing the coil.
I still have no ignition. I don't seem to have power (voltage) to the positive side of the coil... I assume there should be.
I have no idea what else could have gone bad at the same time as the coil that it still has no ignition after replacing the coil.
Lots of guys don't do this modification correctly. So find out what was done. Best way is to run a new #10 wire directly from the ignition switch to the coil. Normally this circuit is not fused so the wires are oversized.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,847
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I have an electronic MSD ignition. The MSD box is under the front driver side wheel well. The ignition coil was an MSD Blaster 2. I believe the coil went bad because it was seeping boiling hot oil from a hairline crack on the top of it. I replaced the coil.
I still have no ignition. I don't seem to have power (voltage) to the positive side of the coil... I assume there should be.
I have no idea what else could have gone bad at the same time as the coil that it still has no ignition after replacing the coil.
I still have no ignition. I don't seem to have power (voltage) to the positive side of the coil... I assume there should be.
I have no idea what else could have gone bad at the same time as the coil that it still has no ignition after replacing the coil.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,906
Likes: 4,479
From: Virginia
Can you take pictures of your distributor, too? Perhaps with the distributor cap off? Show the inside of the cap, too. 
If there is an electronic pickup (HEI module, Pertronix Ignitor, whatever), it is almost certainly your problem.
If there is an electronic pickup (HEI module, Pertronix Ignitor, whatever), it is almost certainly your problem.
Last edited by Bikespace; May 17, 2021 at 12:19 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 851
Likes: 10
From: Palm City, FL
SO I think you are saying that the MSD control box went bad? Does it need to be replaced entirely or is there a fuse or something that needs to be replaced?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 851
Likes: 10
From: Palm City, FL
You should have 12volts there while cranking, about half that with the ignition switch in the run position with a regular points distributor. Since you have an electronic distributor, there should have been some wiring modifications to make it 12 volts in run as well.
Lots of guys don't do this modification correctly. So find out what was done. Best way is to run a new #10 wire directly from the ignition switch to the coil. Normally this circuit is not fused so the wires are oversized.
Lots of guys don't do this modification correctly. So find out what was done. Best way is to run a new #10 wire directly from the ignition switch to the coil. Normally this circuit is not fused so the wires are oversized.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 63
From: Deep in the Pisgah National Forest
Get a number off of the box and find the wiring diagrams for it.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,847
Likes: 959
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
The main point of my comment was that with a CD system you do not see 12v at the coil. Ever. CD systems work differently than inductive systems. My minor point was that those CD boxes do not typically have the same reliability and durability as inductive control modules.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,692
Likes: 1,366
I suggest you check the leads going to your coil. Last time I had a sudden failure like that I had an OPEN lead hidden underneath the insulating material. My OPEN was near the connections at the coil but you can wiggle along the length of the lead. If you can get the car started you can wiggle the leads to the coil to see if dies. If you cannot get the car started the use a jumper to see if the car starts to temporarily bypass the installed leads.
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
I need to do this to my C5 STAT!!!! I have run down the battery multiple times from having a Bluetooth receiver in the cigarette lighter socket. So just an add a fuse should do the trick right? Anyone know if there's a video out there of this? I looked but found nothin. thanks for sharing!
