Could it be a weak coil? Maybe get another known good coil and try it

 

Maybe
Its one I bought threw Summit. Its there brand. I may have another that I got from a Junkyard a few months ago and try that.

 

If you get a weak spark in both, it might be something else.

 

sounds like right ballgame, not same exact as what i've seen so i plead 'dummy' ('nother reason why i use a real spark plug, besides being too cheap to buy a real tool)...imho, try a 'known good' (used ?) dizzy module as it really is cake to change (every time except the first)...if dizzy module is good, sad news is that the 'small hei' pick-up is a known weak link, must yank dizzy and diassemble to change pick-up (note there is an aftmkt rebuilder of small dizzy who uses the 'big hei' pick-up coil/reluctor in their rebuilds, sadly i know not who as yet but have eyeballed)

 

Beginning to second guess the tester I'm using

Went out tonight in the dark. On the ignition coil wire to sparkplug tester I get a random spark. (spark.... nothing.............................spar k. Takes about 3 or 4 seconds for another spark.)

On the plug wire ... nothing.
Guess its time to double check and use a real spark plug to test.

 

You can test your coil by disconnecting it and pulsing the primary with 12v and seeing if you get a normal 1/2" or longer snappy spark. You should have a capacitor connected from the clip lead you use to pulse the primary wire to the coil wire you are pulsing. A .01 Mfd to .1 Mfd capacitor will do. If you have an old capacitor left over from an old points distributor, that will work very well. The capacitor will provide a larger spark. If you get a normal spark, then the spark module is in question. Look inside the distributor cap with a bright trouble light too, you might have carbon tracks inside the distributor cap.....new or not.

 

Update and Good news. I used a real spark plug and I do have spark. I also have fuel so it has to be a timing issue.
thanks guys!

 

Spark where? At the coil or all plug ends?

 

At all the plug ends.
Guess it just shows you can trust some of these testers.
Next step I suppose is to turn the distributor a little bit and she if she fires up.

When I turn it over now it may or may not backfire and once in a while throws some unburnt fuel smoke threw the air cleaner. So its gotta be in the timing. As certain as I am that I dropped the new distributor in with the rotor in the correct position I must have screwed something up

 

How did you set the distributor? Make sure you have enough fuel pressure and also make sure that the injectors are firing.

 

Ok... so let me get into a bit of detail for you.
CFI to HSR conversion

multiport upgrade to my ecm
paralled each side of my new injectors inplace of the existing 2 sets of injector wires

Upon removal of the orginal distributor I place the engine to TDC using the marks on the balancer and made certain my rotor was in the number one position of the cap.
Stabbed the new distributor with the rotor facing number one.

I have 40psi of fuel to the fuel rails
Set the TPS to .547 volts

Could I be a couple of teeth off on the distributor?
Whats the easiest way to test if the injectors are firing or not? I'm a bit used to CFI so I'm assuming I can use a noid light?
I'm also assuming they are firing since every now and then I am getting a backfire both through the muffler's and TB or am I wrong?

 

You can use a noid light or a DVOM. Don't quote me but I think your distributor is off a tooth.

 

If I use a DVOM all I have to do is unplug the injector and test the two connections inside the connector. One should be 12VDC and the other 0VDC. Do they pulse twice per engine revolution and is this procedure correct?

I'm agreeing with you that I may be a tooth off.
Can I just loosen up the distributor and turn a bit or do I have to remove it and restab it?

The good thing about all this is I've never learned all that much about timing so this is a good education.

 

Not even that. Use a couple of pins and tap into the wires and it should be good. IIRC and someone correct me, they are 12V and grounded when the injector is fired.

You have to remove the thing otherwise how will you change the tooth?

 

unless the cap or the 'sticking-out-part' of the ignition module/wires is obviously hitting something, you can turn the dizzy 360*... cyl #1 on the cap can be any tower in front of the rotor at firing time.

'puffing' thru mufflers and tb indicates engine has fuel and spark but ignition timing is wrong...backfire thru exhaust is insignificant but backfire thru t-body/carb/etc has been seen to bend a throttle plate (oh sith time)

pull one rocker cover...rotate crankshaft until timing mark on harmonic balancer approaches timing tab...observe both intake and exhaust valves for either cyl #1 or #6 (depending on which side you pull cover) as you bring the balancer mark the last few degrees to the 6* mark on the timing tab, valves moving up/dn show that cyl is NOT coming to firing position, valves NOT moving means that cyl IS coming to firing position...set engine in firing position for cyl #1...pull dizzy cap to see where rotor is pointed and install plug wires...retard dizzy (loosen lockdown bolt and rotate dizzy clockwise viewed from above) abt 15-20 *...attach spark plug wire for cyl#1 to spark tester...turn power on to dizzy and turn dizzy by hand in advance direction (anti-clock-wise) until tester 'fires'... 'snug' dizzy lock bolt...engine should now start...immediately on start-up, use timing light to set timing...if dizzy position is not in preferred location it must be pulled up to disengage from cam gear before rotating to desired location and re-stab.

 

Thats what I thought but didn't want to make any assumptions.


This is good. I'm glad I'm going through this since I've never had to time a engine before.
Upon pulling my orginal HEI dizzy, I placed the harmonic balancer mark with the TDC notch of the timing tab and lined that up with my rotor on the cyl 1 position of the cap (which looking down on it was lets say at the 5 o'clock position) thought for sure when I stabbed the new one would be correct if I figured my new dizzy in the same postion.

I think I'm understanding what your saying. Basically your having me get it real close to 6* BTDC by making it "spark" prior to actually trying to start it up. So when I "turn power on" to dizzy I can just set ignition key to the on position and rotate the dizzy counter clockwise until that cyl sparks?
By moving cyl 1 into the firing position it should time it enough to start it up. Once started I'll loosen the dizzy again and use the timing light to fine tune it.
Sounds easy enough. Funny as it sounds I'm looking forward to doing this. Its the only way to actually learn.

 

just make SURE you have the engine 'set to fire' on cyl #1 if you plug the spark tester onto #1 plug wire...(if you have 'gone to next level'; yes, when set to fire cyl #6 the timing marks are also in the same position and you 'could' plug your tester onto #6 plug wire)

yep, it is easy...but even after dropping literally hundreds (maybe more) of dizzys, it is still ez to drop one in 180* out of time...and fun to stand next to another 'old hand' and flame him when his latest effort 'barks' down the exhaust.

hope you got YOUR shots, sounds as if you have symptoms of 'hot rodder disease' ("lookin forward to doin this")

 

So I started this little "timing" project tonight. So I rotated the engine and you can see from my pics where the mark on the balancer is and where my rotor is. Is it me or does it look like its right on? If I'm a gear off then I would assume that it would need to go one gear counter clockwise.

Oh I also wanted to ask what is the normal running rotation of both the dizzy and balancer?

After staring at my photo I just realized my problem... I AM SUCH A DUMBA$$.

 

i is dummer, can't see nuttin wrong...balancer/timing tab line up looks good, 'cept that orientation occurs at both 'set to fire' for cyl #1 AND cyl #6 and i need to see valves moving to ascertain which...dizzy rotor is in typ factory position for plug wire #1, but without cap nothing is in concrete yet.

the dizzy in the pic IS a 'small' HEI but the pick-up/reluctor are BIG HEI, j.i.c. you ever need to replace....please, who made that dizzy ???

strongly recommend DOUBLE CLAMPS on your fuel hoses.

 

Both crank & rotor turn clockwise. Looks like your picture shows your mark on the balancer is not at zero. Have you tried turning the dist. at all? You won't hurt anything, just turn it alittle. Good luck.