No Spark

30aadoodlebug

Senior Member
Just like any red-blooded male, I hate admitting failure. Yet, this problem has totally defeated me. My truck has no spark at all.To remedy the situation, I have: changed the coil, put a new high tension wire on, replaced the condenser, rewired the whole ignition system, and even changed the plug connections. I have also replaced the battery, yet I am still not get any spark. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jon
 
Are you sure the distributor is turning?
Is there fire to the points with the switch on?
I have seen a very good guide posted here for "no spark", hopefully somebody will post it for you.
Good Luck:)
 
To be totally honest, no I am not sure the distributor is turning. How would I check for this? (I'm new to electrical issues.)
 
Sounds like you may have a grounding problem. Have you added a ground cable to the engine. It is usually connected to one of the bolts on the trans. All ground connections need to be clean and free from paint. Good luck.
 
did you try the easy thing like file and adjust the points...
as mentioned make sure the rotor turns when the engine cranks
 
go around the entire electrical system, run a jumper wire from the neg side of battery to the neg side of coil then open and close the points with a screw driver, check coil wire for spark, if none the problem is either the coil or the dist, try another dist, dumb question, is the rotor turning, are the points opening and closing? if you do get fire its most likely the ignition switch
 
Thanks for the info all. Yes, the points are freshly gaped and filed. How would I check to make sure the rotor is turning? (again, new to electrical issues.)
 
It is possible that your cable is screwed into the distributor too far shorting it out. Pull the distributor off and unscrew it a turn or two.
 
a few years back I had the same problem , the distributer turned and all that ,I had fire at the points when I pulled the cap off , but when I cranked it I had nothing ,it turned out that wire that whent to the points , it looked ok , but I can't remember what the deal was ,but it was that wire ,I made a new one turned it over and it fired right up
 
My first thought was the ignition cable might be screwed in too far. It only needs 2 or 3 turns to be correct. It's easy to test. Just stop the engine with the points open, then turn the key on and check the movable points contact for voltage. If your test light lights up, then the cable should be OK. Now hand crank the engine until the points close, and test the movable contact again. Now the test light should not light because both contacts should be at ground potential. If the light comes on then the contacts need to be cleaned, or the distributor needs a better ground.
 
BTW, if the light comes on for one coil primary, but not the other, then turn the key off and see if it lights on both (as it should with the key off). Feel the coil, so you don't overheat it just in case some wire is shorted to ground and keeping the coil on full time.
 
Back
Top