Since I have yet to get my Haynes service manual, I haven't tested my trailing ignitor. But instead...I unplugged it. Yes, the car started up and idled, just the same as it had when the ignitor was hooked up. We're talking absolutely no change in the way the car ran. That, coupled with my non functioning tach makes me about 95% that the ignitor is bad. What say you?

Thanks for all the advice, I'm slowly making headway on this car, and it all goes better with a cold one and the internet!! More questions to follow...

Phil
69 AMX
73 Charger
84 GS 12A

 

does that charger have a hemi,

I got to drive a black 67 rt (with the owner)

my favorite car since, nothing compares to that power. I swear to god that car twisted when I hit the gas.

 

i thought the trailing only fired under certain conditions.

not sure though...

To test them you hold a multimeter between the posi and neg. terminals. reading should be 1.35 ohms +/- 10%. I've personally been having a hard time getting any reading at all so make sure have good contact.

 

Have you guys seen that new commercial with the guys in the muscle car that pull up next to a truck with a trailer and a muscle car on the trailer? Its great. The car pulls up and one of the guys asks "hey, that thing got a Hemi?" The driver of the truck says "yep". They then proceed to race to the next light which is red, and the truck with trailer wins. The truck driver then says to the muscle car guys "oh, did you mean the car?" . Its an ad for the new Hemi they are producing in pickups...

~T.J.

PS - Something to that effect anyway

 

My Charger is a 73, no such luck as a Hemi. Just picked that up last month. It's a 318/AT/AC car, 80K original miles, in excellent shape except for the vinyl roof. It's my daily driver. Someday, a 440 will find it's way in there....as soon as I get this RX7 done!! I run my 69 AMX when I want to drive scarey fast.

 

The trailing fires all the time. The tach is hooked up to the trailing ignitor, so if it works while the trailing ignitor is plugged in, the ignitor is basically good. Also, try switching the ignitors and see if it runs then. If the trailing ignitor is bad, the car wont star/run/run well. Hope that helps.

~T.J.

 

Ok, let me clarify...The car will run as long as it has a good leading ignitor. That being said, put the trailing ignitor on the leading, and the leading ignitor on the trailing. Now try and start the car. If the trailing ignitor is bad, the car shouldnt start too easily (if at all), because the trailing ignitor is now scting as the leading. Damn it...Does that make sense ?

~T.J.

 

Rotomotordriver,

EXCELLENT tip, I did as you said and switched the ignitors. Car would not fire, but the tach would move while spinning the starter!! Switched them back, car fired right up, tach was DOA! Excellent, now I'm in search of an ignitor!! Thanks a bunch!

And yes, I've seen that Hemi commercial. That's my next truck. Then again, I might not need all that muscle to move my RX7 to the track!

 

My tach would always bump around on starting if the battery was very low, never fig'd that out.

 

The trailing only fires part time on 79/80 models. Also, that test doesn't work on the later model ignitors either. There's a different procedure described in the manual which entails hooking up a little test circuit.

BTW, good idea RotorMotorDriver

 

YES!! I officially helped someone, lol .

~T.J.