I got a starting problem. Started all of a sudden, well sort of. Yesterday I was messing around with fusible links, next morning the car was turning over but not starting. It was raining, and the main fusible link seemed tangled, i tried pulling it out but ripped it, decided it was it, got a ride to work. On the way back i got some fuses to replace fusible links with, replaced, still nothing. Figured maybe the car was flooded, tried popstarting, nothing. Then decided to check for spark, no spark :/

So: there's spark going into the distributor. The distributor is spinning (slowly, i don't know how fast it is supposed to spin), theres no spark coming out of the distributor. Tach is moving around when cranking. Cap seems decent, but distributor rotor points seem a little rusty, but i checked with a DMM and it theres connection between ignitor points and spark plug points on the rotor...

Weird that it lost spark all of a sudden....


btw, got a '85 GSL

 

Inspect cap+rotor, if cap is cracked or contacts worn badly then replace, if not clean off the contacts with some sandpaper. Dont forget the spark plugs/connections.

Corrosion is a weird thing, Ive had corroded battery terminals, and my car wouldnt start on humid days and some other conditions, weird stuff like that. I even was in the same boat as you until I found the leading coils contact was packed with that lovely green powder. Let me tell you, clean connections make a world of difference.

 

Replace the cap/rotor first. Then if you still don't have spark on the leading ignition you can start swapping parts around between the leading and trailing to identify the faulty component (coil and ignitor). That should get you pointed in the right direction...

 

what i'll do is go buy rotor + cap and a spark tester, because i think another possibility is spark being weak (so its not going far). Hopefully itll solve the problem.

Are there any brand preferences for cap + rotor? (from advance, autozone, pepboys?)

 

gp sorenson is a good aftermarket replacement.

 

how do you know its sparking? did you ground the spark plug wires?


It seems weak battery and flooded engine.

 

i checked spark 2 ways, one is holding the ignition wire near the dstributor, and checked the spark to the sparkplugs by holding the sparkplug wire near the distributor, or pulling the wire off the plug and putting another plug in to see if it sparks.

i tried it with a 50amp motor started/battery charger.

 

its flooded then.

 

Spark in and no spark out, if you're sure of your test method, indicates one thing. Cap and Rotor.

I think that's a thing you should have a spare of at all times anyhow.

Still, running without spark might mean it's flooded, so you could compound the problems. Deflood and start with ignition components again.

 

the rotor & distributor (gp sorenson) fixed the problem. Also, i poured some oil into the carb the night before (assuming it was flooded), the car started very rough, but after a ton of smoke, it sorted itself out.

thanks everyone!

 

great to hear! keep us upadated on your progress!