neilfor

I have done an extensive search and I am unable to find an answer, please help!

I have an 86 N/A with a street port. My problem is that the car will not start. There is no spark. I tested the coil and they are within spec. I grounded the engine to the frame, the ECU to the frame. I am getting juice to the coil, but none out. I am getting fuel and airflow seems to be correct. I pulled the wire out of the coil and when I turn over teh engine there is no arc of electricity. I am at wits end. What could cause this problem. Please help.

I posted under general automotive, but I thought this would be my best bet.

HAILERS

The little white, two wire plug on the LEAD coil assy......you mean that there is no 12v approx at the black/yellow wire??????? Is there any voltage at the other wire????

neilfor

There is 12v to the black/yellow wire. There is power getting to the coils, I just dont know if it is getting out. The spark is intermittent. It iwll spark once out of every 10-15 times I try.

HAILERS

Wellllll, how about pulling the cas. Put your meter on the other wire that rests along side the black/yellow (I think its blue/yellow or green/yellow) and spin the cas with your fingers the same direction the engine spins it. You should see 5 volts come and go. Or just leave the little white plug connected up, pull the LEAD coil wires out and just rest them at the top of their holes, and spin the cas in the direction the engine rotates. Disclaimer: never done that myself, but see no reason the coil won't spark if its in working order.

Actually I think you've got spark and the problem lies elsewhere.

neilfor

I'll try that tonight, thanks. The reason I say I don't have spark is that I have pulled the wires off the plugs (left them on the coil) and turned the engine over with the wire on the frame. Both with and without a spark plug in the open end of the wire. I get no arc from the wire or plug to the frame. This is a wierd problem that has me stumped. Thanks for the input. Keep 'em comming. I even used the Mazda starting kit for 1.5 miles at 20mph.

HAILERS

Oh! The Mazda starting kit. The one that is applied to the rear of the car to make it go 20mph, then turn the key on and pop the clutch.

Tell you what. During lunch I'll pull the cas on my 87 and flip the cas and tell you what I see. If I put the lead wires just at the entrance to the coil holes, I should see sparky.

neilfor

You guessed it, except this time I pulled it behind a truck. I appreciate all of the help. Ft. Worth, you in the service?

HAILERS

Back from lunch. Yeah! You just gotta do this. Pull the cas. Lay the LEAD wires just out of their bores in the coil assy, leave the wires connected to the plugs. Turn the key to on. Flip the cas in a counterclockwise manner. Snap, crackle and pop. A blind man could tell the coils were firing. In fact one wire fell down off the coil and the spark whipped out of the hole to the case. Fun. Just keep your hand away from the coil assy.

I have a hunch your car will do the same. Must be either timing or fuel. When you put the cas back in I know you'll put the crankshaft pulley on the first mark, then align the marks on the bottom of the cas. One thing you need to do for sure is take the top off the cas and observe the teeth inside with some fixed point on the cas. Then stab the thing and rotate the body so the teeth and the fixed point you noted are aligned. Then cinch down the cas.

I think I'd buy a can of starter fluid, spray for a half second in the intake snorkel, and try to start the car. If it fires momentarily, then I'd suspect a fuel delivery problem. Do it a couple of times. I usually disconnect the fuel pump connector when doing this to avoid flooding, just in case the fuel system does work.

Service? Not now.Been there, done that US54357698

neilfor

Thanks a lot. I'll try that this evening and let you know if it works.