Crank No Start

[BBMK790]

Put the front suspension back together and got the car off jack stands. Now the car just cranks but wont start. I was running it every 3 days while on the jacks with no problems. I pulled a spark plug with wire and turned it over with them outside of the head and saw no spark. Though it was the coil on the distributor so I replaced it with no change in out come.

[91waggin]

Can't tell from your story there whether you did this or not, but in order to check for spark, you have to ground the body (threads) or the tip (the part you gap when putting new plugs in). If you just hold the plug with the wire attached, you won't see anything.

Is this the town coupe we're talking about? A CFI car? What's the ignition system on it?

[BBMK790]

HEI and Carb

Ive been reading up on the HEI I have. With the pro comp garbage thats on there, people have been complaining that theirs is brand new and their getting no spark. Turns out its the control module that goes bad real quick because its made in china junk. I think Im just going to replace it with somthing worth keeping.

[1987cp]

Problems with the cheapo HEIs? I hadn't heard that, though mine doesn't have much mileage on it yet, either. Thankfully, good replacement (Mallory or Goodwrench) modules are only ~$25 and cheap ones (Duralast) are just $10.

So you're certain your module has gone south? External wiring still correct? Guts are in good shape mechanically? (some folks've reported having Duraspark magnetic pickups crack and stop working, and a dead-in-the-water Ford 232 once turned out to have a broken rotor!)

[BBMK790]

Internals look good. I havent touched anything motor/electrical in months and the car ran fine anytime I started it. Now no spark from it sitting. Im not sure its the control module but its worth a try. I think Im going to buy one and see if it fixes it. If it does Im returing the module and buying a new distributor. Im not dumping money into a $30 distributor.

[1987cp]

Logical enough. Good luck!

[MattsLincoln]

could be the crank position sensor. replace that. you have EEC-III.

[1987cp]

Matt? He said he's using an aftermarket HEI. No EEC-III! No ding-blasted crank position sensor!

[91waggin]

could be the crank position sensor. replace that. you have EEC-III.

Um.

Nope.

Five posts above yours, I asked him whether he had a CFI car. Four posts above yours, he answered saying he had an HEI and carburetor setup. And if you're not sure, don't act like you are and tell people what's going on in such an authoritative tone. Instead, ask, and you'll probably get a nice friendly reply saying that what you said isn't the case. Act like a know-it-all, and you'll get flamed.

You know, I really didn't expect every single post you ever made to be worthy of following with a "herpderp" picture, but you're making it too easy! You should do less talking and more reading around here.

[BBMK790]

LOL great picture

[91waggin]

LOL great picture

I've got hundreds.

It seems like almost every post Matt makes I end up having to follow it with one of those.

[BBMK790]

If I have to go new I was thinking of mallory or msd. What should I be looking for in specs? Distributor gear material? I found a Mallory distributor for the 351w but at the bottom it said the rotation is counterclockwise? Maybe Im not remembering correctly but when I was cranking I thought it was going clock wise.

[gadget73]

I'd actually convert it back to Duraspark but thats just me. Not because I'm a purist, I just think that cap is big and chunky looking.

gear material depends on the cam. If its flat tappet, you want an iron gear. if its a roller cam, you need a steel gear.for a 302, 86+ are factory roller, 85- are flat tappet. 351's before 1994 or so are flat tappet. 351 and 302 distributors are not the same if you didn't already know that.

[1987cp]

Yep, pretty simple to get a 302 distributor for a 302 or a 351W distributor for a 351W. Reman Durasparks are about $95 at AutoZone and you get your choice of gear materials. You still have a wide choice of stock or aftermarket ignition options, too. DSII, Hi-6, and 6AL are just three popular choices. One disadvantage I know of with a DS distributor is ease of tuning - I gather that many aftermarket units allow you to easily alter the total advance with interchangable bushings, versus having to remove that annoying armature and hope the retaining clip lands where you can find it.

I ought to have a spare good 302 Duraspark body somewhere ... don't need it ATM since my cheapo HEI still worked last I tested it, though from your experience it's sounding like maybe I should consider keeping it for a spare.

[BBMK790]

This is one of the threads I was refering to about cheap distributors, in this case the pro comp I have.

http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-40247.html

If you do read through this, look at "IgnitionMan"s post.

If it didnt come with the car I wouldnt have dealt with it. Everything that company makes is 3rd world garbage. The machine shop my friend works at says people always bring in pro comp heads and they tell them to come back with something else. If they insist they usually pay 2000-2500 in labor for them to fix all the problems right out of the box. The owner jokes that they either have blind men casting the heads or children. Theres no tolerences involved.