Won't fire!!

[Tynee]

Originally Posted by Damien

If you did not have spark, It would not have mattered if the engine was flooded. You probably have a bad module.

It's not unheard of, from my understanding, for a module to go out, then start again, then the next time you need it, no go again.

Assuming this is an HEI, the next time it won't start, I'd do the spark plug thing again. If you don't have fire at the plug (which I expect you won't), I'd check for 12 volts at the wire that plugs into the driver's (probably) side of the distributor cap, terminal labeled BATT. You will have 12Volts at that wire any time the key is on. If you don't have 12V there, you have issues getting power to the distributor: fuse, broken wire, bad ground, bad ignition switch are all possibilities. You'll have to keep chasing it back through the circuit until you find the bad component.

If you DO have 12V at the BATT terminal, then your problem is inside the distributor. The module is the most common, it is a flat black electronic looking deal about half the size of a deck of cards. Two screw secure it to the distributor base once you've removed the cap and the rotor. It can be tested by most of the chain autoparts stores, I think. I know O'Reilly did it here. This is NOT the most accurate test, from what I've heard. If it tests bad, then that sounds like good reason to purchase a replacement for it.

If it tests good, then I'd check two other components before replacing the module. You have a coil, and you have a coil pickup. The coil takes the 12V from you battery or alternator, and steps it up to the 50,000V (I think) at the spark plug. The coil pickup, as I understand it, senses the rotation of the shaft of the distibutor, and tells the coil when to discharge a spark through the rotor into each contact on the cap. I may be misunderstanding one or both of these parts, I'm sure someone will straighten me out.

Unfortunately, we have reached the end of my knowledge of trouble-shooting an HEI distributor. I don't know any way to know for sure if the coil or the pickup are bad other than replacing one at a time, which isn't the cheapest option.

Good luck, and I hope it was just flooded, and never comes to this troubleshooting scenario for you, as it did for me.