need advice

[pbiggs]

i have an 1989 festiva L, 4 speed ,carb,thats it.car won't start,turns over and has spark but very,very weak.i have replaced distributor 3 times,coil twice,plugs,wires,cap,rotor,wire harness to dist. fuse link,you name it i have repaired or replaced it numerous times.still only getting a very faint spark,and that is even right out the top of the coil.i have 12 volts from the key in the run position to the coil but a very weak spark from the coil.yes its the third distributor with new module three different ones all new! is there a way to test the computer? could that even be it? i am getting some spark but not enough to fire it.

[FestYboy]

check your grounds, they have to be clean. weak spark with known good parts means either a power or ground issue.
what plugs are you using, and are you using a new coil? no need to fuss with the distro anymore, if you have a signal to make the coil throw a spark, then the distro is good.
also, double check your plug wires are in the right order.

[pbiggs]

well i checked everything,took all grounds apart and cleaned,checked wires everywhere.i have 12 volts to the coil,but still just a really faint spark coming out of the coil.can't find out what is robbing the power.anyone have any more ideas?

[pbiggs]

anyone?

[Pu241]

pbiggs,
This part of the reason we put our location in our profile.
Someone maybe very close and could drop by to lend a hand.

FestYboy,
I'm thinking weak battery!

I would think with a good battery we should be getting more than 12.0 volts at the coil input!
You have also changed or checked what I would consider prime suspects!
If you have another known good battery try swapping it!

[pbiggs]

i'll try that,thank you. oh i'm in maine,i will add that .

[Pu241]

I was born in Maine!
What city/town you in?

[lessersivad]

Well I'm gonna throw something in to the ring....Try jump starting it. If that doesn't give enough then you may try changing the starter or at the very least make sure it has a real good ground. I know you said the it turns over but I had the same thing happen on a car a long time ago. Tried different battery, coil, points, (yes it was THAT old,LOL), condenser, rotor, cap, wires, plugs....still had weak spark. Finally sold it in non running condition. I saw the guy a few years ago and he told me he finally junked it because of rust. He told me the first thing he did was change the starter and it fired right up. Had the old one tested even tho it turned over it was drawing way more amps then it should.
Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps.

[FestYboy]

replace coil... Pu241, even a weak batt can still generate enough juice for a spark (~500mJ of energy) if there's a weak spark at the plug and 12v at the coil's primary circuit, it's somewhere in the coil (provided everything else checks good)

[pbiggs]

i took the same coil,put it in my pickup and it ran fine.i do have 12 volts to the coil,and i have been testing for spark right out of the center coil wire,its there ,just not much.i will look at the starter next.i have made coils throw a 2 inch blue spark before ,i can't figure this one out! is it possible that i have a wire backwards between the distrbutor and coil? i checked everything over and over,followed the wireing pics in my manual.this is about as basic an engine as you can get, thats what makes me mad the most.i live in harrison,about 1 hr. north of portland,north end of long lake,15 minutes from shawnee peak ski mtn. thanks to all for replies.

[FestYboy]

well then if it works in your truck, then the secondary voltage is good. so how is it that there's poor secondary in your festy? Me thinks that this might be better answered by Jim D. I'll also consult my master techs at work monday.

[FB71]

ok, coil works in another vehicle, not the problem.

Question: are you checking the spark at the end of the coil wire, or right at the coil tower? It's possible you have a bad coil wire.

If the spark is weak at the coil tower, this tells me you have a primary circuit issue.
You say you have 12v at the positive terminal of coil with the key on, but is this with the engine running/cranking? If the voltage to the coil drops with the engine running/cranking, then you have excessive resistance in the primary circuit.

Don't forget to have a battery charger hooked up during your tests.

If the available voltage to the coil is low during cranking/running, run a jumper wire from the battery to the coil positive and check the spark again. It should be stronger.

If the voltage to the coil is good, or the jumper makes no difference, there is most likely still a grounding issue. Is the ground strap from the block to the strut tower (passenger side) in place and in good condition? Another check you can do is to run a jumper from the cylinder head near the distributor ( or the dizzy itself) to the ground side of the battery. If there is a ground problem in the harness, this will bypass it, and give you a good spark.

In any case, your issue is definately high resistance in the primary circuit (12v side), or a bad coil wire.

[FB71]

my bad, I just saw you said that spark is weak right at the tower. Disregard coil wire. This is a high primary circuit resistance issue.

If it's found to be on the positive side, it could be the keyswitch. The older cars are starting to show some issues with the keyswitches.

[FestYboy]

Alan (my master Tech) was thinking a dwell issue (even thought it's electronic, i know)or possibly the ground side of the ign modual still being somewhat grounded when the ground is supposed to be released (thus collapsing the field into the secondary circuit).

pull your cap and rotor and the cover that's underneath and clean the insides out with brake clean. the distro seals are known for leaking and causing spark loss and other issues.