3rd failed ignition module?

[FB71]

for you guys who are running with the condenser removed, do your radios still work due to the dreaded "radio suppression" or do have a walkman?

nearly all modern radios have internal noise suppression circuits that are redundant to the ignition noise suppressor. Digital tuners that can differentiate between a legimate signal and background noise are wonderful things! Oh, and an old Walkman would be MORE suseptable to EMF than the car's radio...

[jmye1524]

Jim...Matt...Pu241...We appreciate your help.

[FB71]

You've got them! I have a disty coming to me tomorrow, and I will get a coil while I am there. If you want them for some kind of study, I would be more than happy to donate them to you for diagnosis! I just don't want to kill another one... this whole new (refurbished) disty just cost me $150! I am not going to shell that out repeatedly!

Have not checked the ground strap... not really sure what you are referring to.

I'll be glad to retun the components to you, if you desire. Either is fine with me.

Its a black wire the runs from the right strut tower to the back of the cylinder head. If that is missing, damaged or corroded, it can cause module failure. The ground circuit of the module would have to carry some of the secondary voltage back to the coil.

Also check the ground wires on the transmission for damage or corrosion.

[FB71]

Jim...We appreciate your help.

thanks! glad to do it! That's one of the big reasons we're all here!

[FB71]

Jim...Matt...Pu241...We appreciate your help.

absolutely! We're all just relaying the best info we each have!

[Pu241]

nearly all modern radios have internal noise suppression circuits that are redundant to the ignition noise suppressor. Digital tuners that can differentiate between a legimate signal and background noise are wonderful things! Oh, and an old Walkman would be MORE suseptable to EMF than the car's radio...

Didn't some one else say that in this thread?

Thanks Jim, your explanation helped me better understand something I though I understood.

So most of the RF interference from the ignition system is a result of the collapse of the electric field across the primary winding with the resulting reverse polarity pulse generating low level RF emissions. So how much, if any, RF is a result of the high voltage arcing across the rotor cap gap?

[Festy46]

I might as well stick my two cents in here. Have you ever taken the "bad" module out and then put it back in to see if it would then work? The wires that go into the distributor have a sharp bend right at the edge of the distributor housing and I have seen the insulation crack there. It's possible that you are getting a short there and every time you replace a module you "disturb" the short and for a while it works fine. Then the vibration of the car jiggles the wire until it can again cause a short.

[FB71]

I might as well stick my two cents in here. Have you ever taken the "bad" module out and then put it back in to see if it would then work? The wires that go into the distributor have a sharp bend right at the edge of the distributor housing and I have seen the insulation crack there. It's possible that you are getting a short there and every time you replace a module you "disturb" the short and for a while it works fine. Then the vibration of the car jiggles the wire until it can again cause a short.

very good point.

[zoe60]

Did you use silicone grease? They overheat and die if you don't.

[skinnypin]

i had a very similar problema and it turned out to be a fusible link under the hood. i would check that out. could just be a corroded connected or rusted. it will kick in and out and that could cause the car to bog down.

[doylerl]

. It's possible that you are getting a short there and every time you replace a module you "disturb" the short and for a while it works fine.

Never thought about that, but I just installed my new (refurbished) disty in, and still nothing. Keep in mind this thing is supposed to be brought back to "new" condition and tested before sending it to the customer. Now I have NO movement on my tach, where as before it was just slightly moving!

Did you use silicone grease? They overheat and die if you don't.

I have put the silicone heat sinc paste on the back of every one of them I have had. The new (refurbished) disty didn't have it, so I removed it and added it before installing.

i had a very similar problema and it turned out to be a fusible link under the hood. i would check that out. could just be a corroded connected or rusted. it will kick in and out and that could cause the car to bog down.

I am assuming you are talking about the wire type on the drivers side strut tower? If so, I have replaced them all with the actual fuse type.

Good ideas everyone... keep them coming. I am getting ready to upload some pictures of the engine bay so maybe someone may see something I might be missing.

[doylerl]

Coil: (the red wire attached is for my tach)

Disty: (what is the blue wire that comes off of the disy harness?)

Driver's side firewall:

Looking down at the transmission:

The "ground strap" where it connects to the strut tower:

Where the "ground strap" connects to the engine:

Passenger side firewall:

This is a better picture of the blue wire I was talking about (also, what is the white block with wires going in and out of it):



EDIT:
The coil in the picture is the old one. I just opened the new one and printed on it is
"12V
External Resistor Required"
Do I need a resistor or is it ok to hook this one up as is? The part # is E504P. It is a BWD coil from advance auto.

[Festy46]

Never thought about that, but I just installed my new (refurbished) disty in, and still nothing. Keep in mind this thing is supposed to be brought back to "new" condition and tested before sending it to the customer. Now I have NO movement on my tach, where as before it was just slightly moving!

Try doing what I have described on one of your pictures. If this works and the car runs, you will need to remove the jumper wire to stop the car. Then find out why you are not getting any power from the ignition.

[FB71]

this is starting to sound more like a bad ignition switch...

[doylerl]

Just jumped it as according to the photo. Still no movement of the tach needle and no start!