One more no-spark thread.

[WTFestiva]

I've got a disty if you need to check it, but i've gotta make sure it's good. it'll take me a day or so to double check as its in storage.

[Ceramiccactus]

I've got a disty if you need to check it, but i've gotta make sure it's good. it'll take me a day or so to double check as its in storage.

Yes. That would be amazing.
Did you want to send me a PM for price?

[william]

If he doesn't I may have one but I would have to check I have a good efi festiva head if you want to change the rocker shafts later on as I believe that aspire rollers on a festiva cam can wair the lobes off. I can't believe the stl crew don't have a spair you can at least try. Tim, Tom and Dan I'm talking to you!

[Greywolf]

I have 2 detail questions:
1) If you line up your cam timing marks, are they on target? All of them, in the case of a twin cam especially.

2) Put a timing light on it and see what it says about spark timing (if anything)

It strikes me that what you are describing though is that spark is going into the distributor cap, and not ever being seen again... (HV side of the ignition, so the low voltage side is working)


Once you convince it (the spark) to pop back out of the distributor cap like a good little electrical gopher jumping from one hole to another we need to know what TIME it does it


* I know that sounds silly as hell, but believe it or not I have been an electronics tech since 1984

You know what? It could be something as simple as rotor end overlap failure. Ask yourself this:

From what you can see, when the plugs OUGHT to fire, is the end of the rotor anywhere near opposite a contact inside the distributor cap for a plug wire? A misalignment could mean the gap inside the cap is too far to jump!

*golden*
Line up crank timing marks. Pull strib cap, note position of rotor in relation to wire contacts

You DO NOT WANT spark timing to try to make a spark when the rotor end is BETWEEN cylinder terminals of the cap. This is a mechanical timing issue that could be caused by several things.

One I can think of is that if the distributor was ever installed a tooth off

[Greywolf]

"Is that if..."

Great, can I have another beer please?

[ryanprins13]

I have 2 detail questions:
1) If you line up your cam timing marks, are they on target? All of them, in the case of a twin cam especially.

2) Put a timing light on it and see what it says about spark timing (if anything)

It strikes me that what you are describing though is that spark is going into the distributor cap, and not ever being seen again... (HV side of the ignition, so the low voltage side is working)


Once you convince it (the spark) to pop back out of the distributor cap like a good little electrical gopher jumping from one hole to another we need to know what TIME it does it


* I know that sounds silly as hell, but believe it or not I have been an electronics tech since 1984

You know what? It could be something as simple as rotor end overlap failure. Ask yourself this:

From what you can see, when the plugs OUGHT to fire, is the end of the rotor anywhere near opposite a contact inside the distributor cap for a plug wire? A misalignment could mean the gap inside the cap is too far to jump!

*golden*
Line up crank timing marks. Pull strib cap, note position of rotor in relation to wire contacts

You DO NOT WANT spark timing to try to make a spark when the rotor end is BETWEEN cylinder terminals of the cap. This is a mechanical timing issue that could be caused by several things.

One I can think of is that if the distributor was ever installed a tooth off

He has a single cam b3. I had ruled out mechanical timing in my mind since this happened at 60mph sort of instantly and it never got spark after. But can the timing belt jump that many teeth at once and give a no spark condition?

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[ryanprins13]

If he doesn't I may have one but I would have to check I have a good efi festiva head if you want to change the rocker shafts later on as I believe that aspire rollers on a festiva cam can wair the lobes off. I can't believe the stl crew don't have a spair you can at least try. Tim, Tom and Dan I'm talking to you!

I asked a couple people about the rockers and the response was basically that swapping efi and carb rockers probably isnt the worst, but an aspire rocker on another cam will eventually wear and cause issues long term, not immediatly though.

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[william]

I asked a couple people about the rockers and the response was basically that swapping efi and carb rockers probably isnt the worst, but an aspire rocker on another cam will eventually wear and cause issues long term, not immediatly though.

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That's what I thought as well and didn't think it was part of his problem is why I said if you wanna swap it later on. I just can't see how if the coil is sparking and the rotor in the disty is moving how there's now spark but I've heard people say that if the icm is bad no spark will come out of the disty I'm just having a hard time figuring that out. And as wolf said about it sparking between the contacts I've had a b3 run 2 tooth out of timing by adjusting the disty but even when it wouldn't run I had spark.
Have you tried just the number 1 plug or have you checked more then one?

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[Ceramiccactus]

If he doesn't I may have one but I would have to check I have a good efi festiva head if you want to change the rocker shafts later on as I believe that aspire rollers on a festiva cam can wair the lobes off. I can't believe the stl crew don't have a spair you can at least try. Tim, Tom and Dan I'm talking to you!

I have a spare brand new festiva rocker arm without roller. If i used it I could have all 4 rockers the same. Should I switch it out?

[Ceramiccactus]

That's what I thought as well and didn't think it was part of his problem is why I said if you wanna swap it later on. I just can't see how if the coil is sparking and the rotor in the disty is moving how there's now spark but I've heard people say that if the icm is bad no spark will come out of the disty I'm just having a hard time figuring that out. And as wolf said about it sparking between the contacts I've had a b3 run 2 tooth out of timing by adjusting the disty but even when it wouldn't run I had spark.
Have you tried just the number 1 plug or have you checked more then one?

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I tried #3 also. I will check others once I get off from work.

[Ceramiccactus]

I have 2 detail questions:
1) If you line up your cam timing marks, are they on target? All of them, in the case of a twin cam especially.

2) Put a timing light on it and see what it says about spark timing (if anything)

It strikes me that what you are describing though is that spark is going into the distributor cap, and not ever being seen again... (HV side of the ignition, so the low voltage side is working)


Once you convince it (the spark) to pop back out of the distributor cap like a good little electrical gopher jumping from one hole to another we need to know what TIME it does it


* I know that sounds silly as hell, but believe it or not I have been an electronics tech since 1984

You know what? It could be something as simple as rotor end overlap failure. Ask yourself this:

From what you can see, when the plugs OUGHT to fire, is the end of the rotor anywhere near opposite a contact inside the distributor cap for a plug wire? A misalignment could mean the gap inside the cap is too far to jump!

*golden*
Line up crank timing marks. Pull strib cap, note position of rotor in relation to wire contacts

You DO NOT WANT spark timing to try to make a spark when the rotor end is BETWEEN cylinder terminals of the cap. This is a mechanical timing issue that could be caused by several things.

One I can think of is that if the distributor was ever installed a tooth off

Man, I really appreciate the help. This is above my head though, unfortunately. I don't have a timing light, never have messed with timing and not sure at all how to mark and tune distributor. I will have to do some serious research.
My idea was to just put in a new distributor. Worst case scenario I order one from a parts store new.

Sincere thanks to all of you guys.

[bravekozak]

Again, the goal is to put the same distributor, or a new distributor back into the same position as when you removed it.
You make a mark with a magic marker or something bright on the distributor to show where the rotor is pointing. Make another mark on the distributor housing to show where the bolts are supposed to be aligned.

[TominMO]

I tried #3 also. I will check others once I get off from work.

Where in STL are you? I probably have one or two spare Festiva distys I could bring over, if we can coordinate a good time.

[tooldude]

The distributor is not bad or there would be no spark (or it would be intermittent). More likely, the total resistance in the path from the coil tower back to ground is too high for the available spark energy or else it is escaping to ground ahead of the plugs. One easy test is to make a good connection from the engine to the NEGATIVE battery terminal. Check condition of spark plugs & gaps, coil & plug wires, & for proper spark plug numbers. Assuming the rotor has not made a dramatic shift or crack.

[ryanprins13]

The distributor is not bad or there would be no spark (or it would be intermittent). More likely, the total resistance in the path from the coil tower back to ground is too high for the available spark energy or else it is escaping to ground ahead of the plugs. One easy test is to make a good connection from the engine to the NEGATIVE battery terminal. Check condition of spark plugs & gaps, coil & plug wires, & for proper spark plug numbers. Assuming the rotor has not made a dramatic shift or crack.

I had spark from the coil when mine went bad....

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