2F Ignition updgrade

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You need another set of hands. Offer them beer. It usually works.

While someone turns the truck over, hold a spark plug connected to a spark plug wire, about 1/2" from a ground - feel free to wear a heavy rubber glove - and see it you can jump a spark from a NEW, CLEAN, properly gapped plug to the frame / ground / chassis.

If you don't have a wicked cool spark - back up and time to check the coil and the dizzy.
 
Set your points...turn the key...it will probably start.

If the points are not opening a new cap and rotor will do nothing for this situation.

John
 
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Not fully firing or intermittently firing incomplete burning of fuel ... Oil... Both ...

You have ignition issues... That's probably the reason :meh:
 
As Johnny said^^^

You have ignition issues. I agree that the points need to be checked, cleaned, gaped and make sure once it is running again to check the dwell angle. Please keep in mind that after 40+ years of reliable operation ignition components have a tendency to fail unexpectedly.

I would recommend the following:

1. Replace ignition wires to spark plugs and main to coil
2. Replace cap and rotor
3. Replace points if cleaning doesn't help
4. Clean all connections to the ignition coil to the point where there's no more rust
5. Replace any rusty connectors and wires
6. The ignition coil may have also reached its life expectancy but can be tested for proper spark range

Electrical connections are in sad shape
IMG_20150607_133813246_HDR_zpsduxn7mre.jpg



Clean all connection points till all rust has been removed
The ignition resister may need to be replaced as well
IMG_20150607_133805150_zpsqefycvh5.jpg



This spark plug condition is crazy bad, the anode and cathode are fused and the anode is half gone and also fouled pretty bad.
It could be that the ignitor/coil/wires have reached their life expectancy
IMG_20150607_123311646_zpsgsrghkoj.jpg
 
Usually when something goes wrong, it's one thing that has gone wrong.
Everybody seems to want to go changing everything instead of thinking it through.
When you start changing things willy nilly, you introduce new uncertainties (you could get a new BAD cap or wires) and now when you fix the original problem, it still won't start.
Start by looking for things that could cause your problem.
Your Distributor cap, plugs, wires look like crap but they aren't going to cause it to not spark at all. Fix your problem first, THEN change them out.
Lack of voltage will cause your problem. Points that don't open will cause your problem.
Points that gradually worked their way closed will cause weak spark and spark plug fouling (as you have seen) and then fail to spark at all (as you have seen).
Check the friggin points! :bang:
 
^^ This. If out of your comfort level, no worries, take it to some old greasy , geezer shop and have them do it. All of your symtems are very common to old school trucks like ours. Points systems are cheap and easily replaced. As mentioned before, just cleaning all of those rusty connections will familiarize you to what goes where and make you feel great when you hit the ignition and she purrs like a kitten. :beer:
 
The points are next on the list. ran out of time yesterday.

I have not gone the route of throwing parts at it. That's the last thing I want to do. Once I took the spark plugs out, I knew they needed replacing, so I went ahead and did that, just to check. Had to be done regardless. Nothing will be changed willy nilly.

I wanted to get a new cap and rotor and spark plug wires on it yesterday as well, seeing that I don't know how old the current parts are, but no one in my area had them in stock, so no go there.

Not out of my comfort level, just have never had the great opportunity to work with points.

The only reason I was slightly stumped was the crazy bad condition of the spark plugs (but it still ran, up until the day it didn't)
 
Ok. You're not changing parts willy nilly, just the plugs, cap, rotor, plug wires....:)

Here's some advice from an old engineer that's spent a lifetime finding and fixing problems. This is just logic and applies to almost everything-not just cars.

If you have something that works, and you change a few things and suddenly it doesn't work, at least you know that the problem is one of the things you changed. That's pretty easy to figure out.

If you have something that DOESN'T work and you change out few things, Murphy's law says that there'll be something wrong with one of the things you changed (or the way you installed it). Now the thing still doesn't work and you've got two problems-both of which cause it to not work- but worse, you think you've only got the one original problem. This is 100x harder to debug. I can't tell you how many NEW bad or incompatible caps, rotors, wires, I've seen. If you think that the problem might be the cap or rotor, sure go ahead and try them one at a time, and if it doesn't work, put the old one back on and try something else. Once you've got it working, go ahead and replace anything you want. Now if it stops working, at least you know what the problem is.

Good luck.
 
No willy nilly here.....all I've done is replace the plugs, which had to be done regardless.

And new wires, due to the fact that I pulled 2 or the wires apart trying to get them off the plugs. So a new wire set is needed regardless.

As for the cap and rotor, the rotor looks well worn, the cap is the same age, and there is no need to put old parts back on (of unknown age) while they have to come off for this anyways. I'll get it running on the old cap and rotor (hopefully) and then change the cap and rotor to baseline the parts. I've not even bought the new parts yet.

I hope to get some time today to investigate further.
 
"plugs, cap, rotor, plug wires" this is general tune up stuff... wouldnt call that willy nilly ... unless you bought your stuff from these guys: http://willynillytrading.com/ LOL :)

yearly you should clean (using points file) and adjust the points... replace every 20K or so

when was the last you adjusted or replaced/cleaned the points?
 
Jesus man...all this talk and no action. Set the points already.

If that doesn't get you started, then...and only then...can we point you in the right direction.

John
 
Pin_Head said:
Here is a little tip for turning the engine while trying to set the point gap:

Put a wrench on the alternator pulley nut. With the other hand, push down hard on the alternator belt to increase the tension. Move the wrench either way to turn the engine.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thanks, will do.

I know all talk, but was just responding to questions/concerns. Hard to get time to work on it. It broke down in a friends apartment parking lot, so I have to drive to get to it, along with life's other necessities and work.

I have never looked at or adjusted the points.

That will be the very first thing I do when I work on it (after replacing the busted spark plug wires)

Once the points are checked and all electrical connections cleaned, then I will report back with findings.
 
Understood that this is the 1st time you've adjusted points. Don't worry, it's dead simple.

Pin gave a good tip in his post #33. Then follow edwjmcgrath's post # 15 and you will be able to walk right thru it.

One tip: after you set your points...don't do anything else except put the dist cap back on and then turn the key. If it was your points, it will start. Right now that's all you should be concentrating on...starting the engine.

You're not doing a tune up right now. It was working, then all of a sudden it wasn't working. Ok to replace a broken spark plug wire, but don't do anything else. If it was the points causing your prob, resetting them & turning the key will start the engine. Then and only then should you move on to other items.

One thing at a time, test your results and move to the next thing.

John
 
onemanarmy said:
Awesome. Thanks, will do.

I know all talk, but was just responding to questions/concerns. Hard to get time to work on it. It broke down in a friends apartment parking lot, so I have to drive to get to it, along with life's other necessities and work.

I have never looked at or adjusted the points.

That will be the very first thing I do when I work on it (after replacing the busted spark plug wires)

Once the points are checked and all electrical connections cleaned, then I will report back with findings.
Click to expand...


Here are couple of helpful videos, I hope they will help you.



 
You've got a fair amount of corossion on every connection I see there. If there are any voltage drops across the primary (low voltage) side those those will multiply them selves to the secondary (high side) of the coil.
 
Thanks for the vids, I learned something.

Checked the points just now....they open just enough to let a business card slide between, and close when on the low point of the cam.

Have 12V at lead to dist. Cap with key on. Plugs are new, that's it.

Is there a 'condenser?'. Can it be bad? If I'm getting 12V at distributor, is it possible that the ignitor that sits on top of the coil is bad?

Working on it as we speak.

Pic below is points open .
 
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