Ignitor or coil or ????

[Pin_Head]

The distributor pickup sounds OK.

The wiring of the ignitor looks strange. There is no ballast resistor. I only see one puny white wire connected to the coil+ and I would expect to see the larger black w/yellow stripe key on ignition wire connect there along with the ignitor red wire and the smaller black/yellow ballast resistor bypass wire. The schematic shows that they still used ballast resistors and the bypass wire in '78.

At some point aroung 78-79 they switched to a resistor type ignition wire rather than an external resistor, but it works the same. If you use a non-resistor type coil with a resistor, then the voltage may be to low to fire. You might try hot wiring the + side of the coil and ignitor directly to the battery + and see if it runs to rule this out.

 

[Vicm]

The distributor pickup sounds OK.

The wiring of the ignitor looks strange. There is no ballast resistor. I only see one puny white wire connected to the coil+ and I would expect to see the larger black w/yellow stripe key on ignition wire connect there along with the ignitor red wire and the smaller black/yellow ballast resistor bypass wire. The schematic shows that they still used ballast resistors and the bypass wire in '78.

At some point aroung 78-79 they switched to a resistor type ignition wire rather than an external resistor, but it works the same. If you use a non-resistor type coil with a resistor, then the voltage may be to low to fire. You might try hot wiring the + side of the coil and ignitor directly to the battery + and see if it runs to rule this out.

Pin_head, If you look at the first pic and assuming the coil is installed in stock orintation, it seems to me he has the wire from the ignition going to the - terminal of the coil .
Anyway it could be just my eyes.
From the 2 wire ignition connector . One wire goes to the igniter and the other goes to the + terminal of the coil.
The wire from - terminal of the coil goes to the igniter.
The 3 wire connector to the distributor,
The green wire goes to the body of the distributor and the other 2 go to the pickup coil inside the distributor.
It is worth rechecking your wiring.

 

[FJ40Jim]

There is a resistor wire used in USA electronic ignition trucks from the beginning up through 7/80.

Not sure if canada trucks, like what VicM is seeing, use the resistor wire. They do use a 3-wire connector to the canadian distributor, instead of 2 wire on USA. The 3rd wire is noise suppression.

When the finned aluminum ignitor came out in the 81 model year, the resistor was finally done away with.

Some wire schematics are wrong with respect to the ballast bypass terminal on the starter. Ballast bypass moves into the emissions computer on 79-80 models. The ECM bypass is shown on the 79-80 wiring diagram, but some diagrams still show the starter bypass terminal, though it actually disappears from 79-newer trucks.

With the 81-newer ignitor w/ variable dwell, the resistor wire goes away altogether.

Gotta go, the dishwasher is leaking on the kitchen floor...

 

[gibgoaz8]

ignitor, coil, ???

To all of those that have helped me. THANKS. I think I am about to narrow the problem down. Did some checking this afternoon. Let me know what you think.

Got 164.6 ohms from pick up coil on the two prong connnector going to distributor.

Primary and Secondary ohm readings of coil are within range.

Wiring from ignition goes to + side of coil and - side of coil goes to igniter.

Checked firing on coil with HT wire removed from coil while turning over motor with ignition switch. There was a strong, steady spark from the HT wire to the coil while motor was turning over. Also while doing this, there was a popping sound coming from the carbeurator like it was out of time or I had the wiring wrong, but I have checked all of the wiring and timing and it is fine. So, don't know what was causing this.

Checked all grounds and they are all good.

So, it sounds like to me that I have an ignitor problem unless you fellows see something else that I am missing. If you have any other ideas, please let me know.

I cannot begin to tell all you fellows how much I appreciate your help. I am a rookie to you and a complete stranger and you all have come to my aid and I really do appreciate it.

Also, if you agree that it is the ignitor, do you know of where I can get one at a reasonable price. Used and workable would be fine. I am a disabled veteran of the Vietnam war and living on disability from the VA and don't have a lot of money after monthly expenses. Love to squirrel hunt and the cruiser and my trailer get me and my 4 wheeler back where I want to go. Any further advice or help will be greatly appreciated as usual.

 

[FJ40Jim]

If it makes a spark, then the problem is not the ignitor.

Test for spark at end of coil wire. OK?
Test for spark at end of a couple plug wires. OK?
Check plugs for fouling. OK?

Ignition is working. Problem is mechanical or fuel.

PS: where are you located?

 

[gibgoaz8]

FJ40Jim: Thanks for the quick reply. I don't have any experience with an electronic system. I did not know that if I got a good steady spark from the end of the HT cable to the coil that this proved that the ignitor was bad. I thought it only proved that the coil was good. Thanks so much for this information. I will do the other checks that you mentioned tomorrow. Spark plugs are new so they should not be the problem. Sure would be nice if I only had a bad HT wire from the coil to the distributor cap.

I am located in Gordon, Ga., which is about 125 miles south of Atlanta.

Thanks so much for the information and I will do the checks tomorrow and let you know. Thanks.

 

[gibgoaz8]

FJ40Jim: Sorry, I made a misquote in my post to you. Meant to say that if I got a good steady spark at the coil to HT wire it meant that the ignitor for GOOD. I said bad in my last post to you. Thanks

 

[FJ40Jim]

The coil wire may be failed. It usually fails (burns up) before the plug wires because it conduct 6X the spark of any plug wire.

The dissy is probably good. IIRC, the pickup is supposed to be in the 180 ohm range. When the dissy pickup fails, it usually fails by going high on resistance, or open circuit. Problem is exacerbated by high underhood temps like found on an FWD Celica or camry.

The parts store coil and plug wires are a little suspect. I have heard that some generic coils won't play nice w/ the electronic ignitor. Maybe the ignitor overdrives the coil and fries it, I dunno. A new OEM coil and set of wires would be an excellent investment in any case. The OE plug wires are very high quality and will last for the life of the truck.

BTW, you can edit your previous posts on the forum by logging in, and then click the "edit" button at the bottom of your posts.