Builds We will name him Brutus. (19 Viewers)

[RUSH55]

Did you set the valves?
Can you verify the rotor is pointing at the #1 spark plug position on the cap when #1 piston is at TDC?
Are you certain that the points are gapped properly?
Can you then verify that it’s getting spark and fuel?
This is as simple as it gets - if you have fuel and spark, it should fire. If not and you feel you’re out of options, you should at least get another couple pairs of eyes on the situation who might see something you’re missing, and if not, load it up and take it to a shop.

 

[BoomerUZ]

Did you set the valves?
Can you verify the rotor is pointing at the #1 spark plug position on the cap when #1 piston is at TDC?
Are you certain that the points are gapped properly?
Can you then verify that it’s getting spark and fuel?
This is as simple as it gets - if you have fuel and spark, it should fire. If not and you feel you’re out of options, you should at least get another couple pairs of eyes on the situation who might see something you’re missing, and if not, load it up and take it to a shop.

points are gapped to 0.018 as the manual posted prior shows. Fuel definitely in cylinders. Timing is verified. The sparks the issue currently. Which is only one of the several issues I believe it was having when it was running. We went from spotty spark, to weak/non existent. Hopefully the pertronix gives me solid spark to all 6 and I can keep chasing that, but at the point I am theres nothing else to check. its not coming out of the cap to the wire. which means points or rotor. Rotor was swapped from the old to new and back to old with no change. The lack of resistor on the coil could have burned up the points according to the manual posted prior. Points I can get locally but nobody has a condenser for them so going pertronix is helping future proof it.


also forgot to mention I did try removing the vacuum advance line and blocking that off which also made no change.

 

[archie73]

but we verified timing. and compression. and fuel pressure to the carb. and valve lash. and distributor grounding. and coil. I have fuel to the cylinders. spark is inconsistent. The efi has a whole new distributor so if the issue is in the distributor, it will go away. The fundamentals being air, fuel, compression, spark. I have air, I have compression, I have fuel, spark isnt doing good. The EFI kit gives me all new reliable spark and fuel.

If they made a megasquirt/microsquirt for this engine I could easily have that tell me exactly what the issue is but unfortunately I dont have that option. I have tried all the things suggested and its still in the exact same condition it was prior but with new parts on it. Still doesnt run. I am doing everything suggested, as well as trying other things. Ive pulled timing, ive added timing - no luck. Ive loaded the carb, just floods and chugs turning over but wont actually fire and stop relying on the starter spinning. tightened plug gap, nothing. tried putting all the old cap/rotor/wires back on and no luck. I am not disregarding the advise by any means but im also just spinning my wheels in place.

Even a modern LS/3UR won’t tell you everything that’s wrong with an engine. More so it’ll tell you about the perimeters it already programmed( and that’s a lot), but a certain amount of trouble shooting is still necessary.

Case in point, my 2008 tundra (3ur) has an intermittent no start. It’ll crank, but no start. I’ve replaced the fuel pump, relays and maf sensors(fuel air spark). Better but it still has issues. Never throws a code…

 

[BoomerUZ]

Even a modern LS/3UR won’t tell you everything that’s wrong with an engine. More so it’ll tell you about the perimeters it already programmed( and that’s a lot), but a certain amount of trouble shooting is still necessary.

Case in point, my 2008 tundra (3ur) has an intermittent no start. It’ll crank, but no start. I’ve replaced the fuel pump, relays and maf sensors(fuel air spark). Better but it still has issues. Never throws a code…

If you had access to tech stream you could, we can tell everything with that. It's how we denied the warranty on a transfer case because we determined the vehicle was in 8th gear WOT when they engaged 4wd. time stamps with every parameter possible.

As I could do with megasquirt. I've tuned a bunch of them, they are extremely easy and tell me every little thing I need to know.

Tech is where I have no trouble at all. When I started in the auto world it was as an electrical diag tech for Mercedes. And only went deeper from then lol that's why this old biz is more difficult for me

 

[trainbufftony]

I couldn't make a toyota condenser work and ended up using one meant for a Ford tractor because that's what was laying around.
Works great.
Pertronix works great too, but if you can't diagnose a points system then you're building on a foundation of sand...

 

[RUSH55]

Are you losing power or ground anywhere to the diz?

 

[bobm]

Final and last entry . You have compression, you have fuel, you have air. You don't have ️!! If ya dont have ️ your $1,000+ dollar EFI ain't gonna do ! Might as well pull da ****ing Boat anchor and put in one of dem Megajuicy , Minisquirt MOFO engines wit a puter and you be good . No sense in spending $20.00 on a set of points

 

[BoomerUZ]

Are you losing power or ground anywhere to the diz?

Final and last entry . You have compression, you have fuel, you have air. You don't have ️!! If ya dont have ️ your $1,000+ dollar EFI ain't gonna do ! Might as well pull da ****ing Boat anchor and put in one of dem Megajuicy , Minisquirt MOFO engines wit a puter and you be good . No sense in spending $20.00 on a set of points

the efi kits replace the spark side too though? and then I click a button on the laptop and its going to spark upside down, backwards, underwater, no matter what

 

[Pighead]

We went from spotty spark, to weak/non existent.

I sure hope the Pertronix ignitor fixes your problem and we can move on. I ran a Pertronix for many trouble-free years before I got the Big Cap dizzy. What voltage does your battery show? Is it on a charger where it is?

 

[BoomerUZ]

I sure hope the Pertronix ignitor fixes your problem and we can move on. I ran a Pertronix for many trouble-free years before I got the Big Cap dizzy. What voltage does your battery show? Is it on a charger where it is?

I agree to that. Battery is doing good, its brand new and im keeping it topped up

 

[PabloCruise]

The lack of resistor on the coil could have burned up the points according to the manual posted prior. Points I can get locally but nobody has a condenser for them so going pertronix is helping future proof it.

How do the point surfaces look?
They can be cleaned up, yes?
Point were a little before my time, I do not have experience with them.
I hope you can get a new set of points and a condenser, and a proper resistor for your coil.
Those seem like important ingredients to me!

 

[PabloCruise]

If you had access to tech stream you could, we can tell everything with that. It's how we denied the warranty on a transfer case because we determined the vehicle was in 8th gear WOT when they engaged 4wd. time stamps with every parameter possible.

Wow, imagine what will happen when the insurance companies cough up enough money to get that info from the manufacturers!

First it will denied warranty, then no more coverage!

 

[PabloCruise]

Tech is where I have no trouble at all. When I started in the auto world it was as an electrical diag tech for Mercedes. And only went deeper from then lol that's why this old biz is more difficult for me

You will be much better off for learning this. I am sure at the end of the day it will be something ridiculous...

 

[RUSH55]

I always had better luck adjusting points by using a dwell meter, rather than feeler gauges.
Set the points first, then timing, then carb.

 

[BoomerUZ]

How do the point surfaces look?
They can be cleaned up, yes?
Point were a little before my time, I do not have experience with them.
I hope you can get a new set of points and a condenser, and a proper resistor for your coil.
Those seem like important ingredients to me!

I did file the points a little to get a fresh surface on em and still no dice. Locally to me none of the points parts are available without ordering them in, so I figured if I had to order it in anyway why not get the pertronix thing. I did replace the coil with the proper one though and that didnt really do anything, but then again it wont if the condenser is shot. so its a bunch of running in circles until parts arrive

 

[RUSH55]

 

[BoomerUZ]

And thats exactly why my weekend looked more like this than under the hood of this dang thing

 

[trainbufftony]

I had a similar problem going on and it ended up being the ballast resistor.
The rivets that held the wires to it were corroded and loose. It worked most of the time or until it got damp. It's got to be low resistance steady, (not changing on the meter)
Other thing.
My dad, he used a trenching machine from the 1940s to make his living trenching foundation footings.
The machine worked great and is still a 6v machine.
He replaced the full set points condenser cap rotor, every 6 months or whenever the machine was hard to start. It's simply a cost of doing business.
When these cars were designed it was common to take er in every year or so for a tune up. Now you get to do that yourself.
Go ahead and buy the pertronix, but realize that you haven't diagnosed anything. So whatever problem you're having with your ignition is likely still going to be there after you change to the pertronix pickup.
Pertronix just replaces the points, so if your points are not the source of the weak spark, you'll still need to figure out what is...
Not going to fix a flakey balast resistor, carbon tracked cap, improperly gapped plugs, failed wires, musadjusted valves or an engine with no compression. If you've got the plug wires going to the wrong holes, it's not going to fix that either, so get out the book and check fundamentals.

 

[archie73]

If you had access to tech stream you could, we can tell everything with that. It's how we denied the warranty on a transfer case because we determined the vehicle was in 8th gear WOT when they engaged 4wd. time stamps with every parameter possible.

As I could do with megasquirt. I've tuned a bunch of them, they are extremely easy and tell me every little thing I need to know.

Tech is where I have no trouble at all. When I started in the auto world it was as an electrical diag tech for Mercedes. And only went deeper from then lol that's why this old biz is more difficult for me

That’s a good point- a coworker has tech stream. I’ll look into it. Thanks.

 

[Ol Yeller]

Wow, lotta chasing on this…no new advice but sure hope you get it sorted soon.