Stranded in ShowLow---HELP!!!!

[brent]

(been away 3 months due to new 70+ hr wk work schedule and I hate to plunge in like this, but...)

Electric prob I'm sure.
At Dad's for Xmas.
Truck made it from Phx to Showlow but won't start.
No spark.
Cranks fine, won't catch.
Changed out ignition module.
Bought new blater coil but unsure about ballast resistor config.
Checked all fuses.
Have ruled out fuel delivery.
All the traditional tests (wire/ground/arc/etc) show NO spark from blaster to dist.
No pitting or moisture in dist. Looks good.
Timing belt's fine cause dist turns.
HELP...
Thank, Brent TRAPPED IN SHOWLOW

[The Anti-Chrysler]

How are the Ford module and distributor connectors - they get corroded. Do you have voltage at the coil and the module?

[brent]

It's a HD Niehoff module w/the twin plug-ins. At the blaster coil terminals I'm set. No access to ammeter/voltmeter for another hour. Chased all wires to the components you've mentioned but see nothing odd. Best case scenario is a bad ground I'm not seeing.
Chased wires from module to blaster and battery and seen no corrision/frying.
Standing by. Thanks.

[PlasticBoob]

Ignition switch on bottom of steering column? :confused:

[brent]

Not the ignition switch. Have voltmeter components. Getting JUICE to every part of electric system. Am utterly lost. Brent

[Alzamon]

Do you get voltage to the coil when the key is in the ON position as well as when cranking? It should go through 2 different circuits to get there so that you'll get more juice to the coil for cranking.

[Santa Claus]

Could be pick-up coil in distributor. Also mine quit one day while driving down road, same prob, wouldn't start. Had fuel, cranked but no start. Wires to dist. had got against air tube and shorted out. Moved them away from air tube and away i went.

[brent]

Plug-in for the pickup coil IS getting juice.
Wires have some distance from air tube.
Had a bunch of old boys from my dad's neighborhood all poke around. The consensus is it is ignition and electrical but NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE HELLS GOING ON.
Caught a ride back to Phx today, left truck to a Showlow mechanic a few days.
Thanks to all who chimed in. Gotta find a ride back to Showlow by next Thursday but who cares. Much worse things have happened in life, and all things being equal, this Jeep J10 is still the coolest and best truck I've ever owned and I've owned a few.--Brent

[tgreese]

Is it the Prestolite (Chrysler) ignition? If you're getting juice to the coil and have a new ECM I'd guess it's the reluctor coil (RC). I think the RC is just a pickup coil and should have continuity. If you had a replacement RC to check you could compare the continuity between the two with a DVM. The RC is very sensitive to corrosion on the connector at the distributor - the plug/socket needs to be clean and a little dielectric grease applied at assy. I don't know of any other way to check the RC except replace and try.

hth :cool: Tim

[letank]

you could do s superken.... just swap a ballast resistor of 1.32 ohms at napa, and a rebuilt point distributor from cardone for about $50, so you bypass all electronic circuitry/wizzzardry. Best if all you can run it for a short time on the 12 volt.... the coil can handle that for a little while

check the "distributor point " thread, or a distributor for a 74 wagoneer

Michel

[brent]

Michel--DID put a new ballast resistor in along w/the blaster. I will confess I was not satisfied I had the right 2 wires hooked to it, but I did try variations.
TGreese: Exactly what I thought, too. Pickup coil (RC?) hookup was CAKED in corrosion. Used Swiss Army Knife, wire battery brush, and ice-picked the debris out of it. No go.
Still stupid-fied.
Ill let you all know what the mechanic's diagnosis is. I'm dyin to know---Brent

[ryphil]

I had the same problem on my way to Superior. What I did was hot wire it directly from the battery to the coil(my coil connector has a round quick disconnect plug that I plugged into). It then started right up. But in order to turn it off, I had to turn off the ignition and unplug the wire. The problem was the correct wire in the harness was brocken near where it comes close to the exhaust manifold.

Lemme know if that fixes it!

RyPhil