Starting issue

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by davids2toys

Pat, I am only 12 weeks post op from back surgery/fusion. I would rather be safe than sorry. I am still pretty stiff and sore.

The beauty of the MSD box and the ERA wiring harness is that you can check voltage/continuity without always having to crawl under the dash or under the car to get to the spot that you think needs testing -- which pretty much sucks when your back hurts. For example, you can check your ignition switch, for the most part, over at your starter solenoid (which is really easy to reach), because of the way ERA wires in the little red and orange trigger and tach wires. When the MSD box is over the passenger's feet, you would think that the little red and orange trigger/tach wires would just run two feet directly over to the ignition switch and tach, but it usually doesn't. It goes out through the firewall, around the block, and up to the wiring harness by the distributor. This is because the harness also has to support "legacy" ignitions that feed 12v+ to the coil. The ballast resistor connections along that line are just fused together, but you still have the offshoot of that connection heading off to the starter solenoid. The long and the short of that means three things: 1) You can hotwire and start up an ERA/MSD car with a two inch piece of wire and an aluminum foil gum wrapper; 2) a misbehaving starter solenoid can actually keep your car running even when you remove the key from the ignition; and, more importantly, 3) You can check the continuity and function of your MSD ignition system without having to bend your back much at all. I'll lead you through it when you're ready, but it's really, really, really easy to do.

[patrickt]

Here's a handy little diagram from ERA's site on how the MSD is wired in to the harness. If you look up at the top of the picture you see connection #40, which normally goes to an old style 12v coil. The white wire would normally go to the positive side of the coil and is coming from the ignition switch. It may be reduced by a ballast resistor in an original set up, but it is now connected directly to the little red wire of the MSD box. The orange wire goes to the negative side of the coil and is your tachometer feed. This white wire is the same white wire that you see attached to the "I" side of the starter solenoid (but the picture doesn't show that). This makes it very easy to check whether your ignition switch is working and whether you're providing 12v+ "turn on the box voltage" to the MSD box. Just turn your ignition key "ON" and if the accessories light up then you know the "ACC" portion of your ignition switch is operating. Then measure the voltage at the "I" terminal of your solenoid. If you have 12v+, then you know the "IGN" portion of your switch is operating and the box is being turned on, and if you get 12v+ at the "S" terminal of your solenoid, when turning the key to the cranking position, then you know your "ST" portion of the switch is working fine. Of course, if you hear your engine cranking then you don't even have to take that last measurement. Short of a broken wire, that's all there is to it. The next step is to just follow the trouble shooting steps that MSD lays out. There is no magic to this, no voodoo, no tricks. It's not even that hard. You can do this.

[Gaz64]

Are you ready to do the mag pickup test for spark with a paperclip?

As Patrick has mentioned, very easy to do.

Gary

[davids2toys]

Originally Posted by Gaz64

Are you ready to do the mag pickup test for spark with a paperclip?

As Patrick has mentioned, very easy to do.

Gary

Ok Gary and Pat, this is where I am at.
Just came in from the Cobra and caught the last inning of the World series game. I used the homemade bezel removal tool from my buddy Art, Holy S***, that bezel was on super tight!!! I had to use Vice grips and really sock it down. It is broken free now and that is what I wanted. The tool is in my car ready to be returned to its lawful owner.
I did the first part of the test with the jumper wire and I got killer blue spark jumping the 1/2 inch gap! You're right, it was super easy. It says if I get this nice spark my Ignition is good. I left everything all hooked up and hooked the pigtail back together. Then I turned the key on, remote cranked the engine. No spark out of the coil wire. I am thinking I should be getting the same spark as I got with the jumper test? I think maybe they meant if you get the spark with the jumper test, the Ignition BOX is good, not the whole ignition system?
I also pulled the cap and took a couple of pics. I see nothing earth shattering inside You will see rust on the magnetic pickup, it has been there for years. I actually bought a new one in 2014 when I replaced the cap, rotor, and wires. At that time, the MSD tech said the rust will not affect performance and to only replace it when it fails...so it has been just sitting on the shelf.
So for now I guess I will study the pics and info Pat posted. I'm ready Pat, lead me thru it...LOL
For some reason the pics will not upload, all I am getting is "uploading please wait"!!!
I will try again after this text is posted

[davids2toys]

separate ign pics

[Gaz64]

Hi David,

The paperclip has proved the rest of ignition system etc is good.
The fault is in the distributor.
The mag pickup is faulty, or the shaft is not turning.

Can you measure the resistance of the pickup across the orange/black and purple/black?

Should be about 400-700 ohms.

Outside of this the pickup is shorted or open.

Gary

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Gaz64

Hi David,


The mag pickup is faulty, or the shaft is not turning.

Gaz is correct. For your final test, with the distributor cap off, crank the engine and observe the rotor spinning around while you crank. Assuming the rotor was spinning, remove it and whack the magnetic pickup sharply a couple of times with the handle end of the screwdriver. Then put everything back together and see if she starts.