No spark

[Ron]

I reread everything and it sounds like the spark went from none to what you have now...
Did you check for actual spark off of the distributor end of the coil wire to the engine (ground) after using the ignition tester there? If not, ever?
...seems if things don't change again, it should be acting normal up to there now.

[Bullitt]

I reread everything and it sounds like the spark went from none to what you have now...
Did you checked for actual spark off of the distributor end of the coil wire to the engine (ground) after using the ignition tester there?

If you are referring to the test you suggested earlier, I have not been home yet to try. Will likely not try it until tomorrow after work. It probably had spark from the coil to the distributor cap all the time (but not further). But i was not able to provoke it until I got the ignition test lamp.

[Ron]

If you are referring to the test you suggested earlier, I have not been home yet to try. Will likely not try it until tomorrow after work. It probably had spark from the coil to the distributor cap all the time (but not further). But i was not able to provoke it until I got the ignition test lamp.

Not exactly...why I asked "ever".
The first test tells whether the coil will fire IF all else is OK (by bypassing everything else), to eliminate it. (You had no spark at the time.)

The other test tells whether the spark is getting to the distributor cap. If it is, you can forget about everything from there back (the coil wire, coil, ignition wiring, ICU, etc.) If I have it right, the ignition tester indicated spark was getting that far. (Some spark now)
...with everything hooked up normal, pull the coil wire out of the distributor and see if spark will jump from it to ground. If the spark is OK, the problem is from there on, i.e. the cap and/or rotor not distributing the spark to the plug wires and on down to the plugs. Divide and conquer.

[Bullitt]

Try taking the W/S off the (-) side of the coil. Put Bat(+) 12V on the (+) side of the coil. Now ground the (-) side of the coil momentarily and see if the coil fires each time you remove the ground. It should. If it does, your feed or trigger circuit is bad. You can connect a cheap tach meter to the W/S wire to check the triggering signal while you crank the engine over. If no good, you can get it off of the ICU, pin 16 since the tachometer in the instrument panel works. Jumper it to the coil (-) by itself to confirm that the signal is a good signal. I.E, it should spark then (and start if you replace the coil wire, assuming it isn't flooded to Hades by now ;-)

I'm betting with those suggesting a "bad" connection somewhere...probably on the triggering side rather than power from the resistor (or it is grounded).

You might find it easier to see the spark if you remove the coil wire and use a short piece of wire from there (main coil terminal) to ~1/4 inch away from the (-) coil terminal....

RON: Try taking the W/S off the (-) side of the coil. Put Bat(+) 12V on the (+) side of the coil. Now ground the (-) side of the coil momentarily and see if the coil fires each time you remove the ground. It should.

Well it did not... I cant get a spark from grounding the wire from the coil to the distributor cap either, but using the ignition plug light tester, betwen the wire and cap it sure glows while cranking.

[DMC5180]

RON: Try taking the W/S off the (-) side of the coil. Put Bat(+) 12V on the (+) side of the coil. Now ground the (-) side of the coil momentarily and see if the coil fires each time you remove the ground. It should.

Well it did not... I cant get a spark from grounding the wire from the coil to the distributor cap either, but using the ignition plug light tester, betwen the wire and cap it sure glows while cranking.

Were you using the high tension coil wire or just a regular wire to jump the ark to the cap? Do you have an old coil wire to try the test with ?


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[Bullitt]

Were you using the high tension coil wire or just a regular wire to jump the ark to the cap? Do you have an old coil wire to try the test with ?


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I used both. Don't have a spare at the moment. Ordered new plugs, wires, cap and rotor as they were due for a change anyways.

[DMC5180]

And you were able too jump a strong long spark from the coil tower to the neg post on the coil?


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[Bullitt]

And you were able too jump a strong long spark from the coil tower to the neg post on the coil?

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Okay, then i misunderstood, I though he meant I should ground the negative(-) post with the w/s wire disconnected. Come to think of it that does not make sense since they are both ground...? I will try tomorrow.

[DMC5180]

Yeah, I’ve seen my coil arc down the tower to the neg post while the engine was running. ( misfiring)


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[Ron]

Okay, then i misunderstood, I though he meant I should ground the negative(-) post with the w/s wire disconnected. Come to think of it that does not make sense since they are both ground...? I will try tomorrow.

That is exactly what I meant. You do NOT want to involve the w/s wire, only the coil.
Here is a basic point system:
BasicPointSystem.jpg

When the points close, voltage across the coil +/- 'charges' the windings up. When they break connection, the coil fires.

We can replace the points and condenser with a simple switch (since the points are just a fancy switch, and the condenser is only for the points contact durability):
BenchTest.jpg
It uses a plug and coil wire to observe spark, but we want to test the coil alone, like this:
BenchTest2.jpg
Note it is triggered on the (+) side of the coil instead.
To be clear, use this way, making sure the air gap is reasonable....

I shouldn't have added, "You might find it easier to see the spark if you remove the coil wire and use a short piece of wire from there (main coil terminal) to ~1/4 inch away from the (-) coil terminal...."! -- The test works using a coil wire and grounded plug. With a short piece of wire, it would probably jump to the grounding wire but it's not 100% and/or you might not see it. Sorry if that is what you tried instead of using a plug and wire. I edited in a note for future readers...

EDIT: I found these that might help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJYJ3KvPhhY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kvj_d72WTo