I looked at a 70 camaro Sunday that would not start. Seem to be no sparky. Changed coils, tried jumping from battery to coil, no sparky. Both coils ohm out the same, either they both bad or both good. I need to get out the old buick book and trouble shoot this a bit, but first the quick and easy way using the smarts of all of you . Thanks Rick
If you jumped from the battery to the coil, and tried 2 different coils, with no success, then the next logical step is the points. Pull the distributor cap ,and manually break the points. If that doesn't get anything, then disconnect the condenser.(sometime the condenser will short out) If neither of these get juice, start looking at the cap and rotor.
Thanks Joe for the info it has been a while since I worked on this type of a situation, I need to refresh myself. The guy that owns the car is getting a new set of points and we will try again. Thanks Rick
I had no sparky once and everything electrical checked out fine. The roll pin that holds on the distributor gear sheared off!
Well everything turns and points move. Its probably the condensor. The car has sat for about 5 years and the dist is to far back to see what going on especially with my 45 year old eyes with bifocals. They seem never to be in the right place. Thanks Rick
Oh yeah, brilliant Chevy, Olds and Pontiac engineers put the distributor out back. LOVE doing a hot engine tune-up on those! :error: ou:
Rick, Check the point gap, on the new points before you close the cap. Crank the engine, or use a breaker bar to position the crank so that one of the high points on the distributor cam opens the points. Gap is .017, or the width of a match book cover. Lately, all the point sets that I have installed required adjustment before the car started. If you connect a test light between the disconnected distributor lead, and - side of the coil, and crank the engine, the light should flicker as the points open and close. Use a dwell meter for final adjustment. 30* + or - 1* Make sure that the 2 leads that attach to the points do not contact the base plate, just the point set. Good luck, I hope you get sparky.
If the car has been sitting that long, sometimes just running some 400 paper between the points will cure the problem. Points will corrode just enough to insulate themselves, but you really can't see it.
Larry last Sunday went back to the car and did the testlight test, the light never flashed just stayed on. Instead of running some paper through the points I just changed them. Now we had spark, plugs were all wet so changed them and bingo Houston we had ignition! The owner had a large grin, he had bought the car for his dad for christmas and wanted to drive it to his house on christmas day. Its kind of a cool story. When his parents got married his dad had a 57 Chevy with a 4spd. The wife was pregnant so he bought a 70 Camaro with a 396/4spd but no power steering. The combo of steering and clutch was more than she could handle so they traded it for a Toyota Corolla Wagon, that was in the mid 70's. So now his son is giving him a second chance at a camaro, it might not be a 396/4spd (350/auto on the column), the wife has bought a complete new interior for it. In around about way you all have helped in this gift again thankyou for all your assitance now and in the past. Thanks Rick
Pros and cons to everything... Well, setting the timing/dwell on our cars with a rotating fan near is no picnic either... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :beer
Have to agree with Marco on the last post.Getting the dwell set has removed more skin from my knuckles than I care to talk about. Pat
