BLayson

Alright guys, got my Haynes manual and my in line spark tester. Putting a fresh charge on my battery and will check for spark today. Will report back! Thanks again for help

BLayson

Alright guys, I tried the in line spark tester on each of the plugs and it's not showing any signs of spark. Not lighting up at all.

What to try next?

Thanks!

88xlt

Make sure you are getting power up to the coil through one of the small wires that hook onto the coil, with the ignition switch turned on. Don't forget to turn then ignition switch on. A test light works best for this.

Make sure the rotor inside the distributor is turning when you crank the engine over. To do this you can check the rotors position and crank the engine and make sure the rotor has moved. Be careful how you position the distributor cap when you do this so you don't break the rotor.

BLayson

88xlt, will a non-contact voltage tester work (I've got a Klein voltage tester pen) or does it need to be a test light?

I'll check the rotor inside the distributor again. I did this a couple of months ago and it was rotating but I'll check again to be certain.

Thanks!

BLayson

I tried the Klein voltage pen and got no signal on any of the small wires leading to the coil but maybe that's not the right tool to check with? I don't have a test light so I'll need to go pick one up tomorrow.

I was able to take the distributor cap off and confirm the rotor is turning when the engine is being turned over. I'm not sure if it should be turning at a certain "speed" but it seemed to be making a full rotation every second or two? And it was turning smoothly.

88xlt

I'm not familiar with a non contact voltage tester, so I can't tell you if it would work.

There is no certain speed for the rotor to turn per se. If it is solidly connected, and i'm sure it is, it will turn one revolution for every two revolutions of the engine crankshaft. No further testing needed there.

Steve83

No, the pen is for high-voltage (>75) AC; not 12VDC. Read your Haynes - it explains how to use a test light. Buy an INCANDESCENT one - not LED (yet). Practice using it on things you KNOW should make it light up, like from one battery post to the other; from the alternator output to its case... Follow the ignition diagnostic in Ch.5.

BLayson

So, I tested with test light and there is power getting to the coil. I'm guessing the next logical step is to replace the coil? Looks easy enough to take out and replace.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks guys!

88xlt

It could be the coil, but more likely to be the ignition control module in my estimation. I think the ignition module on that would be attached to the fenderwell.

BLayson

88xlt I wondered about that as well early on but the odd thing is (I mentioned this in my very first post) is that there seems to be no ignition module?? I looked for that a few days ago after reading a thru a different thread and there was recommendation to check it. It sounded easy enough to change out but, when I went to look for it (on top of the front, driver's side fender well), it's just an empty space

It doesn't look like there are any loose, unconnected wiring harnesses either. I could take a picture tomorrow afternoon during daylight hours and post if that would help?