My Chevy DIED!!

[BFS57]

Hello;
most of you know I drive a 57 chevy every day (it's ratty and ugly looking). Well, on the way home tonight, it just plain DIED! Had to push it up on the sidewalk as it couldn't of found a more bad place to stop!
Had a bit of a problem with it kind of doing the same thing Sunday, I just replaced the starter and it fired right off. Been running great ever since!
I had to replace the battery tonight, it just wouldn't crank. New battery, cranks great! Checked gas, pulled line from pump to carb, gas came out so I don't think it's gas.
Only had a test light with me. Checked power going to the coil. Got light from both sides of the (plus and minus) coil with the key on and while cranking. I pulled the dizzy wire coming from the coil and stuck the test light inside, the light was way dim than the previously tested connections.
Didn't pull the dizzy cap to see if the rotor was good or not. Dizzy is a Unilite.
Up until it quit, it was running like it always does!
Anybody out there got any "things I should look for when I go back (If the car is still there) in the morning???

Bruce

[57larry]

pull distrib cap, see if it turns while cranking, if not, timing gear  broke

[enjenjo]

Might be as simple as crud covering up the light.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I do not see where you grabbed  a hold of the coil wire to see if there was spark  there as  the engine was cranked

[wayne petty]

I do not see where you grabbed  a hold of the coil wire to see if there was spark  there as  the engine was cranked

                         



if you use a jumper cable to ground the distributer housing to the engine block... while the distributer is out..   you can spin the gear and hear the coil sparking..

if you don't properly ground the distributer.. while you hold it..  the above can happen..

[BFS57]

Hello;
very funny! Sorry guys I have a sneaking hunch that the newly acquired starter is my problem>
Question, what would happen if I "jumped" the two smaller terminals on the starter? Would the engine not shut off until I disconnected the battery? WHAT?
Just trying to get my car someplace better to work on it, I might have to tow it, I have some 1/2" steel rope for that duty.

Bruce

[enjenjo]

So does it not crank? Or does it crank, but not start?

[BFS57]

So does it not crank? Or does it crank, but not start?

Hello;
Been working on it all day long off and on between work. Here is what I have so far; Engine cranks but doesn't fire. Did a test lead from the battery direct to the coil no spark from the coil. replaced the coil with a new one (aftermarket cheapo) just to see what would happen, still no spark from the coil. Have voltage to and from the ballast resistor, Checked the wires going to and connection to the starter, pulled the dizzy cap and the rotor is spinning while cranking. Beginning to think maybe the ignition switch is bad?
Anyone got any handy hints.  Remember, my dizzy is a Unilite.

Bruce

[Crosley.In.AZ]

the   unilite distributor is known the light modual to go bad, quit, stop ,break

[Carnut]

Was a time when everyone with a Unilite ignition always carried a spare Unilite module 'just in case'.

[BFS57]

Was a time when everyone with a Unilite ignition always carried a spare Unilite module 'just in case'.

Hello;
PROBLEM SOLVED!!! the Unilite took a dump! Had a Pertronix Ignitor laying around so I put it in. Only thing is I don't like the pre cranking time before it starts. I didn't have a wiring diagram so I was told to hook the black wire to the - of the coil and the red to the + of the coil. I am seriously thinking about finding a good set of points, a condenser and just go back to the old way unless one of you knows that I have hooked this up wrong!
Thanks for the info, It saved me a bunch of time and effort chasing down this malfunction.

Bruce

[Carnut]

Well, that's just life with an electronic ignition, even factory ones.

I had a coil or ignition module go bad on my 77 Chevy Pickup in the middle of an intersection while a girlfriend was driving it. Got it home and traced it down to the ignition, replaced the module and coil together and got it going again.

Conceptually it's just like unilite going bad. Such is life with modern black boxes.

Course I had a unilite in my 40 for 20yrs or so and just replaced it with a whole new MSD Dist and Box only to find out my problem was a clogged up fuel filter.

[Mikej]

Does it need the ballast resitor?

[wayne petty]

i would like to know... if you can use a test light on the positive side of the coil... and watch it while you move the key from the locked position..   through the run.. position .. into the crank position.. and then back to the run position..

some ignition switches open the power feed to the coil while the key is in the crank position...

they rely on the starter relay bypass circuit to power the coil at full battery voltage during cranking.. and to prevent feedback.. the contacts inside the ignition switch open

this type of ignition switch usually found on cars with points.. will cause long crank times... if the starter relay or solenoid bypass circuit is not working or hooked up properly...

it only takes about 30 seconds to test it with a test light...

[BFS57]

Hello;
Wayne, The answer is, I really don't know the proper way to hook the Pertonix up but when I wired it to the coil, I took off the pink wire from the ballast resistor. When it started, it would run until I put the key back to the run position and then it would quit!. We hooked the pink wire from the Ballast resistor back up to the coil (+ side now has 3 wires on it) and when It started, putting the key in the run position, it would continue running until I shut it off with the key.
Answer your question? The car is at work because I have a 5 am delivery tomorrow morning. If the answer I gave you doesn't get it I will run the test you want tomorrow mid morning.

Bruce