Ignition problems

[midnight sun]

I have about 2000 miles on my 327.  Ignition system is a GM HEI unit.  When I was in Louisville this summer I came out one morning and it wouldnt start.  Pulled a plug and connected it to the plug wire and turned it over...no spark.  Went into one of the vendors and purchased a distributor cap, coil and rotor.  Installed them and it fired right off. The old rotor had a lot of carbon on top of it.  Have put around 200 miles on it since then.

The car has been sitting since around the first of October.  Went out yesterday to fire it off to get ready for a Christmas toy benefit for one of the local hospitals.  It wouldnt start.  Pulled a couple of plugs and gas ran out of them so I figured I had just flooded it.  Went and got a new set of plugs and also bought a new rotor since I hadnt bought a spare since Louisville.  Put in the new plugs and it fired right off.  Put the new rotor in the tool box.  Went out this morning to go to the rod run and it wouldnt start.  Yanked off the cap and installed the new rotor and it fired right off.  Went on the rod run and had no problems.  Probably started and stopped  4 or 5 times with no problem.  Put about 20 miles on it.

The rotor I took out looks just like the one did in Louisville.  Carbon all over the top.  Im stumped.  Not running a resistor or anything like that.  Just the stock dizzy.

Any ideas???

[rooster]

If the HEI is a older one I would check the pickup coil in the bottem of dizzy!

How does it run?

Stock cap ?

[midnight sun]

If the HEI is a older one I would check the pickup coil in the bottem of dizzy!

How does it run?

Stock cap ?

This is the second cap and it is stock, same as the first one.  I put it on in Louisville.  It came with a new coil.  The only thing I havent replaced yet is the control module.  When it runs it runs great.

[1FATGMC]

The only thing I haven't replaced yet is the control module.  When it runs it runs great.

That is what I would look at replacing.  I had one that would work intermittently.  I always have a spare with me along with a cap and coil.  

I was real happy I do when the coil went out just inside Texas last spring.  No fun working on your vehicle with semi's going by at 80 mph.

c ya, Sum

[enjenjo]

This is going to sound strange, check your engine grounds. If not grounded well, strange things can happen to an HEI.

[Bruce Dorsi]

Any ideas???

Is the carbon "button" in the cap wearing down?

If so, there may be too much end play in the distributor.

[midnight sun]

This is going to sound strange, check your engine grounds. If not grounded well, strange things can happen to an HEI.

Actually thats one my list of things to check.  Just read some info somewhere else that mentions engine grounds.  Also another interesting one is that a plug wire may be shorting out which can cause the cap/rotor to ground out.  Process of elimination I guess.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

When one of my boys was in high school he had a Buick 350 that wouldn't start 3 or 4 different days. Of course when I drove over there it always fired right up. The last thing I replaced was the pickup coil...the feed wire was broken inside the insulation. Just another thought.

Charlie

[tomslik]

When one of my boys was in high school he had a Buick 350 that wouldn't start 3 or 4 different days. Of course when I drove over there it always fired right up. The last thing I replaced was the pickup coil...the feed wire was broken inside the insulation. Just another thought.

Charlie

...and most likly on a vac advance HEI.
i got a Tommy Johnson special that'll leave ya walking......

new parts are not nessassarily GOOD parts....
pulled the POS and grabbed a used one out of the attic and has been fine ever since, even after we sold the car.


oh yeah, WELLS rebuilt stuff is even worse.....
watch what ya buy.