Gimme Some SPARK!

[red_stang65]

It all started with a major fuel leak around the carbureator. After rebuilding the carb and still seeing the same leaky mess all over the driveway, I replaced the fuel pump assuming the old one might have been allowing too much gas to flow through.
This seemed to work alright, though the car would still act squirrely after about 10 mins. and would idle rough. I then went back to the carb to make sure the choke wasn't sticking (it wasn't). However, I decided to take it off again and make sure all the parts were in it correctly. Come to find out I was missing one little ball in one of the holes. Also, float wasn't quite right, either. Alright, should work now, I thought. The engine ran much better and didn't have the same sputtering problems from before, but it still fealt like it was missing.
TIming was right on as per Chilton's guide, so I pulled the spark plugs. Seems the carb was running so rich the plugs quiclkly coated with carbon and weren't sending enough spark. Cleaned the plugs put it all back together, and closed up for the night.
Next day, turned the key and engine cranked, but wouldn't fire up, so I pulled and replaced the rotor and cap. Still nothing. Went out to lunch and when I got home, realized I'd left the key in the "on" position for about three hours Here's the problem: I'm getting electricity to the dizzy, but it seems somewhere between the coil and the plug wires the juice is dying out. Could my stupid mistake with the key have killed my pertronix ignition? Will replacing that be the panacea to this electrical problem?
:idea: Here's another conundrum, I was still having this same electrical problem before leaving the key on, so while the ignition could very well be damaged, I'm sure I'll have only solved half of the problem. Any ideas?
And here's some details about the car: Pertronix coil and ignition, new fuel pump, stock engine with .030 over, Autolite 1100, and plenty of elbow grease.

Thanks all in advance for the help, any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

~Bobby

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Bobby,

Which Pertronix do you have. If not a P2 you could have burned it up. Ruff idle and hard start would also be the result of less than 12 volts to the Pertronix unit. Have you been through this issue. Are you sure you have 12. Bad coil is a possibility also. Pull the coil wire from the distrbutor. Hold within 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the block with an insulated holder and crank the engine over. You should see a spark jump to the block. If not, bad coil or wiring. You can do the same with the lead from the distributor to the plug. If you can't get a spark jump from the plug end to the block you have a bad Pertronix, or a wiring issue. Be sure to pull all the plug wires when you try the plug lead jump test. You don't want the thing to start while you're testing the spark leads.

Steve

 

[red_stang65]

Steve,
I had thought the same thing, too and replaced the coil after checking the old one for spark (it still had some, but I wasn't sure if it would be enough). So even with the new one on I still had the problem with no spark to the plugs. The rotor turns fine, it just seems like there isn't electricity firing from the pertronix (it's a pertronix 1 by the way).
I'm going to call pertronix this morning and ask them if there is a possibillity I burned it up and order a new one if need be. Hopefully the part will be here by tomorrow!

Thanks,
Bobby

 

[Anonymous]

RedStang;
How did you 'clean the plugs'? Often a fuel-fouled plug develops a glaze that can only be removed by sandblasting. Spraying cleaners or wirebrushing won't cut it: sandblasting followed by fluid cleaning (or new plugs is the only solution).

This glaze is a very clear, slightly yellowish shine on the insulator. It's highly conductive, so it "shorts out" the sparkplug.

 

[BIGREDRASA]

Pull out the Pertronix and put in some points and a good condenser, then see what happens. If that gets it running, it's the Pertronix unit. One major reason for the P II was to eliminate the problem of units burning out when someone left the key on.
I always carry a good condenser and set of points, just in case the Pertronix goes south.

 

[red_stang65]

I looked into replacing the Pertronix with my old points but decided it would be too much of a hassle to re-wire--besides, my new pertronix is already on the way.
Mark, I cleaned the plugs with a wire brush, but the problem's not with the plugs--yet...--I'm not even getting electricity to the wire on the distributor side.
Hopefully the pertronix will be here tomorrow and I'll have a better idea of where to go. Thanks all!

~Bobby