eulogious Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 But the disty itself has TWO wires... Ok, been reading some more now and I am now spent on the reading front... The disty should have two wires, one being a ground, the other being the wire you need. This wire comes directly off of the points. This is also the wire that triggers the negative side of the coil. So look at the disty, and the wire that is not a ground, that's the wire you want. Of course I say all of this without knowing your setup, but if it's anything like the common points system found on older vehicles, then what I am saying should apply to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 yeah, that should be right... my red to disty wire is probaby orange, as it was about 3am and I was using a flashlght to look at it and I did have a white wire, but I thought it tied in for something else I have... (a cut-off switch for the disty in the cab) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'm even more confused now :-\ FYI, I don't have points, I have a EA81 FWD electronic disty. If I absolutely have to, I still have my old points disty and I know that works correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 no, you are fine with that distributor. same one I am running... I just went out and cleaned wires. I do have orange. here is how mine is set-up... though my 12V+ looks backwards from the other diagram.... but it's been running like this for a number of years..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 I can try that out, won't be too difficult to do. Although, now I have to resolve my starter issue too :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 no, you are fine with that distributor. same one I am running... I just went out and cleaned wires. I do have orange. here is how mine is set-up... though my 12V+ looks backwards from the other diagram.... but it's been running like this for a number of years..... Question. My "original" positive coil wire was in-line with the fuel pump and blower motor, basically just a connection off that black/white wire. Should I connect that red wire in your diagram to the same location, or somewhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) OK, I wired it up EXACTLY how McBrat has it, I even added a little connector where the old + coil connector was (which is in line with the fuel pump, and I know that works fine and is getting power) and I still don't seem to have any spark. Now, how do I figure out exactly what is wrong? What do I need to check, I presume the MSD and the Coil correct? I attached my timing light to both the #1 plug wire and straight to the coil wire and neither is causing the light to come on when the car turns over. P.S. the starter problem was just that the wire got disconnected somehow from the back of the starter. Edited September 3, 2011 by Kostamojen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 I think something is wrong with the MSD. I plugged in a different coil that I know works, along with testing the resistance on both coils and they show as being good, and still no spark. I also just now tried re-wiring it more like the original diagram with the white wire setup. Still nothing. I think I need to test everything out as it would be stock, bypassing the MSD. I'll have to try and figure out how to do that though :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjimd Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I'm sure not the most knowledgeable when it comes to trouble shooting electrics. Takes me forever. But it usually seems that the simplest things are the problem and get overlooked at first. Just the way I always seem to roll anyhow. I've been where you are plenty times, sucks, gets so frustrating. I like your idea of putting things back stock and see what happens. One of my first paying gigs was as a helper in a gas/repair station. They had a Ford van in and had replaced all kindsa stuff.Still wouldn't fire. Finally found a brand new condensor that was replaced with the points in the origional tune up that the customer wanted to be bad. They went through over $800.00 in parts alone before finding that thing. And that was 1975 dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 might want to post something in the general old gen forum. I got my set-up used from a member off another ea81... others have installed them. I added MSD to the small word search list, but you still need to seach as MSD* I didn't find much about the wiring... another thing to check will be the rotor on your distributor. make sure the rotor and cap are matched to the distributor... Hitachi vs. Nippondenso. and check the ground wire inside... also, I've seen a few of them where the module inside failed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idasho Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I had a new reman dizzy ignition module fail less than 100 miles out of the box. When i tore it down I found that they didnt use any heat sink paste for the module. The last junkyard trip netted me 4 of the little modules. I keep one in the glovebox now. Kostamojen, how are you determining that you do not have spark? Are you running a probe or test lamp when you crank it over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 Are you running a probe or test lamp when you crank it over? Ya, I ran a test lamp in the #1 AND from the coil, nothing. I also tested it via the MSD method of checking for spark which is disconnecting the coil cable and the white wire, then getting it close to a ground to see if it arcs... Kind of a scary method, tried it once and blew a fuse and went back to the lamp, LOL! The EA81 Disty I have now I had it completely dissembled at one point, cleaned it back up and did everything per the book (IE using the correct type of grease, etc.). I didn't see anything about heat-sink paste in the manuals, so maybe I missed something, but I'm fairly certain nothing is even getting to the disty in the first place. I have everything re-wired already, and I'm putting the original disty back in now (which I know works), I've just got to make sure I get it in correct, but theres a terminal on the disty that had a black wire going to it in my old photos that I"m not sure what to do with... Is that just a ground? (checking the manuals now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idasho Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 It sound like you are working it out, and know how everything should be connected. Sooner or later you will find the problem. Even so, I would STRONGLY suggest going back to the basics. Like checking grounds. The old dizzy you are putting back on, how many wires does it have for the module/points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 OK, scratch the old disty... It won't fit :-\ Turns out the 1100 disty has a longer shaft down the bottom which doesn't fit in this 1400 block! Now, I need to try wiring up the EA81 disty and some sort of coil to go along with it using stock wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Well, the worst possible thing just happened... I got my radiator fans all installed, put the radiator back on the car with everything all buttoned up nicely and started to fill the radiator... Coolant started pouring out of the #1 exhaust pipe :| I checked all 4 cylinders, 2-3-4 are all fine, but #1 was TOTALLY full of coolant. I drained the radiator and sucked out as much coolant as I could from the plug hole, but I'm totally screwed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idasho Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 oh boy.... had you done a compression check since the motor build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 oh boy.... had you done a compression check since the motor build? No, I haven't. I'm hoping its something simple like the intake manifold gasket... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idasho Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 We all hope so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eulogious Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Sad times God speed my friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamnk Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Well, the worst possible thing just happened... I got my radiator fans all installed, put the radiator back on the car with everything all buttoned up nicely and started to fill the radiator... Coolant started pouring out of the #1 exhaust pipe :| I checked all 4 cylinders, 2-3-4 are all fine, but #1 was TOTALLY full of coolant. I drained the radiator and sucked out as much coolant as I could from the plug hole, but I'm totally screwed sounds like really bad head gasket I can not see any other thing here that can be bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjimd Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Kostaman before too long you need to put a bit of oil in that cylinder and crank it a bit. The water in the mix will start rusting the wall around the ring where the stuff you couldn't get out is sitting. Pull all the plugs so it spins easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 I hooked up my shop vac to a funnel and a tube and vacuumed as much as I could out. I could see in there with my flashlight, so I know most of it is gone right now. I did put a little oil in there. I didn't want to crank it right now cause that might flood another cylinder... The worst part was when I was blowing air in, I could feet the air blowing out of the radiator... That means it blew all the way through the block, through the water pump, through the radiator and out :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Alright, I've been doing more testing before I start taking everything apart (which I really DON'T want to do). Good news: All 3 other cylinders are fine, its only the #1 that fills with coolant. Bad news: Its only the #1.... which means it can't be the intake manifold gasket. Odd things: The coolant only seems to come into the cylinder when either of the valves are open or start to open. I rotated the crank after draining out the cylinder several times, and if both valves are closed it won't fill with any coolant, but as soon as the valve starts to open the flood gates start up... Is it possible pressure from the pushrod somehow could be causing the gasket to separate or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostamojen Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 I took off the valve cover, nothing was amiss around the valves or anything. I also drained the cylinder head of coolant twice AND tightened the cylinder head bolts. Nothing changed, with the exhaust valve opening the floodgates just come rushing in on cylinder 1 If it really is the headgaskets, I'm pissed, cause I did them EXACTLY by the book. Even used the factory head alignment tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Alright, I've been doing more testing before I start taking everything apart (which I really DON'T want to do). Good news: All 3 other cylinders are fine, its only the #1 that fills with coolant. Bad news: Its only the #1.... which means it can't be the intake manifold gasket. Odd things: The coolant only seems to come into the cylinder when either of the valves are open or start to open. I rotated the crank after draining out the cylinder several times, and if both valves are closed it won't fill with any coolant, but as soon as the valve starts to open the flood gates start up... Is it possible pressure from the pushrod somehow could be causing the gasket to separate or something? I don't know anything about the head design on the older ones. but it sounds like it's still coming in through the intake. Any way that manifold gasket could leak and not get any into #3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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