as far as i know it is stock. How would I check if there is power to the coil? The cannister looking thing on the driver side wheel well was getting warm when I was trying to start it so I assume it is getting power. and the distributor is spinning so I assume it has power as well. Let me know if you have any ideas

The distributor spins because the engine turns it. Use a volt meter on the + side of the coil with the key turned to the on position to see if the coil is getting power.

sblake01,

If i do not own a volt meter is there another way to test it that is relatively safe (i.e. finger getting shocked, arc to screwdriver, ect)? or would a volt meter come in handy later and be a pretty sound investment for the rest of this project. I am on a shoestring budget for the next couple of months:cry: so the less i buy that doesn't go directly into the z the better.

I wouldn't want to arc a coil. Might cause damage, to your car or your finger.:classic: You can buy a voltmeter cheap at places like Harbor Freight if you have those in your area. I've seen them for under 5 bucks there.

You can get one from walmart for under 20 bucks...

Remove a spark plug and reattach the plug wire and lay the plug on top of the valve cover and then try and start the engine and watch the plug and see if there is a blue spark. This will tell you if the ignition is firing or not. No spark then it could be in the Dist. In there is a set of points and a condenser , a silver cylindrical thing about 1 1/4'' long with one wire coming out of one end. If you check the points , separate where they come together, see if there is any indication of them being burnt. If they have a growth of metal sticking up from either surface , that is what mean by being burnt. Replace the points and the condenser at the same time. If the condenser is bad you will have zero spark. Both of these parts are cheep. Look inside the Dist. cap and look at the 6 contacts around the top of it. Scrape any crud off the contacts with a knife , it should just flake off. Give this all a shot. Gary

Thanks so much for the input... I will attempt to evaluate the distributor and the coil first thing tomorrow. i will keep u all posted as i am sure more questions will arise, as my name implies... i am a little sloLOL