E12-80, very odd no spark

[Shukize]

Hello and thank you taking a look at my issue. I've just finished turbocharging my NA 1978 and have been running into many issues.

 

Firstly, the car will crank for days but never starts, I've narrowed it down now to spark. I have disconnected the transistor ignition unit as it has an e12-80 module and distributor from a 1980 zx, with a new cap, rotor, and aftermarket ignition coil. Verified rotor is spinning.

On the ignition module I have C going to Negative post on coil and B going to Positive. I have the Blue/Black wire & Blue wire connected to Negative on the coil, and Black/White connected to Positive. (There's a skinny white/black wire that I have no clue what to do with, can't find anything on it). I also have a wire connected to a post the distributor going to chassis ground (that wire got a little warm while trying to start the car, strange, disconnected and still no start.) The coil is getting 12~VDC at both posts with key at ON, and 0.00 with key at OFF. 

Any leads would be greatly appreciated, just want to drive this thing again 😔

[Zed Head]

18 minutes ago, Shukize said:

On the ignition module I have C going to Negative post on coil and B going to Positive. I have the Blue/Black wire & Blue wire connected to Negative on the coil, and Black/White connected to Positive. (There's a skinny white/black wire that I have no clue what to do with, can't find anything on it). I also have a wire connected to a post the distributor going to chassis ground (that wire got a little warm while trying to start the car, strange, disconnected and still no start.) The coil is getting 12~VDC at both posts with key at ON, and 0.00 with key at OFF. 

Have you checked the pickup coil in the distributor?  The ZX distributors like to break the magnet also, so check that.  And the air gap.

 

Otherwise, kind of seems like your ignition module is shorted out.  The module grounds through the distributor body and that wire that gets warm would be part of that ground circuit.  It will also ground through the distributor mounting points so the wire is not necessary.

Set things up so that you can see spark from the center wire from the coil (take the wire out of the distributor cap and place it close to a ground point) and disconnect then reconnect the wire from the coil - post to the C terminal on the module.  That should make and break the coil circuit if the module is shorted.  If the module is shorted each connection will re-energize the coil, and each disconnection will cause a spark.  Do this with the key on, of course.

If you don't get a spark take the same wire from the coil negative and tap it to ground.  That should create a spark from the coil's center wire.  That will confirm that the coil is working correctly.

[siteunseen]

Read over this. It's got some great info as well as pictures!  Love pictures. I followed his instructions and have a '79 ZX dizzy in my 280. Works great with a little more advance.

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/index.html

Here's the whole electrical section.

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/electrical.htm

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by siteunseen

[Shukize]

On 10/15/2020 at 2:48 PM, Zed Head said:

Have you checked the pickup coil in the distributor?  The ZX distributors like to break the magnet also, so check that.  And the air gap.

 

Otherwise, kind of seems like your ignition module is shorted out.  The module grounds through the distributor body and that wire that gets warm would be part of that ground circuit.  It will also ground through the distributor mounting points so the wire is not necessary.

Set things up so that you can see spark from the center wire from the coil (take the wire out of the distributor cap and place it close to a ground point) and disconnect then reconnect the wire from the coil - post to the C terminal on the module.  That should make and break the coil circuit if the module is shorted.  If the module is shorted each connection will re-energize the coil, and each disconnection will cause a spark.  Do this with the key on, of course.

If you don't get a spark take the same wire from the coil negative and tap it to ground.  That should create a spark from the coil's center wire.  That will confirm that the coil is working correctly.

ZedHead and siteunseen I want to thank you so much for assisting me in this matter. I checked the continuity of C & B with key ON and getting roughly 380 ohms which should be good, I ordered a new distributor yesterday anyway just in case. However I tried to check spark at coil, tapped a ground wire to negative post with center wire near a ground. Sparks at the negative post, and center coil. Does that the mean the ignition module could be the culprit?

[Shukize]

Also noticed something else, I removed spark plug wire 1 and put a Phillips in the wire setting near a ground. When I crank the engine over it does one bright blue spark and no more until I try to crank again, just 1 spark and done each time.

[Zed Head]

That looks right if you measured with the key off.  You are measuring through the pickup coil, on the red and green wires.  

It's shown in one of the items on the site site listed, about 2/3 down.

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributorrebuild/index.html

[Zed Head]

The fact that you got spark shows that the circuit and power supply and ground and coil are working.  It's hard to tell though, if you have a triggering problem or a module problem.  That's what the second test shows, Test 11, triggering.

Seems like it's either the module or the magnet under the pickup coil.  You can swap modules on your new distributor and see if the old one works.  Always good to have a spare.  If you want to take a chance, take it apart and see if the magnet is intact.  Careful though, it's fragile.

 

[Shukize]

On 10/17/2020 at 1:44 PM, Zed Head said:

The fact that you got spark shows that the circuit and power supply and ground and coil are working.  It's hard to tell though, if you have a triggering problem or a module problem.  That's what the second test shows, Test 11, triggering.

Seems like it's either the module or the magnet under the pickup coil.  You can swap modules on your new distributor and see if the old one works.  Always good to have a spare.  If you want to take a chance, take it apart and see if the magnet is intact.  Careful though, it's fragile.

 

Thanks for your help again sir, it was indeed the ignition module, car has spark. New problem however being that it only "tries" to start off starting fluid. It has fuel to the rail says the fpr, so some for of fuel injection relay issue.