Cutlass372

Don't have access to an Ohm meter and I haven't checked the points. What should the setting of the points be? like whats the gap? I suppose that is a possiblilty, but just strange because the car died while it was running and wouldn't start again. This electrical nightmare is driving me crazy... I don't have the money to just throw parts at it so I need to find the problem fast. I don't know where else to turn..

So I just hooked a spark plug to the coil and got a spark but not a very big one. I used my light tester to test the + and - on the coil and they both light up (- was dimmer). But when I put the tester into the end of the coil where it goes to the distibutor I got nothing. I also tested wires inside the distributor and they were hot too... When I tryed to start the car, still nothing just cranks away. What else should I check or how can I troubleshoot this problem?

Yeah I just can't seem to figure out the wiring issues with this car... I took off the alternator and i'm going to take it to Pepboys to see if they can test it for me (pretty sure its bad). The car ran fine up until yesterday when it just cut out and stopped getting spark. The cap and wires are good and pretty new. When I have the coil connected to the battery and turn the key I can heard the relay clicking in the passenger side, but when I have the starter and the other wire hooked to the solenoid it does nothing. I really need some advice on what to replace and how to fix my ignition.. Any help would be great. Thanks, Elliot.

Hey, I was messing with my car today trying to figure out my headlight issue(low beams dont work but I get power to the light connecters with the switch on) when the car stalled out and wouldn't start again... I have a wire running from the battery to the + on the coil because something is wrong with my ignition switch (or so I was told). I can smell fuel and pulled one of the plugs but dont see any spark. Its really wierd because I had the car running and it just cut out, died and wouldn't start again. The other day I had a battery box on the car with the coil wire hooked to the battery, as got out of the car I noticed the coil area smoking so I quick disconnected it. The box was on for a little while before I noticed it and it was very hot, yet started when I was ready to move it. This car is making me crazy because I just cant seem to narrow anything down and when i try, something else ends up not working... If anyone In the PA area would be willing to help me out one day straightening out my electical issues that would be awesome. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Elliot.

ERRR! I can't get the car to start now. It just cranks. It gets fuel and im about to go check spark...

I think I might have just popped my low beams... and the alternator is so dead that its killing my battery. I just can't figure it out.. .

Well... Possibly a new problem just happened as well.. Had the car running and it stalled out once(while idling). Started it up again with no problems and unplugged the headlight connectors and checked them for power. Both the Red and yellow(?) and red and white had power on both connectors. Red and black is high beams or ground (red and black didn't light up)? By the time I switched over to the passanger headlight one of the paddle on the connecter became dim on the test light (red and yellow I believe) while the other was still very bright (checked the other side and this had happened as well). As I was doing this though the car just sorta died suddenly and I couldn't get it started again (Hooked up my other car to jump it and it would just crank). I need a 240 guru to come over and help me out . Im too new to these cars and expecially with electrical stuff... I think when I get the money im going to buy a few things and maybe get the altenator rebuilt. Someone save me . Thanks, Elliot.

Ok so I was out messing with the car some more today and couldn't figure much out... The lights and stuff dont seem to work unless the car is on. I turned it on and I tested all the fuses and they are hot (tested with the light tester). I turn on the headlights and the fuses get hot but no low beams. Flip the high beams and they go on but very dim, I drove it around and when I hit the brakes they would die. Also when I hit the high beams the rest of the lights seem to dim down aswell. The only thing that doesnt seem to dim is the brake light. Rev the car and they bright up (altenator?). Do the headlights have seperate High and low beam bulbs in them? I might have popped them if they do.. Also my tach doesn't work anymore. It used to bounce around when you would rev it but now does nothing. It seems like everytime I start it something starts to work again or something stops working... I don't the switch is broken because the fuses light up for the headlights when the switch is turned on. Don't know where to turn from here.. Anyone?

Sorry, its a 72 240z. The switch works though to turn on all the running lights and rear lights.

Ahh yes, also forgot to mention that the ignition switch in this car doesn't seem to work so I have a wire running from the coil to the positive on the battery and a wire from the solenoid on the starter that I tap on the positive to start it (how I got the car). I just went outside and had the car idling. Turned the lights on and all the running lights and rear lights came on, but no headlights. Hit the highbeams and they turned on but dim and then slowly faded and also all the running lights went off. When I turned the high beams back off, the running lights and rear lights came back on but still no headlights... Idk, I'm confused .

Hey guys, was messing with the car today and the headlights worked the entire time I was messing around. Went to put the car back in its spot, turned the lights on and they stayed on then flashed and wouldn't go back on. My first thought was the fuses, but the connections in both the headlight fuses are still fine. All the other lights on the car work but just the headlights don't seem to work. I was reading around on here and most people seem to say that there low beams die but the high beams still work. I will have to see if thats the case and I might run outside to try that now. I did have the ignition switch cover off, but I dont really think that effected it. What else could this be? The tach bounces all over the place as well so maybe thats something related? Any help would be great. Thanks, Elliot.

Hey guys, took the car around the driveway today and I noticed a clunking sound coming from the rear of the car. When I would be moving forward then switching to reverse it seemed to happen the most, or when I would sorta make the car buck by pushing and letting off the gas. Any idea what this could be? Its sorta hard to explain, but maybe someone else has the same thing going on? I suppose it could be some slack in the drivetrain but im not to convinced with that cause i just had the rear wheels off and was spinning the axles. What should I look at to try and fix this problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Elliot.

Thanks everyone. I took the wheels and tires off today and did some more inspecting of the car. Right behind the passanger spring and strut assembly there is a trapezoid shaped piece of metal. I pushed on it and my finger when right through... There are 2 bolts going into this piece that hold on the lower control arms I believe. All the metal around it is real solid cause i poked around with a screw driver, but just that piece will need some replacing. I think im going to need to pull off the fenders to fix the front rocker panel area because that too was soft enough to push through. I checked pretty much the whole car today for extra rust and suprisingly didnt find much more then I suspected. Rockers need a decent amount of help, lower front fenders, hatch sill, and that piece behind the springs.

PM me about the ignitions. Depending on what you would want I'm interested. I would need the keys and stuff too obviously. Its either through someone like you or an autoparts store like NAPA. I'd much rather support the Z crowd though.

the floors are real solid. one of the pictures is tskin from the rear wheel looking forward. The area behind the doglegs are rusted out.

That link is working fine for me.. Must be something wrong on your end.

I also own a 72 Cutlass as well, thats why I made this name. But yeah, it needs a good amount of work but its not awful. I could drive it how it is if I really wanted. The front resevoir in the MC is dry so I guess I need to check that out or add some more fluid. The tranny is real hard to get into gear so im probably going to need a new tranny anyway.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562590375hsIsRE That link should work.. Page 3-4 for newer pics.

Do the pics work now? They work for me...

Sorry, should work now .

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562590375hsIsRE Page 3-4 for pics from my house. Went to pick this car up yesterday in Garfield, NJ (about and hour and a half from me). Me and my dad loaded the car onto our car trailer with ease and made it home safe. Today I scrubbed and vaccuumed the inside of the car and took it around the block. It has a few rust issues, but nothing real crazy. The frame rails, battery area, floor, and rear area are all solid. The rockers and some of the hatch sill need some replacing though. The paint is trashed and it looks like it was painted with a paint brush. I wanna get some good suspension on the car, but i haven't decided what kind yet. Either tokico illuminas and some good lowering springs or a set of nice coilovers. I like the idea of coilovers because wheel fitment isn't really and issue where it is with the springs and struts. I wanna run something like a 17X9ish wheel. Overall I like the car, it just needs some tuning up and alittle patching. I wanna turn it into a track/daily driver car. What are you guys suggestions on going about doing this? What would make this car a killer on the street and track. As for the motor, at some point I would like to swap in a L28ET and upgrade that. What should I do first? .

Oh I misread I thought you said it comes down to $30.. I was like damn..

$30 for real or was that a mistype? It says $274 on the site..

Yeah, the key on the wheel. They said it was bad so they have been starting it buy tapping a coil wire to the battery. I noticed that the Brake light was on the dash cause the parking brake was up, but other then that the only other thing I got to work was the Heating stuff (vents and what not, blower motor turned on). I just talked to my dad and he said he is full with work all week so it will have to wait till like saturday for me to go get it. We have a welder and stuff, but I have never worked with metal before (father has though). My neighbor has one of those 4 post lifts so when I get it home I think im going to ask him if I can use it for a little while to check out the under side of the car real well. Hopfully the car will be in good enough order to drive around a little to get onto the trailer and around the house and lift. I suppose we will find out when I go to pick it up .

I think if I paint it any color its going to be white. If my dad is free tomorrow then I am probably going to try and get it before I have to go to class, but if not then the weekend for sure. It seems like the other problematic areas would be the rocker area, as it seems to have rusted out the some of the wheel well area. Also what would cause the tach to bounce all of and be inaccurate. I couldn't seem to get the lights, turn signals, horn, hazards, or radio to turn on or work so what could be causing that. There was some sort of thing screwed into the inside passanger side tranny area that im not quite sure what it was.. Maybe the ignition switch has something to do with it? Or maybe there is just something else wrong that is making the ignition not work? What do you think?