FastWoman

OK, then. I'll take that as a "probably" that your ignition really works. (You've never really confirmed this, and it takes much longer for me to type the same thing over and over than for you to squirt a bit of starter fluid in the intake and give it a quick try.) Without knowing more (like real confirmation that your ignition really does work), I can't really help you anymore. Given that your ignition PROBABLY works, I suppose your next step is fuel. Take a look at the EFI diagnostics. Notice that there are multitudes of reasons an engine might not start. Notice that there are multitudes of diagnostic procedures that must be done in order to determine the cause(s) of the no-start condition. Without useful diagnostic information from you, there's nobody here who can tell you why your engine doesn't start. My sincere advice: Take it to a good mechanic.

Yeah, too rich for my blood, but it's a beauty!

If it fires and then dies, fires and dies, fires and dies, then it could be the injectors aren't firing. What little bit of fuel you get might be from the cold start valve and/or leakage from old injectors. (Been there, done that, own the T-shirt.) Check for continuity between your negative coil terminal and the #1 pin on your ECU connector. No connectivity = no fuel. You could easily have messed up that connection when messing with the wiring in your system. If you can measure coil resistance between the coil's (-) and the #1, then you might have your #1 hooked to the (+) of the coil. Juice your intake with starter fluid, start your engine briefly, and see if your tach does anything. Same circuit. These are all important diagnostic steps. I keep typing the same thing over and over for you, as though they're sort of important. Perhaps you could give them a try? Either that, or perhaps I should stop typing.

Cool! It's been a while since I've seen a two-tone paint job!

... except that if she has the closed-throttle side jumpered, it will go into throttle cut mode above a certain RPM range (as I think I remember reading somewhere). But the side where she as the pink line drawn seems to be the correct side if she just figures out the corresponding pins on the connector.

Yes -- A burnt out bulb or disconnected state on the #1 would not keep the alternator from running. Have fun with your project! Show us pics once you've got it done, OK?

Lovely indeed! Happy b'day!

... but before you do that, you might want to spray a bit of starter fluid into your intake and try starting the engine. If your engine mechanicals and your ignition are right, the engine should start, run very briefly, and then possibly die (or not). This is not to say it will run WELL, but it should still fire up. If this happens, your ignition is working, and you can move forward. BTW, one thing to check is the connection between the (-) post on your ignition coil and the #1 terminal on your ECU. Without that connection, your ECU will not deliver fuel, and your engine won't run.

You're making some good progress! You'll need a new/rebuilt distributor. It's very cheap and easy to replace with a rebuilt one from AutoZone -- about $100. It won't solve your idling problem, but it will give you better fuel economy when cruising and more power at higher RPM (from the centrifugal advance). You probably won't feel much of a difference, but this is still an item you will need to replace to make your engine "right." When you install your new distributor, make certain you turn it the right direction. I think the key and slot on the shaft are offset slightly to one side. You'll see what I mean when you take it off. A good way to make sure you've installed it right is to note the direction the rotor points in the old one when you take it off, and to make sure it points the same direction (and not 180 deg the other way) when you put the new one one. Carbon canister lines: It's the second line (the one going to the T-connector) that you want to check for leaks. Just suck on it and see if it's tight. It probably will be. If it is, just hook it back up. I doubt the canister really does much, but it's required by law and probably doesn't do any harm. The big valve cover hose: Yes, you need fuel-rated hose and not heater hose. That's correct. You'll have a much easier time slipping hoses onto fittings if you heat them a bit first. Also lubricate them a bit. Use a thin oil like WD-40 to lubricate a hose going on an oily part (like the valve cover) and dishwashing detergent to lubricate a hose going on a water fitting (e.g. radiator hose). The PCV thing: You can disable the PCV system, but you'd have to block off the passages AND put a breather filter on the valve cover, instead of that hose that leads to the throttle body. Then your engine innards wouldn't be under vacuum, and the engine wouldn't die. That said, the PCV system helps keep your engine clean. It's a very good thing to have operational. TPS: Yes, I believe those are the two arms. However, as Cozye said, you plug the jumper into the connector at the end of the wiring harness, not the TPS assembly itself (which would be unplugged). Good luck, and stay warm!

No, #2 reads the output voltage. If the voltage is too high, output is cut back. If it's too low, output is increased. In other words, #2 is the input to the internal voltage regulator. #1 is simply the "alternator malfunction" switch for the "ALT" warning light (if you have one). It's just as simple as the cartoon! I put a GM alternator in our Chrysler boat and wired it exactly that way. Two other notes: (1) Make sure your ground is every bit as heavy as your output wire. Current has to flow through it too! (2) You can make a great lug for the end of your wire out of small-ish diameter copper tubing. Cut a piece maybe 1 1/4" long. Insert your wire half way and crimp the tube around it. Then flatten the other half of the tube in a vice, and drill a hole through the flat end. Next, infuse the connector with solder. (You might need to hit it lightly with a torch if your wire is too heavy and/or your soldering gun is too light.) Finally, put a bit of heat shrink around the crimp end of the connector. That will give you a far more substantial lug than you're going to find at the auto parts store.

I haven't a clue about the brackets. I didn't even know a GM alternator would mount up to an L24. Here's a helpful diagram for you... http://www.novaresource.org/alt/chargcircuit.gif On further reflection, I think running the volt reference (#2) all the way back to the fusible link would be a good idea. My OEM-configured '78 had a branch connection internal to the harness near the alternator, but if there's any voltage drop across the main output wire, the better reference would be closer to the battery. I guess I'll rewire mine that way someday, if/when I'm ever back inside the harness. Wish I had thought of it earlier.

I turn antique next year, so maybe my wear and discoration will transition into a richly textured patina. Then again, I think that only works for guys.

Edit: Ha! You beat me this time! ----------------------- I think the "E" might be for "earth" (British for "ground.") If you're going to an internally regulated alternator, you'd be removing your external regulator. I think the three connections on a GM 3-wire alternator are: 1 - alt light (grounded when alt problem). Hook warning light between terminal 1 and +12V IGN 2 - +12V voltage reference (to BAT circuit) BAT - The main current output. I believe you can simply hook up the main cable and run a jumper between the output post and the #2 terminal. I'm guessing with the voltage regulator removed, there won't be a backfeed problem. I'm also pretty sure wiring the #2 to the battery (per instructions I googled) won't result in current draw when the car isn't running. That's the OEM configuration of my '78's wiring. I imagine a GM 3-wire is supposed to be wired the same. However, I'll leave it to you to study the back-feed issue when 240's are upgraded to '78 alternators.

Yes, another wire, providing another current path, would offload current from the main harness, provided your connections are good. If I were you, though, I'd go ahead and abandon the wire from the A post. Why? Well, what would happen if the connection were lost on your new wire, perhaps because you forgot to connect it one day? Then you'd be sending 105A through the harness wiring. KISS is always best. I think the "E" is probably an "F," probably for "field." I believe it's energized by your voltage regulator. When it's energized, your alternator puts out. There are differences in the wiring of external and internal regulator systems, and I regret I don't really know the differences that well. I think Dave's your guy (Z's Ondabrain) for this one. I think you need a diode on the field coil to prevent backfeed to your system when upgrading to an internally regulated alternator. Otherwise you won't be able to kill the ignition! There's probably plenty of info out there (e.g. Atlantic Z) about how to do the conversion. Simple mod.

I don't have a good answer for you. There are different versions of the ICM, so you might not have the right one. Or you might have one from a different year that can be hooked up with 5 of the 6 wires. I don't really know the different variations of the ICM over the years. Once you pair up the colors that match, is there one color left over? I'm afraid someone else is going to have to advise you from here. This is a job for Level III tech support!

Color codes keys are at the lower right of the diagram. For instance, I think "L" is blue, but I can't remember for sure.

Antique = Nicely Broken In

See post #18. Coz gave you a link to the free, downloadable factory service manual. You'll find all the necessary diagrams there. BTW, just because you replaced a part doesn't necessarily mean it's good. Sometimes (albeit infrequently) it might be bad.

Ah, well, considering post #17, if you relocate that secondary wire from the starter post to the alternator-side of the shunt (as I've described the above circuit), then your ammeter will show system discharge too. :-)

That's why they call me Fast Woman! Actually I just have a time advantage over you and Coz, because I'm on the East Coast.

Well, if you do that, your ammeter won't work. I don't know if that's a problem to you. You should also have a maxifuse or fusible link somewhere in the line between the alternator and the battery. If you want to keep your ammeter intact, you might consider disconnecting it and removing the shunt from the back. Then drill a hole through the shunt that is positioned maybe 40% of the distance between the two holes. Remove the black wire from the A post, and substitute your heavier wire (capable of carrying maybe 120A -- automotive standards, not household) from the A post to a mounting block where you are to relocate the ammeter shunt. Connect the heavy wire to the hole you drilled, and connect the closer end of the shunt to a 120A maxifuse (or 120A fusible link). Connect the other end of the maxifuse to the battery. Now run small gauge wire from both sides of the shunt to both sides of the ammeter. Your ammeter will no longer be as sensitive and will peak at full scale at hopefully around 105A. It also won't show system discharge, unless perhaps it's through a shorted alternator.

Dave, I'll just mention, since you're making your own, that an LED enthusiast friend of mine lost most of the LED lighting in his RV when a voltage regulator went bad. His off-the-shelf, mass-marketed LED lights used drop resistors, and just a bit of an overvoltage can result in a fatal spike in current. I have another LED enthusiast friend who manufactures LED lights for marine use. He uses transistors instead of drop resistors to limit current through the LEDs. That way you regulate current with a resistor on the base of the transistor, and voltage spikes aren't nearly so consequential (with respect to the entire supply voltage, rather than with respect to the top end of the voltage range above the forward bias voltage of the stack). Food for thought.

Sledge, all good advice above. Just a minor note, though: Don't touch the (-) terminal of your coil with your multimeter when the engine is either cranking or running, or you'll possibly lose your multimeter. (It depends on the multimeter, though.)

Ajm, maybe you should just name the club strategically, e.g. the Cherry Hill Great Old Cars Club. To me, "old" is a badge of honor. To a tooner kid, it would be a grave insult.

Sledgehammer, I assume when you say you grounded a plug that you placed a plug wire NEAR ground to look for a spark jumping from the wire to ground. Yes? A better test is to pull the center wire off of the distributor (the one coming from the ignition coil) and placing it maybe 1/8" from a ground point. The bolts on the stock tower are good for this. Another great way to test for spark is to spray some starter fluid in the intake and try cranking the engine. If it will fire (and then die), it has spark. Assuming you really don't have spark, I completely agree with Jon. I did a retrofit with a GM HEI module and found it quite easy. It worked well, and the total cost was only $14. Instructions are here: http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/gmhei.html BTW, it can be a bit disconcerting when dozens of people read a post and nobody comments, but you have to understand those are the lurkers. You probably need to wait at least 24-48 hr before you're certain nobody has anything to say. Keep faith! Your Z will run like a champ when everything is straight. Good luck!