[DeTomaso] Here we go again--need more help

[Christopher Kimball]

I don't have an old coil.  Maybe I'll call msd and see what they say, although if the box were fried it seems as if the LED wouldn't blink as if everything were normal.

Sincerely,

Chris

To: SOBill at aol.com; chrisvkimball at msn.com; detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Here we go again--need more help
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:25:50 -0500
From: pantdino at aol.com


Do you have an old coil lying around that you could put in to rule out a bad coil?


I don't know if a coil can fail and still have normal impedances.


 


Jim













-----Original Message-----

From: SOBill at aol.com

To: chrisvkimball at msn.com; detomaso at realbig.com

Sent: Sat, Dec 18, 2010 5:13 pm

Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Here we go again--need more help





The MSD is a capacitive discharge ignition which switches around a  200 
volt spike into the coil to fire the plugs. Without special test equipment  you 
can not measure this event.
 
Have fun  today,

sobill at aol.com  

 
In a message dated 12/18/2010 4:24:49 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
chrisvkimball at msn.com writes:


OK,  so I take off the 12v constant wire and solder it to the ring clip and 
 re-attach it to the same terminal as the solenoid's 12 connection from the 
 battery.  While I'm at it, I solder three ground wires, too.

I  start the car.  It turns over about five times as if it were going to  
start, then it dies and suddenly there is no spark.  I put the timing  light 
on #1 cylinder and tried to start it again to be sure that was the  problem, 
and it flashed once, than nothing.  The engine kept turning  over, but no 
spark.  I tried loosening and tightening a few connections  in case of 
corrosion, but that didn't help.  During one of my subsequent  attempts to start 

the car (while practicing the definition of insanity) the  timing light 
flashed once, but still no sound of electrical life from the  car.

I had my wife crank it while I removed the spark plug wire from  the coil 
and gently touched it to the coil terminal to see if there were any  sparks 
there, and there was nothing.

I disconnected the coil and  measured the impedance across the two small 
terminals of the coil and it read  almost 0, and across the ground terminal 
and the main coil output, and that  read about 6 or 7 ohms.  I think those are 
both normal.

What  should I do next?  The MSD box's little red LED flashed as it should  
while the car is cranking, and remains on when the ignition is in the on  
position.

Is there a way I can measure voltage going into the coil from  the MSD box 
to see it the coil is the problem?

I am really at my wits  end here.

Thanks,

(the ever-frustrated) Chris

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