There is a rubber gasket that should have grease applied that sits between the coil and the cap on top of the coil button, was that installed?
At a loss......
- Thread starter rubio9800
- Start date
- Status
i come with good news (so far)
After replacing the ignition coil/cap and using a low resistance bushing (MSD) car fired up on the first try.
I let the car idle and it did not shut off at all!!!
After car was warmed up i checked the voltages, here is what i have (i let the car idle like 10-15 mins)
Battery:14.42v
Alternator: 14.43v (250amp alternator)
Distributor: 14.26v
I've yet to drive it, during all this discovered also have a leaky oil pan gasket (will replace that next)
What do you guys think? Ill feel more comfortable after driving it around.
After replacing the ignition coil/cap and using a low resistance bushing (MSD) car fired up on the first try.
I let the car idle and it did not shut off at all!!!
After car was warmed up i checked the voltages, here is what i have (i let the car idle like 10-15 mins)
Battery:14.42v
Alternator: 14.43v (250amp alternator)
Distributor: 14.26v
I've yet to drive it, during all this discovered also have a leaky oil pan gasket (will replace that next)
What do you guys think? Ill feel more comfortable after driving it around.
Driving it will really be the only way to tell, however I believe those are decent voltages.
understood, i will report back when i take out for a drive. will try to do that asap
Hello everyone,
I went on a short drive, ugh maybe 7-8 miles. Went on the freeway, up some hills too car drove smooth and did not randomly shut off.
I guess time will tell if the root cause was the cap/coil but will update this thread if the same thing ends up happening.
Thank you everyone for the support and guiding me through this whole ordeal.
All i can say is this forum is amazing
Thank you again all for your time
I went on a short drive, ugh maybe 7-8 miles. Went on the freeway, up some hills too car drove smooth and did not randomly shut off.
I guess time will tell if the root cause was the cap/coil but will update this thread if the same thing ends up happening.
Thank you everyone for the support and guiding me through this whole ordeal.
All i can say is this forum is amazing
Thank you again all for your time
Last edited:
You did your part as well. Providing details, asking questions, & then following up w/your results.
That last bit is commonly not done & leaves things up in the air for the next person that comes along on a web based search for answers.
That last bit is commonly not done & leaves things up in the air for the next person that comes along on a web based search for answers.
For your 81, it is likely that the fusible link, (possibly two) will be found down on the starter motor attached to the large, 3/8ths stud, on the solenoid.
Me being curious here, what style of distributor does your motor run? The big head or cap version of the HEI, or the small cap version? Is there a small sort of triangular canister located on the base of the distributor on the passenger's side and, if so, is there a length of hose running from it to somewhere on the carburetor?
Other items to consider here. Fuel Pump. Simple test for this would be to disconnect the fuel line from the pump to the carb, run a line from the pump to a catch can, disconnect the battery lead from the distributor head, it is a plugin that is attached to the HEI coil on the drivers side of the distributor, and then crank the motor, if the pump is good it should fill the can fairly quickly. If the fuel flow is slow or sporadic then the pump is weak and needs to be replaced. (Don't forget to re-attach that battery lead back to the Distributor when you are done one way or the other as the car won't run with it unconnected)
Rereading your initial message, Does your vehicle have the early edition of ECM or EEE module on board and have you taken a look at this "Computer"? I use the term computer very loosely here. It actually is more of a ROM module that takes input from sensors on the engine and uses it to adjust the advance and idle at the carb and distributor during initial start and warm up as well as while being driven. It has no memory and shows no codes if there are problems. It is typically located behind the kick panel on the passengers side below the dash. The panel just pops off. One of those fusible linked wires is the power feed to it. There are threads to be found elsewhere on this forum that discuss this item and whether or not to hang onto it or decommission it. The only thing about eliminating it is that you then have to find both a replacement distributor and carb as neither one will operate correctly without it. This is why I earlier made mention about the version of the distributor that is in place and the presence/absence of the advance canister and vacuum hose. if they are not to be found then there is a good chance you have that EEC/EEE fossil to deal with.
Ground wires Mostly ignored. Do tend to rot or rust out and just hang there. Engine should have solid mechanical grounds from itself to both the firewall and the frame. You did mention having cleaned the ones you could find. Sometimes it actually takes removing the bolt or fastener that is holding them in place and cleaning underneath them or giving them a good hard tug or pull before you discover that your piece of wire looks good but is rotten at the core.
Key switch. I'll admit this is a bit of a long shot but if the key or the switch itself are worn from age and use, then you might be getting an intermittent circuit on the run side of the switch. On your 81 the key switch is likely to be in the steering mast and neither an easy or fun job to swap out.
Seat Belt switches. Another very long shot. At one point in time, there used to be a safety switch attached to the driver's side seat belt and the car would not start unless the seat belt was used. Of course the cheap solution to that used to be to just clip the halves together and sit on the belt but that got old with ticketing for failure to wear. Point here is that possibly you still have that switch attached to your seat belt and it is somehow shorting out. It shouldn't matter to actual driving, just the initial start but with old wiring harnesses who knows?
Nick
Me being curious here, what style of distributor does your motor run? The big head or cap version of the HEI, or the small cap version? Is there a small sort of triangular canister located on the base of the distributor on the passenger's side and, if so, is there a length of hose running from it to somewhere on the carburetor?
Other items to consider here. Fuel Pump. Simple test for this would be to disconnect the fuel line from the pump to the carb, run a line from the pump to a catch can, disconnect the battery lead from the distributor head, it is a plugin that is attached to the HEI coil on the drivers side of the distributor, and then crank the motor, if the pump is good it should fill the can fairly quickly. If the fuel flow is slow or sporadic then the pump is weak and needs to be replaced. (Don't forget to re-attach that battery lead back to the Distributor when you are done one way or the other as the car won't run with it unconnected)
Rereading your initial message, Does your vehicle have the early edition of ECM or EEE module on board and have you taken a look at this "Computer"? I use the term computer very loosely here. It actually is more of a ROM module that takes input from sensors on the engine and uses it to adjust the advance and idle at the carb and distributor during initial start and warm up as well as while being driven. It has no memory and shows no codes if there are problems. It is typically located behind the kick panel on the passengers side below the dash. The panel just pops off. One of those fusible linked wires is the power feed to it. There are threads to be found elsewhere on this forum that discuss this item and whether or not to hang onto it or decommission it. The only thing about eliminating it is that you then have to find both a replacement distributor and carb as neither one will operate correctly without it. This is why I earlier made mention about the version of the distributor that is in place and the presence/absence of the advance canister and vacuum hose. if they are not to be found then there is a good chance you have that EEC/EEE fossil to deal with.
Ground wires Mostly ignored. Do tend to rot or rust out and just hang there. Engine should have solid mechanical grounds from itself to both the firewall and the frame. You did mention having cleaned the ones you could find. Sometimes it actually takes removing the bolt or fastener that is holding them in place and cleaning underneath them or giving them a good hard tug or pull before you discover that your piece of wire looks good but is rotten at the core.
Key switch. I'll admit this is a bit of a long shot but if the key or the switch itself are worn from age and use, then you might be getting an intermittent circuit on the run side of the switch. On your 81 the key switch is likely to be in the steering mast and neither an easy or fun job to swap out.
Seat Belt switches. Another very long shot. At one point in time, there used to be a safety switch attached to the driver's side seat belt and the car would not start unless the seat belt was used. Of course the cheap solution to that used to be to just clip the halves together and sit on the belt but that got old with ticketing for failure to wear. Point here is that possibly you still have that switch attached to your seat belt and it is somehow shorting out. It shouldn't matter to actual driving, just the initial start but with old wiring harnesses who knows?
Nick
i haven’t checked out the fusible links yet but do plan to.
Ground cables i unbolted and used a wire brush wit my drill to clean them up, both sides. Also doing the big 3 i added new 0 gauge grounds on top of stock ones.
I was told my car does have a computer, i don’t know much about it.
Distributor i would say i have cap, looks this (attatched)
Attachments
- Status
