1977 dodge van no spark.
05-19-2009, 03:08 PM
#1
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1977 dodge van no spark.
Well I parked my dodge van 5 years ago and it was running.Now no spark from coil wire.I took 2 ecm to murrays and they tested good.One of the boxes(from my buddys 72 van) sparks only when the key is turned off from the start position and it sparks just once every time the keys turned on and off.The other one that was on my van,no spark or nothing.Any suggestion?If I can remember correctly i think i was getting 6 or 9 volts to the positive side of the coil if that helps.Thanks Mark
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Loren Arnold (03-04-2022)
05-21-2009, 05:14 PM
#6
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is there any kind of anti-theft device that might be grounding the ignition?
if the coil sparks, it seems to be a bad signal from the distributor. i've never had one go bad but hey, that's just me. this problem usually turns out to be a bad resistor. maybe you might want to check resistor voltage while cranking and running a test groundto the distributor. also, if cranking voltage is low (weak battery) it won't fire.
if the coil sparks, it seems to be a bad signal from the distributor. i've never had one go bad but hey, that's just me. this problem usually turns out to be a bad resistor. maybe you might want to check resistor voltage while cranking and running a test groundto the distributor. also, if cranking voltage is low (weak battery) it won't fire.
05-22-2009, 02:01 AM
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a voltmeter is best but you can watch how bright the bulb is on the test light. if it goes out, you've got a possible bad connection somewhere. i'm just trying to see if the power is cutting out while cranking.
you can run a jumper to the hot lead for the module and see if it runs while hot wired. it might overheat the module if left that way for a while.
could it go bad yes but i've never seen one go bad.
you can run a jumper to the hot lead for the module and see if it runs while hot wired. it might overheat the module if left that way for a while.
could it go bad yes but i've never seen one go bad.
05-22-2009, 10:34 AM
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ballast resistor, yes.
pick up the line at the resistor. be careful, that resistor gets red hot (but still looks cool).
i suspect your ecu is dead as it doesn't give any spark when switched on/off. do both modules have the same number of pins?
refresh my memory, does the ballast have 2 or 4 wires?
i think the ecu modules with 4 pins uses a 2 wire resistor and the 5 pin uses the 4 wire resistor.
pick up the line at the resistor. be careful, that resistor gets red hot (but still looks cool).
i suspect your ecu is dead as it doesn't give any spark when switched on/off. do both modules have the same number of pins?
refresh my memory, does the ballast have 2 or 4 wires?
i think the ecu modules with 4 pins uses a 2 wire resistor and the 5 pin uses the 4 wire resistor.
05-22-2009, 09:19 PM
#13
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Dont want to be a spoiler on your thread, but you need to go to radio shack or harbor freight and get a DMM, "digital multi meter" to check the actual voltage, resistance, and continuity. Been an electrician for 20 years. This tool should really be in everybodys toolbox. ok the light works, are you getting 2 volts or 12? Know what I mean. I'm very good at electrical, but dont know my chrysler igniton things yet, but I will. I'll be here if you need help on theory or other things.
05-23-2009, 06:22 AM
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hi...yeah im getting power to all 4 tabs on the b resistor...and i do have a digital multimeter...let me know if this test i read about is accurate.I hooked a test light to the positive side of the battery and neg side of coil..cranked engine to determine if there is a pulse signal..no pulse in test light...is that a accurate test?
05-23-2009, 06:33 AM
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that would work with points but i don't know if it would work with electronic ign.
you had voltage out of the ballast resistor while cranking, correct?
what might test fire the ecu is to disconnect the connector from the distributor and momentarily bridge the terminals from the connector on the ecu side. each time you connect/disconnect it should fire a spark.
you had voltage out of the ballast resistor while cranking, correct?
what might test fire the ecu is to disconnect the connector from the distributor and momentarily bridge the terminals from the connector on the ecu side. each time you connect/disconnect it should fire a spark.
08-21-2012, 05:01 PM
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Sorry to reply to an old thread but nothing else online explains this pain in the butt problem with a fix. Worked for me. I have a 1985 dodge b 250 van. It has a 360ci engine and 4 barrel quadrajet carb. Several times i have had a problem where it will not start but turns over fine. It was not getting a spark except just when i switched the ignition off. Once i spent days in my driveway trying to figure it out and changed a bunch of parts. What fixed it is I jiggled the automatic shifter while in park and/or put it in neutral and it started right up.
The symptoms are that everything works but it will not get a spark except when the ignition is turned off and it will get one spark then.
The symptoms are that everything works but it will not get a spark except when the ignition is turned off and it will get one spark then.
08-21-2012, 10:12 PM
#20
I would bet you have a bad ign switch or a wiring problem. I had a 79B100 Van . IGN was intermittent -was a problem with the wiring for the ign module. Could sometimes get it to work by wiggling the wiring harness. . Eliminated the problem when I installed the MSD 6AL
03-06-2022, 12:49 PM
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a voltmeter is best but you can watch how bright the bulb is on the test light. if it goes out, you've got a possible bad connection somewhere. i'm just trying to see if the power is cutting out while cranking.
you can run a jumper to the hot lead for the module and see if it runs while hot wired. it might overheat the module if left that way for a while.
could it go bad yes but i've never seen one go bad.
you can run a jumper to the hot lead for the module and see if it runs while hot wired. it might overheat the module if left that way for a while.
could it go bad yes but i've never seen one go bad.
Run a jumper to the hot lead for what module??
To the positive terminal of the ignition coil??
Last edited by abbasmotorsports; 03-06-2022 at 12:52 PM.
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