hi everyone,i fired up my motor for the first time...runs like a charm....til it died. if i take a wire from the battery+side and hook it to the +side coil,it'll run all day long.if i hook it up the way it should,(wire from the + coil to the harness),it'll fire then die.but here is the thing:when it goes to fire and befor it dies if i keep on cranking it(i know it's no good on the starter,or flywheel)she'll run. i was reading grants post below and it sounds like the same problem.only difference is i'm using my old 69.5 wiring harness with the dash mounted ignition switch.is it possible the ignition switch flew south?thanks in advance for any ideas or input...chuck.
sounds line a ground to me chuck. i had a 77 mustang one time that would do the exact same thing, turned out it was the module that had lost its ground. when the ignition is in start postion it had ground but when i released the ignition to the it run position it would sputter then quit. turned out the mudule being aluminum had corroded and lost ground to the inner fender, once the was cleaned off it was fine. yours being a points car first thing i would check is the ground to your engine. do you have the strap that goes from the engine to the firewall hooked up? it could be that your engine is losing its ground when the starter is disengaged.
if i remember, when you are starting, full 12v goes to the coil to start the car. when you let go of the switch, it switches to another circuit which sends something like 8v to the coil for normal running. sounds like something is wrong in the run circuit like maybe a fusable link melted or something. you're not getting anything to the coil during normal mode; just during start mode. just turn the key to the on position and test for power to the coil. you can run a wire direct from the battery, but in a short time you will fry the ignition points. you must put a resistor in the circuit to drop the voltage to the points. yes, check for a good ground on the engine, but since it is firing on the start, you probably have a ground.
ok heres whats happening so far.this morning when i first started it,it ran fine.i didn't have a ground from the block to firewall.shut it off,and never started again.i went and put in a new coil,points and condensor,thinking that was the problem,but it wasn't.guy at the parts store said to run a jumper wire from the +side of battery over to the coil,and if it runs then there is something wrong with the wiring.well,doing it that way it runs great,pull the wire off the battery,it dies.i ran a ground strap from the block over to the firewall,and it didn't make a difference.as long as i keep cranking it over it'll run,but as soon as it springs over to the regular run position,something is killing the juice to the coil,and it dies.i've had people tell me it's a ground,others say,it's the ignition switch,i don't know.i turned the ignition switch to the run position,with the coil wire hooked into the harness,the way it should be,and checked for spark at the points and i have nothing.run the wire from the battery to the coil and it sparks like it was the 4th of july.if anyone has anymore ideas,send'em my way.if anyone would like to give me a call,feel free.thanks for all the help guys...chuck. (440)466-6995
The electrical path to the coil during starter turn over is different than the RUN circuit. There is a dropping resistor in the run lead. You either have a bad ignition switch, broken wire or an inline resistor open. This is standard practice even on EFI cars, to have two circuits. The way it acts is the clue to what part of the circuit has a fault. Check for power at the coil with the ignition switch just to ON (run) if that circuit is in fact open you will read no voltage proving the fault.
My guess is that the wires are on the starter solenoid wrong. There is a crank side which will let it start but not stay running after it starts. The wires are switched. Had this happen on a BroncoII a while back after a guy changed his solenoid out.
up and running again!!! it was a loose run wire(red and blue)at the harness,coming from the firewall,engine side.would like to thank everyone for the help,and suggestions...chuck.
