Re: Testing for ignition voltage

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxx>]

Can also use timing light for same purpose. In fact, timing chains and
harmonic balancers are all so old on my Lincolns (requires timing by
ear) that is primary use of my light now.

Shocked ever living mess out of myself once. Will never it again.
Won't even turn distributor by hand (unless distributor so sticky you
need hammer & screwdriver, turn engine off first).

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx> wrote:
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Travis Goodwin <tgoodwin@xxxx> wrote:
> > I traced my non-start problem back to the coil. I pulled the coil 
> wire and
> > looked for a spark to jump the gap. Nothing.
> <SNIP>
> 
> Be careful! The potential for shock is dangerous as all hell! You can 
> easily get killed, or maimed! If not by the shock itself, it can be 
> anything dangerous that you'll hit when you jump back! 
> 
> If you need to check for spark, pull a sparkplug wire off, and 
> connect it to a another sparkplug, and lay it on the intake manifold. 
> That'll create a ground, and you can SAFELY view the spark jumping 
> the gap. Otherwise, I found a tool @ Pep Boys that allows you to view 
> spark on the coil wire by touching the sheilding with it. It looks 
> like an ink pen, and contains a small tube with neon gas that 
> illuminates when voltage goes thru the wire.
> 
> 
> > When I go to start the car I am assuming I should have 12V across 
> the coil,
> > which I do not at the moment. I checked voltage on the right side. 
> The
> > voltage from the resistor is ok and I have continuity and ground to 
> the
> > capacitor. The trouble seems to be on the left side. I've got 
> nothing coming
> > from the White/Slate wire that leads to the ignition control behind 
> the
> > driver's seat.
> <SNIP>
> 
> The White/Slate colored wire delivers impulses from the Distributor. 
> The Distributor rotates, and creates the pulses. These pulses are 
> then used to trip the RPM relay, drive the Tach, and supply engine 
> speed info to the Ignition ECU, and the Ignition coil. If the motor 
> is stopped, you won't recieve any voltage/signal on this line.
> 
> Which reminds me. When you tested for voltage output from the 
> Ignition Coil, were you cranking the motor, did you have the RPM 
> relay jumped, or was the motor off?
> 
> -Robert
> vin 6585 "X"