Drowning Puppies Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 car is an 88 GL, handed over $300 for the thing and have been trying to get it running for a few days now. new/known good things: battery, coil, cap & rotor, tbelts (timing good), plugs gapped to .041ish can't get spark out of it. cranks all day long, healthily enough, almost tries to fire every once in a while. any bright ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Insure the coil bracket is well grounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 first thing i would do is check you wires then test your coil with a multi meter to make sure it is working, if it is try a different cap even though its new it could still be at fault. it could also be the igniton module but that is unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 we thought about wires but are kind of refusing to believe that it could be so simple. planning to grab a set on the way out tomorrow anyway. if i'm not mistaken we have confirmed a good coil via testing it directly off the battery. will check cap and bracket ground as well. ignition module? how would we test functionality of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) i don't even know if there is a way, but i think it is more than likely wires or cap. a visual check of cap might not tell you anything. you can check for a crack by putting some white refined flour in the cap and cranking it if there is a crack it will show up burned, but if you are not getting power from the coil this will show nothing. also the cap could be bad internally to where there is no way to check it. best thing to do is try a different known good cap. the best way to check the coil is with an inexpensive multi-meter very useful tool to have and they only cost around five bucks at habor frieght. i can't remember the procedure on how to check the coil, but you should be able to find it in a diy car Manuel, maybe even on this site use the search function it is very helpfull Edited August 20, 2012 by mikaleda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 a link for igniton module testing http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=134135 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 we have a multimeter. coil definitely good. thanks for the link. really hoping to drive this thing off the PO's property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 You can't test the module that way on the SPFI cars (such as the '88 in question) as they use an external ignitor (ignition amp) that's triggered by the ECU. It is not in the distributor - the distributor is a crank angle sensor and that's it. If you don't have spark at the coil tower (forget about the cap/rotor/wires/plugs for now) then either the coil is bad, the igintion amp is bad, the coil bracket is not properly grounded, you have no power to the coil/amp or the ECU is faulty or not powered/grounded properly. Start by pulling codes - the ECU is self-diagnostic and can point you in a general direction which can easily save many hours of troubleshooting. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 You can't test the module that way on the SPFI cars (such as the '88 in question) as they use an external ignitor (ignition amp) that's triggered by the ECU. It is not in the distributor - the distributor is a crank angle sensor and that's it. If you don't have spark at the coil tower (forget about the cap/rotor/wires/plugs for now) then either the coil is bad, the igintion amp is bad, the coil bracket is not properly grounded, you have no power to the coil/amp or the ECU is faulty or not powered/grounded properly. Start by pulling codes - the ECU is self-diagnostic and can point you in a general direction which can easily save many hours of troubleshooting. GD guh, where were you when i was desperately trying to fix my loyale back in the day in portland? coil can't be bad. also has power to it i believe. coil bracket ground already on list of things to check. if i had an obd reader, this process would obviously get a lot easier...we may have one kicking around the shop, but it's unlikely. if we actually do and no one has told me that, i'm going to cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 i don't think you need a reader on the older gen subies i know i don't on my 90 legacy. also did not know it was ea82 engine but i think gd is right check your codes first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Can't use a code reader on pre-'95 Subaru's. You connect the white or black read memory connectors under the dash by the ECU or behind the driver's side strut tower. Codes are displayed as long and short flashes on the O2 monitor light on the side of the ECU. As for where I was... been working on Subaru's in Portland for 10 years now. Doing it proffesionally for three - owned my own shop since March.... Been on the board that whole time. Perhaps I didn't see your post. If I had access to the car I could likely have it running in a few minutes. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 What about if the left side timing belt is broken? Then the distributor won't spin and you won't get a spark. Take the distributor cap off and watch the rotor as you crank the engine. If it spins then the left belt has not broken yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Yes - timing belt is a possibility as well. Also the screw that keeps the rotor from spinning.... though he claims to have replaced the rotor. GD Edited August 20, 2012 by GeneralDisorder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deener Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Also worth mentioning...I ran in circles for a while exactly like this when I simply had a blown fuse - believe it or not, its the one labelled for 'horn/hazzard'. I can't recall the slot number, but its worth it to check yours. I know it sounds crazy but what happened is that I had been messing around with my stereo wiring and left a certain little green wire exposed. It grounded out on the ashtray, and then popped that particular fuse. Without that fuse I could not get spark - someone might know the particulars but I think that fuse has something to do with power to the ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biblios58 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Jumped Time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Jumped Time WRONG That would not affect spark production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 timing belts are actually the first thing that happened. brand new, timing on. shroud is still off too so can, uh, visually confirm its presence. distributor is definitely spinning, we tested the coil with the trunk light wiring out of my pontiac. GD, will see if it's throwing any codes. Deener, thanks for heads up on odd fuse issue. will check that as well. updates tonight theoretically, since i know you all are just on the edge of your seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 well, that was easy. didn't even get as far as checking ecu or ign module. did wires, made sure to get a damn good seat on the coil one, and replaced the horn/hazards fuse (which was of course gone). started first try and immediately idled on its own. ticked for a little while, blew some smoke, now revs and drives happily. thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Yes - timing belt is a possibility as well. Also the screw that keeps the rotor from spinning.... though he claims to have replaced the rotor. GD that screw stopped me dead in my tracks, I was on the freeway, that screw that holds the rotor in place came loose and it was like someone shut the car off, I came to a dead stop on the freeway. GD towed me to his house and he had it running again in less then 5 minutes. I'd listen to what GD tells you, follow his advice, then change your user name to something a little less offensive. Edited August 21, 2012 by Stubies Subie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 that screw stopped me dead in my tracks, I was on the freeway, that screw that holds the rotor in place came loose and it was like someone shut the car off, I came to a dead stop on the freeway. GD towed me to his house and he had it running again in less then 5 minutes. I'd listen to what GD tells you, follow his advice, then change your user name to something a little less offensive. ya you probably should change your user name . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 oh and my two bitts make sure distributor is grounded to block as silly as it sounds and check ig fuse and the black under hood fuse box for burt fusabble links and the main power feed to under hood fuse box very rare to loose spark ushaly looses the injector pulse the distrbutor has two curcuts one controls spark and one controls injector pulse check to c if it pulses injector when cranked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowning Puppies Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 it's actually my friend's login from when he had a legacy about five years ago...mine seems to have been purged from the user base here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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