Is it my coil?

[cd45]

Last weekend I opened the gap on my plugs to .050", today I think my Accel coil gave up on me. I got off of the hiway and it died. I had to push it out of the way of traffic. I had a friend pull me home. When I checked the troubleshooting section of the Haynes manual, one of the things that it listed was the coil. I ordered an MSD from the local parts house for $40. I looked for the write-up on here about coils and couldn't find it. The other thing that was listed that I haven't done yet is the timing belts. When I had them off last year they were in good shape. I hope that the coil fixes it. Any ideas?

[calebz]

Not enough information to diagnose the failure.

 

Do you still have the stock coil? Put it back on and see what happens.

 

It could be any number of things though. Check your T-belts. Pull the distirbutor cap and turn the motor over.. have someone look to see if the rotor is turning.

[Cougar]

One thing you can do is ohm the coil windings and see if the continuity is good.

[heep70]

Read the stuff below.

[Skip]

What was the petrol gauge reading at the time?

[cd45]

Tank is full. Pump working great. Replaced Accel coil with MSD coil, car started right up, then died 1 minute later, after getting rougher and rougher idle. I looked at the rotor while a friend turned the engine over, and it spins like it should. I try to start it now, and it wants to start, just won't quite make it. Any more ideas?

[Skip]

well no car type, no engine series, no year, no fuel system info

 

WAG ---your ignition amplifier is going south

 

check the spark

[edrach]

I'm with Skip on that one; if you have the hitachi distributor, I'd replace the ignition amplifier module if you have no spark with the engine turning over. Best to get one from a wrecking yard since new ones run $100 to $200 depending on where you buy it. There's a similar item in the ND distributor, but I have no experience as to the reliability of those. On my Brat I have tested, used spares in my glovebox for the eventual failure. I don't know what's the problem with the Accel coils; I put a yellow Accel on my Brat three years ago and it's never given me any problems.

[cd45]

EA82, carbed, no turbo, manual D/R tranny. 1987 GL Wagon. Sorry, I always forget that.

[MilesFox]

not so much that the amplifier is going bad but .050 will stress it and make it fail till it sots a while. i spent the night at a gas station 45 miles fom home. swapped out hte accel for the stock coil and mad e it home. changed the disty and the ar still ran ill but runs. anyway the gap may be too much without a beefier ignitor

 

try .045 and see if that helps

[cd45]

thanks

[cd45]

Okay, I regapped my plugs to .045. Car started up and ran perfectly for about a minute. Then it started loping and smoking, and then died. I restarted it and had to keep my foot on the gas pedal to keep it running, it smoked the whole time.

I am going to get the ignition module tested to see if that is the problem.

[MilesFox]

i wonder if your problem lies elsewhere. could the fuel pump fuse be out. i say this over starting a car that had no fuses, the pump wpuld kick on when the key was turned, but without the fuse it wasnt reading the signal from the distrubitor to keep pumping

 

start the car and for the minute that its running feel the fuel pump and verify its pumping, you will feel it vibrate. tghe fuel pump is located in front of the passenger rear tire under the car above a triangular mounting plate. be careful the mounting bolts may twist off, have the cable ties handy!

 

if you have some help feel the pump when the key is turning and feel for it to stop.

 

if it does stop, you can run a toggle to the pump from somewhere + on the fuse panel or wire it into the + terminal of the coil. this will keep it going until you find the problem, if its invilving the fuel pump circuit

[Skip]

These symptoms

 

Then it started loping and smoking, and then died. I restarted it and had to keep my foot on the gas pedal to keep it running, it smoked the whole time.

 

sound more like the carb is dumping,

due normally to

a float needle and seat problem.

 

Peer down the carb throat with a flashlight while it is idling....

is gas kind of pouring onto the throttle plate?

 

Were the plugs black when you pulled them to regap them?

[Flowmastered87GL]

You know, it does kind of sound like what my 86 GL did when the carb was dumping fuel. I would have to go with skip on this one. It would run for afew minutes, I'd drive it around the parking lot then it would just die.

 

I had to take the air cleaner off and raise the idle to limp it 15 miles to my new house when I moved.

 

So ya if you see a little waterfall of fuel going in the carb.... either swap the carb or clean/rebuild it. (I swapped in a low mileage used one for like $25 )

[cd45]

I went to the JY today. I got a disty for the pickup coil. One of the wires looked like it was mouse chewed, almost half way through. I also picked up another carb. This is where my question comes in, how do I use one with a 4 wire plug on a car with a 3 wire plug? I think that the carb I bought through O'Reilly's had the 4 wire plug but, I used the 3 wire plug from my old one. Where do I get a 3 wire plug? Does anyone have one? Now the car turns over but does not start, will not even try to catch. The one I bought from the parts store had an adjustment for the jet, the one from the JY does not. I ordered two carb rebuild kits from the parts store, I will do a rebuild and wee what I get. I know that this is going to be something simple, I just won't know until I get it all done.