Distributor not getting spark

[Mitchell Scheer]

Hello,

I am a new member. I just bought a 1986 chevy K10 about 2 weeks ago. On the drive home it seemed to be running fine. It suddenly died and wouldn't restart. I have troubleshot the fuel pump being bad and replaced that. The next think was that the distributor was not getting spark. I replaced the the ICM, Coil, and rotor cap. Still no spark. I went as far as to test the fusible links as well all are good. I'm running out of ideas and the next thing I can think of are the ESC or the pick up coil. Any ideas?

 

[Goldie Driver]

Just did my module the other day and probably knocked one of the spade terminals loose putting the cap back on.

It would not start - trust me.

Free to check, just the time to do it.

And, a free bump.

Good Luck!

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Is the distributor hot lead getting power? If not, the problem is separate from the distributor. If so, you’ll have to go back through and test everything.

Arbitrarily throwing parts at an ignition system generally puts you in a worse position, especially if you replaced OEM-grade parts with your Duralasts and MasterPros. If you did go that route, it’s not a matter of if your ignition system will fail again but rather when it’ll fail again. It’s also fairly common to get dud parts out of the box, especially with the cheap stuff, so it’s not inconceivable to have two or more problems after a blitzkrieg of parts replacement. It’s almost all Delco for me except for their distributor cap, but I will say the Blue Streak product line that O’Reilly’s has for your cap, rotor, and ignition coil is pretty good.

Virtually every parts store has an ICM tester. It’s not infallible, but it’s way more often right than wrong, especially if you have them run it three or four times so the thing gets hot. That’s what I’d do second after checking for power. The ignition coil and pickup coil are multimeter testable, but I would encourage you to check the easy stuff before moving to those. Here are the ignition coil and pickup coil procedures:

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[Vbb199]

I vote failed ignition module.

(Maybe)

Did you replace the module BEFORE the coil?
If so, a failing coil will right quickly cook a ignition module

 

[fast68chevy]

not muh anyoine can do from behind a keyboard, you have to check your pickup coil for ohms resistance to make sure its not open, and also make sure the ICM is good, and also make suire the ground metal strap piece form one of the four ign coil mountign screws is intact and not missing,., some distributors didnt have this and had a black ground wire with an eye for one of the four mounting screws to ground the coil, instred of a metal strap piece.

does the BATT coil wire have 12 volt with key in run position?

ICM and pickup coil are the top two most common failures that cause no spark all of a sudden.. aso the center button for the rotor contact in the middle of the distrib cap can be worn down and too short or missing. check this too.


and the magnetic/points set, that derive/send signal from the pickup coil, to signal to the ICM to make spark, can go weak and lose magnetism enough to cause no spark too. but this is not typicall/nearly as common as a p/u coil or ICM failure. if you do replace the ICM make sure you use actual heat sink compound paste, and NOT dielectric grease, or it will overheat and fail again. anyone who claims or says anything else or different is a dummy and has no idea anything about control modules and how they dissipate heat.
and heat is the number one cause of failure of any control module.

save the dielectric grease for spark plug boots and for wiring connectors only

and ESc was simply basic HEI system with an added feature starting in 1980 1981. it is simply the addition of a spakr knock signal circuit, to retard the timing when knock is detected in the engine bottom end. there is a knock sensor and a knock sensor control module under the dash. and 5 or 7 pin ICM.

 

[Mitchell Scheer]

There is 12 volts going to the coil. Replaced coil first then ICM. Tested all connectors for continuity and they were fine. I haven't gotten around to testing pick up coil yet.

 

[HotRodPC]

Is the ESC still being used and hooked up? You know there's a way to bypass that. You have to cut the green and black wires out of the plug in and twist or solder them together. Make sure you have ignition power to the BAT terminal on the distributor and now it works just like a standard HEI Dizzy with no spark control. So now you set your initial timing and the only thing you have for advance is the centrifical weights and vac advance.

 

[Mitchell Scheer]

I did know that there is a way to bypass the ESC. Kind of hesitant on cutting wires, because not fully sure where the problem lies.

 

[Matt69olds]

Put a test light on the tach terminal. Does the light come on? If not, either the distributor doesn’t have power, the coil is open (defective) Crank the engine. If the light flickers, the coil is being triggered by the module.

Test light isn’t flickering? Inspect the wires for the pickup coil. It’s not uncommon for the wire to break after being constantly bent/straightened by the movement of the vacuum advance canister.

 

[Swearbody]

I have a video of the esc delete on my youtube channel. Its a super easy 10min fix that should be done to any sbc that has it. It sucks. You can find the video in the video section.

 

[Mitchell Scheer]

I used a spark test light that doesn't light up at all when cranking the engine. I have verified 12v is going to the coil .

 

[Vbb199]

I used a spark test light that doesn't light up at all when cranking the engine. I have verified 12v is going to the coil .

Module applies extra voltage to the coil during cranking (or under 400 rpms) then goes into bypass mode once the rpms have reached over 400.

Pretty sure its the ignition module under the dist cap.

At least thats how the tbi works?

 

[Mitchell Scheer]

What would I need to do for a pick up coil replacement?
Tested and retested the coil and icm today and everything is in good.

 

[AuroraGirl]

What would I need to do for a pick up coil replacement?
Tested and retested the coil and icm today and everything is in good.

honestly, i would check your local listings.. buy a used known distributor and drop in place with correct timing(find tdc cylinder 1 yada yada) and try that.. if it fixes your issue, work that way. if you then want a new dist you could or you could fix your original. im saying this because i have literally 7 distributors and my diagnosis would save a lot of time just popping it out and popping another in place. But if you only have one, a used one isnt gonna cost more than 20-40 dollars. Then you could have a spare if you fix it?!

Ideas

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

What would I need to do for a pick up coil replacement?
Tested and retested the coil and icm today and everything is in good.

Did you test the pickup coil per the video? You have to pull the distributor, and the only special tool you need is a punch. Stolen from another site...

• Mark the distributor shaft and gear so they can be reassembled in the same relationship.

• Secure the distributor shaft housing in a bench vise and drive out the roll pin with a hammer and punch.

• Remove the gear and tanged washer, then check the shaft for burrs. If none are found, pull the shaft from the distributor.

• Remove the three attaching screws and separate the magnetic shield.

• Remove the C-clip and detach the pick-up coil assembly.

• Install the new pick-up coil assembly and make sure the C-clip is seated in the groove.

• Install the shaft. Make sure that it's clean and lubricated.

• Install the tanged washer (with the tangs facing up), the gear and the roll pin, using the mark you made earlier to put it back in the same position.

• Spin the shaft to make sure that the teeth on the distributor shaft don't touch the teeth on the pick-up coil pole piece.

• If the teeth touch, loosen, adjust and retighten the pole piece to eliminate contact.

• Install the distributor in the engine.