Technical GM Points Distributor no sparky

For a quick way to find a area to start with a meter, I’ve used a test light. Put it on the point side to see if it flashes while cranking, then check the distributor body for grounding and then check the breaker plate. Then bust out the meter when you find the problem area.

 

My old credit card pocket multimeter was much easier to use



Swapped condenser wire around, when I hold this in my hand and ground body with points closed it'll got to 200 ish then screen goes back to zero



When I isolate the wire on the paper and use the probe it only reads 32



With points open and a piece of cardboard slipped between it reads around 28 (starts around 150 then drops to 28) if I hold wire in my hand it goes to 180

 

Connect the meter wires to you hands, see what it does....you can see that your skin conducts electricity, to some extent. It's best to try to keep your fingers out of the circuit, when trying to measure things with a meter.

that's an autoranging meter, so you have to pay attention to the little letters at the top of the display, when you are reading Ohms. The M means Megohms, which is a million Ohms. The K would mean Kilo Ohms, which is 1000 Ohms. If it just shows the Omega symbol, then it's just Ohms.

The OL indication is Open Loop, which means there is infinite resistance, it's an open circuit, it's not connected.

Yes, this stuff takes a while to learn how it works. I got lucky and learned when I was a kid, my dad was an electrical engineer.

 

I am 100% paced with an RVT pacemaker, it works 24/7 to make my heart beat, so I'm sure there's electrical current coursing through my body.
My old meter was easy to diagnose with it seemed, this one the numbers constantly move never locking in per say.

 

I did a continuity test on that black wire and it read good

 

Ha ha ha, never !

 

Id be a little scared working with ignition systems on engines with a pace maker, especially if you have solid core wires, not sure if that affects the pace maker.

 

I bet it was the guy you got the crane points eliminator from, that dude is shady..

 

Note to everybody, Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

 

Simple turn on switch check voltage at the distributor side of coil points open 12v points closed 0v

 

I bet it was when he tried to start it.

 

That point gap looks a tad wide, Are you sure that you didn't set the gap with the rubbing block on the flat of the distributor cam rather than on the tip of one of the lobes along with having the condenser in backwards that grounded it out to begin with?

I've gone out and looked at more than one "I just did a tuneup and now it won't start" car that the points were never closing on because the guy set them with the rubbing block against the flat of the cam rather than the tip.

 

Again I know how to set up points lol

That's why I posted here, because it has me stumped, it's not something that's an easy fix and it was many years ago since I messed with it so I don't remember all the exact tolerances off hand.
I was more in line with things like, is the plate upside down, did I even remove the plate when I did the Crane swap, the intricate details of the distributor.

 

It really worked well until that cruise night incident, rev limiter was accurate and everything, even if I did get it from the shady side of town.

 

Yes, everything is much different now especially knowing if it goes patoot, I go patoot, variable speed drill will certainly effect the rhythm if it's to close. I just have to be more aware of my surroundings and what other people are doing that may effect it, I do have a couple cars with full MSD setups that I have to be more cautious around.
But hey, I'm still alive and enjoying the hobby, even if it's a little altered from the past.

 

So if I chuck the distributor in a vice, hook a coil to it, low voltage trickle charger battery charger on the coil with ground to distributor body, would it spark at the points as long as it functions normally ???
Trying to figure out a way to test it without pulling the dual point out and sticking the single in the engine.

 

connect the ohm meter to the coil wire, and to the distributor housing, and rotate the distributor shaft slowly. The reading should change from some small number of Ohms, to OL (infinite), back and forth as the points close and open. If it does that, it's working.

 

The shrink tubing over the crimped connectors is the one thing that hadn’t been seen in the first post. As @Doublepumper and I suggested the condenser lead had the points grounded. Once you corrected that it may be possible that the fault lies inside that shrink tubing. I’d try hooking up the coil after cutting off those extra connections and see if it works.

 

Add a modified coil wire to a spark plug may show things in a clearer light. Don’t know about using a battery charger though?

 

I have tested the resistance of that wire (like checking a sparkplug wire) it does test good.

 

I need six hands to hold wires and video tape the whole process lol

 

you need clip leads....used to be able to buy them at radio shack, I don't know where you can find them these days. Clever use of masking tape might work, instead.

 

Battery chargers are generally bad power sources, old ones just give rectified AC which pulsates horribly from 0V up to perhaps 20V, fine for charging or perhaps feeding a light bulb but not good for many other things, an more modern "intelligent" charger often senses it is not hooked to a good battery and refuses to turn on at all, and even if it does the voltage spikes an ignition coil can produce even on the primary side could potentially kill such an electronic device especially when there isn't a battery included to smooth it all out.

 

Harbor Freight has plenty of them packaged with several clipped leads all being different in color.

 

Not enough hands; get the neighbor kid to hold the coil wire when you spin the distributor; he'll be able to let you know if it works.

 

All of my ohm meter connections have the black wire plugged into the common terminal.

 

What sentence did you get for beating the snot out of the couple sitting in your car?