Ignition Questions

Ericv · 05-17-2009, 12:12 PM

I'm having some issues getting spark from a 69E 2.0L engine. To start off with, 12.6 volts is going to the center wire and the CDI box is making a whining sound. I assume from the previous posts that I've read, that's a good thing.
The resistance between terminal "A" on the coil and "1" on the coil sits at 0.6 ohms.
When I measure input voltage from the green wire it's a high number around 36-37 volts. If I connect the green wire to terminal "A" it appears to short out and I get no voltage reading at terminal "A."
If I measure the resistance on the output from the coil and terminal "1", I get a reading of around 1,500 ohms. This number should be around 4,000-5,200 ohms as post by RIP Early S Mans technical article.
The resistance between the CDI box and intake manifold is at 0.4 ohms.

So the question is this. Do the abnormal symtoms of no voltage at terminal "A" and low ohm output from the coil point to a bad coil? I have no history with this engine running. I bought this car out of a barn last April and am to the point where I'm trying to fire up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Eric

stlrj · 05-17-2009, 04:46 PM

It might be a good time to check the points.

Ericv · 05-18-2009, 04:02 PM

The points don't look pitted. The rotor and cap are new. Given the values are out of spec on the coil, I ordered a new one just in case. If I had to replace the points which I know are cheap, I would probably go with petronix so I wouldn't have to worry about the dwell or points again. Thanks for the reply.

304065 · 05-18-2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ericv

I'm having some issues getting spark from a 69E 2.0L engine. To start off with, 12.6 volts is going to the center wire and the CDI box is making a whining sound. I assume from the previous posts that I've read, that's a good thing.
The resistance between terminal "A" on the coil and "1" on the coil sits at 0.6 ohms.
When I measure input voltage from the green wire it's a high number around 36-37 volts. If I connect the green wire to terminal "A" it appears to short out and I get no voltage reading at terminal "A."
If I measure the resistance on the output from the coil and terminal "1", I get a reading of around 1,500 ohms. This number should be around 4,000-5,200 ohms as post by RIP Early S Mans technical article.
The resistance between the CDI box and intake manifold is at 0.4 ohms.

So the question is this. Do the abnormal symtoms of no voltage at terminal "A" and low ohm output from the coil point to a bad coil? I have no history with this engine running. I bought this car out of a barn last April and am to the point where I'm trying to fire up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Eric

First things first. 12.6 at terminal B (the center terminal) and the whine are good. The whine is the high frequency vibration caused by the inverter section working.

Next: Primary resistance between "A" and "1" (high voltage input from the CDI and ground) is .6 ohms. Good- .4-.6 ohms on the primary is good.

Next: secondary resistance between "4" output terminal and "1" ground should be 650-790 ohms, not 1,500 and certainly not 4,000-5,200 ohms. A high reading like that suggests either corrosion or some other problem.

Input voltage? Green wire? I don't understand. If you are talking about measuring input voltage from the blue wire with yellow stripe STOP IMMEDIATELY, you will blow the CDI and potentially give yourself a 460 volt shock. You NEVER put a meter on the coil inputs from the CDI, that's what the pictogram on the coil bracket sticker is all about.

Is this a black coil or a silver brazilian coil?

If you are just starting this car up after long storage, do yourself a favor and search for "Grady Clay" and "storage" for some GREAT advice on all the things you need to do to safely bring a car out from long storage. You can do a ton of damage including burning the car down if the right precautions aren't taken.

Good luck! Let me know your answers to the questions above.

HarryD · 05-18-2009, 11:15 PM

Ditto on what John says about Grady's suggestions.

For your ignition issues, look for posts by Early_S_Man. Find the ones where he discusses the "telegraph test" to determine if the points and CDI are working properly.

And to be a bit self serving, you can find more good info at this thread as well: How do i check a coil with a timing light??

Ericv · 05-19-2009, 04:51 PM

Thanks for the information. I have printed Early S Mans documentation on the three pin Bosche CDI boxes and have read it. I haven't seen a telegraph test so I'm a little unclear on what's needed to complete. I'll reference again to see if I can understand a little bit more. The coil that I have is black and I only have two wires that go to terminal A. One is solid green that I've traced to the A pin on the CD box and the other is green with a yellow stripe. I should have been more clear. This car is a bastard but is in good shape overall. It's a 69E 2.0L in a 70T. From my research, it should have been a 2.2 w/MFI but somewhere in it's history the engine was swapped and the MFI system stripped. 40IDS 3C carbs were put on in it's place. I was referencing a previous post for 4100 ohms and I've reread and see that it way out of spec. I may have been testing incorrectly. I'll get my meter and retry. Again, Thanks for the help.

Ericv · 05-20-2009, 04:55 PM

Thanks Harry, I was able to follow your post for the telegraph test and found that I was getting a nice spark from the CDI box. I believe that the lead wire from the dizzy was not fully seating in the cap. I put a smidge of assembly lube on the rubber so it was fully seated and voila, spark every cycle. I am happy now because it's at least back firing. A couple of weeks ago I adjusted the floats to what I thought was the correct spec but carbs are not getting enough fuel. I think the float tabs are adjusted too high and the needle valves are closing too soon. But, at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I gained a lot of knowledge from this board and trial and error. Thansk again, Eric.