I was driving the truck around the block and when driving up a hill the truck died. I checked everything and it looked fine but when I tried to start it "no go." I finally checked the spark and I have no spark.

Not sure what happened or where to begin.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

Craig

 

If everything is tight like your cil wire and you have good points, I might suspect your duraspark box.

 

I'm not sure what you meant by "check everything." When diagnosing a no-start issue, being specific is very important.

Try the following test: with the coil connected, connect a test light from the TACH TEST post of the coil down to engine ground. Use the key to crank the engine over, and the light should BLINK. Report your results and we will go from there.

Do not replace anything until you have solid, objective proof that the part is actually bad.

 

Then Napa would go out of business lol.

 

ok... I will get back with you guys as soon as I can test.

Craig

 

no spark, no blinking light.

Any idea?

Craig

 

If the light is not blinking, the module is not firing the coil. This means one of several things:

1. The module is not getting a signal from the distributor to fire the coil.
2. The module is getting a signal, but not doing anything with it.
3. The module does not have power.
4. The coil does not have power.

Let's start with number one. Disconnect the distributor connector, and use a multimeter to measure the resistance between the ORANGE and PURPLE wires on the distributor part of the connector. It should be between 400 and 700 ohms.

 

EDIT: I'm very sorry, I just noticed your truck is a '74. Does your truck have points? If so, then my last post is not valid. If the light didn't blink then the coil is not getting power or the points are not breaking. Let me know.

 

this does not have points.

Craig

 

Thanks Craig; refer to my previous post then.

 

Where is the distributor connector?

Craig

 

Right under the bottom rim of the distributor cap adapter is a booted pigtail that exits the distributor. It's three wires (orange, purple and black). If you follow the wires a few inches you can disconnect the distributor.

 

Thanks for the help. I traced it all down and found out that that one of the wires from the coil had come off. I was able to put a new end on the wire and reconnect and everything works great!

Thanks again for your assistance,

Craig

 

Glad to hear it all worked out.