There may be some relationship, or they may be completely different issues.
So guess what? Now that you're feeling better, more testing is in your future! Lucky you...

Yes, but if everything else is working, this should not happen.

This is never (ok, almost never) a bad thing. In general, it's a good thing.

Maybe. But it's not a ground problem. It could be that you messed with something else that was not related, but adding a ground to the core support is not going to cause anything bad to happen anywhere.

Good first test. Not definitive, but a good start. No pun intended!
So this tells us that when your truck won't start, the starter does nothing. Like the battery is dead?
Is it in fact dead?

Probably not an issue. But it's still worth digging into. It's not causing any of the trouble you're experiencing so far as I can tell, but "bad grounds" is practically a mantra when it comes to finding electrical gremlins on old vehicles.
And just who told you to find a faulty ground, and what question were they answering?
The no-starter issue with the engine not cranking with the starter? That could be a faulty ground. But only the big one to the engine.
And if that was the case, then it would be very likely that your other grounds would have melted as soon as you turned the key to START. So it still sounds like another issue at work.

But as to how to test a ground, I'm sure others will chime in with that info, but in the initial stages of "checking grounds" you only need to make sure they're clean and tight, with good solid connections to whatever they are attached to. And that all mating surfaces are clean and rust/paint free.

Nothing wrong with any of that!


When this happens, the first thing to do is wiggle the key. If it's still running, pop the hood open and remove the small Brown wire from the "I" post of the starter relay.
It's a quick pull-off type, so it's easy to grab and pull.
If doing that stops the engine, then you have a problem with the ignition switch, or the wiring between the ignition switch and the ignition components themselves.

A drain IS an amp problem.
That's what you were checking when you pulled the fuses. But if it's in a non-fused circuit, you would use your meter instead.

They're a real bear! Sometimes you have to pry harder than you like, and sometimes you break them. So it's good to leave it for now, but get a small supply of them so you can remove it to eliminate it from the problem list.
However, if your interior lights are not illuminated, and you can't detect voltage on any of the related wires, then that fuse/circuit is not the thing that's draining the battery.
Is the battery being drained?

What ignition fuse? We don't have one on our stock wiring harnesses, so curious which one you're talking about? Is it a fully stock fuse panel, or during your re-wiring under the hood did you replace everything?

If you have voltage at the plug, then you have voltage at the coil. By definition...
But how are you measuring this voltage, and when? And where?

Makes it harder to diagnose. But not impossible!
.
Tell us exactly how it's wired into the system please.
And if you're using this to provide 12v to both the distributor AND the coil, did you retain the Brown "I" wire from the starter relay/solenoid?

Maybe, but that's a real rarity in cases like yours. What kind of alternator are you running, and again, how do you have the relay installed?

Impossible. Well, almost...
If the engine cranks consistently, your ground is good.
If it only cranks intermittently, then it's very possible that you have a bad main ground. But only more information will narrow it down.
Was the negative engine battery cable one of the ones you replaced? Is it store bought, or self built?
When it won't start, tell us EXACTLY what it will, or won't do.

You never know.
It's a legit problem, but it's also kind of a rare issue with our old trucks.

So, we basically still need some more info when you're ready. Have you had a chance to check anything recently? Feeling better than ever? Feeling like tracking down gremlins? (no, don't answer that last question!)

Paul

 

@1TonBasecamp...You r the MAN..............I was just about to ask about the ignition fuse, & according to you there is no such fuse. I almost know I saw on the fuse panel-ignition , BUT I do think I looked the last time I was trying to find my problem that I DID'nt see the ignition wording for the fuse , so I guess your right there is no such fuse. I must have it confused with another vehicle !
I now think I may have or still have a case of covid-19 or a incredible bad case of the flu. I am just now almost over it---I hope.........!!!
Still feel bad ~ but much better...........lol..........
Anyway to answer some of your inquires: truck cranks, but will not start, I checked spark by holding spark plug next to intake and got a good looking spark, I just was told by Pertronix that 9 out of ten times it is a bad ground is why truck will not start or I somehow blew the module in dist............I think I blew the module but do not how this possible could have happened............
@1TonBasecamp your help is amazing...........& it helps me to "get going" , because my SPIRITS have been in the negative universe for many MOONS..............I am forever grateful.............

P.S. Yes I was on my way out the door , just wondered about the phantom ignition fuse..............ha...............

 

Well Igniter II module appears to be ok ! Engine cranks but will not start. Battery drain seems to be better. 12.53v before install- 12.33 after install. After several attempts to start voltage 12.3v .
Did not check for spark. Did 3 ground test. Must go for now............more later.........thank-you ALL. I think timing may be off.........& gas had leaked out of fuel filter....but gas in bowl & poured some in carb , after gas pumped into filter, so I shold have enought gas to fire unless I have 2 much gas in there...............later..............

 

Ok, some more valuable info.
For one thing, if the starter cranks the engine, you don't have a bad ground in that arena.
If the spark exits the plug wire when put up against a piece of metal (a ground, by the way) then the module is still good. Or at least should be...

Next would be the "quality" of the spark. Was/is it weak and yellowish, or snappier and blueish white? This might lead us down another path.
What Pertronix is probably concerned with, is that the module is grounded to the distributor body, that the distributor body is grounded to the engine block, and that the engine block is grounded to the battery.
Here again, if the starter cranks, the engine is well grounded to the battery.
If the distributor and module are well bonded to each other, then the spark should be good. If the spark is weak, there may still be a weak (but not completely bad) connection somewhere.

Paul

 

Battery voltage after 24 in truck not connected: 12.50v
connected:12.23v, 12.20v after about an hour connected.
24 hrs later, 12.4v not connected in truck, 12.17v connected.
I found a black ground wire not connected to the base steering column behind the instrument panel, ( have instrument panel out of truck ) Voltage seemed to very slightly improve after that.....kinda strange.........
I bought a brand new ( supposedly ) battery from Wal-Mart about 17 months ago. It has been on maintainer most of the time. I think it was a return or had been setting on shelf for a long time because they only gave me a 10 or 12 month warranty and it was marked down substantially. Because of this I have always suspected the battery may be bad , but it stays charged & cranks my engine fast . I probably should do a starter amp test...........
Anyway I got my distributor out of wack moving it around trying to get truck started because I think I moved it many moons ago..........
I painted the dot on balancer at the TDC & 10* before top dead center to re-time the engine. I connected a remote starter & my timing light but light will not come on on the timing light. I checked for spark 30 min. earlier by laying spark plug on engine block and rotating dist until a saw a spark, I never saw a spark. I seem to remember it is a little difficult for me to ground out my plug in the past to test for spark but I did get it done & had spark & it appeared fairly strong.
I now am not 100% sure I have voltage at plug , but got it at coil, & engine cranks.........why would I not have voltage at plug......
I need to know is there enough voltage to use a timing light while cranking engine with the remote starter ?
Oh, I remembered when this no start problem started many moons ago , the ignition just clicked; would not turn the starter !!! I recently told you that it would crank. No crank is why I though I had fried my module in my handy dandy new newfangled billet distributor.,,,,,,,,,,, BUT thinking back , I MAY have not had my battery cables connected tight enough..............who knows my brain is strange at times but after a few hours of trouble-shooting I am making slow progress.
Little victories like just painting the timing marks is a huge thrill because I have been very bummed & sick for way too long.............I always do not COMPLETELY realize just how sick I get until I get almost well, I feel incredibly beeter & then I say , wow you really WERE sick...........man I honestly think I could have DIED cuz my fever I THINK was too high............
Anyway back on the farm..............I am happy even though I probably must stop because weather is getting bad , & WINTER just now ACTUALLY at my house, I am making progress for a change & you' all have been great help.........
Thankx..............

 

A voltage regulator fixed a similar issue for me.

 

This is a good sign that the drain is not related to a failing battery.
Next test would be to connect it to the vehicle and disconnect the voltage regulator connector.
If the regulator is somehow keeping the alternator energized, that would drain the battery too. But it would do so fairly quickly as well.

This sounds fairly normal. Batteries do lose some of their charge. I don't know where they are supposed to stop, and I don't have one laying around handy. But I can check the one in my pickup that has been disconnected and not on a charger now for a couple of months.
Let you know later...

Yes, strange. May have just been varying readings, as ground wires don't usually cause a drain from being disconnected. And one at the dash should not effect ignition spark anyway.

Then it's not really "bad" by any normal rating. It might be old, and it might be weaker, but it's not bad.

Three connections. Battery positive and negative, and clamp around plug wire.
Is this a clamp-type inductive reading light? Or one of the older ones where you need to disconnect a wire and hook it up in series?
If the light does not flash, then there is no spark. Or the light has gone bad. It's fairly rare, but it does happen.

Seems like you might not have spark then. Verified with a bare wire and with the timing light.

Because you still need a functioning trigger. And the Ignitor module "might" be bad now. It happens. And it happens more often when you try to test for spark by using the old-school "arc to the block from the plug wire" trick.
I had a perfectly good working Ignitor once and for some reason decided to check the quality of the spark. I put the plug wire too close to the distributor and after one or two sparks, nothing. Fried the module with RFI or something.
But while you might not be able to test a module (but I think there are ways) you can still test the rest.

Yes. If your starter can crank the engine, it's got enough voltage to light a timing light. As long as your starter system is working properly.
When it cranks, is it slow, or does it sound like the starter is cranking at a normal speed?

Just so we're all on the same page here (I think we are, but it never hurts to know), the word "crank" when used here, means that the starter is spinning the engine. Not that it will or won't start up. Just that it is "cranking" the engine.
The term "crank" is often used in place of "firing up" or "starting" or whatever. Comes from the phrase "hand crank" which is how engines used to be started. By "cranking" the engine with a hand crank. Later an electric starter cranked the engine.
I think the use of the phrases "cranked up" and "cranked over" and "turned over" has skewed things over the last 60 or so years. Maybe more. It's also a regional thing. Many parts of this country use crank to indicate the act of the engine firing up. And other countries (England most notably) use "tick over" for the act of the engine firing up. Which is a lot like crank over. So a lot of things to make sure of when we're discussing the act of starting a motor!
But for us here in this discussion, hopefully using the word crank is only to describe the starter spinning the engine.

Right now, with your engine not firing up, is your starting cranking the engine, or not?
If it's cranking, but not firing, and you don't see spark, it's time to work on the ignition system directly.

A simple test to perform is this.
1. Pull the HT lead (high-tension big wire) between the coil and distributor, out of the distributor. Lay it near a good ground, but hopefully as far away from the distributor as it can reach. If it's not long, maybe use another wire. Perhaps pull a long plug wire out and use that. I've done that many times.
2. Find yourself a bit of regular old wire of any gauge and strip both ends bare.
3. Disconnect the distributor's Red power wire from power, and Black trigger wire from the coil. Turn the key to the ON position.
4. Touch one end of your jumper wire to the coil's negative terminal. Touch the other end to a good ground. Only hold it there for a moment.
5. Remove the wire from either end. Whether the ground, or the negative side of the coil does not matter.

As you remove the ground, you should see a relatively huge spark that gives you a loud snapping sound. Should be blue/white or at the very least, a bright mostly white/yellow color.
As long as the main HT coil wire is near a ground, the spark should happen every time you ground and release the negative side of the coil.
You can even test your timing light by clamping it around that wire and seeing if you get a flash.

WARNING: DO NOT LEAVE THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES!
Doing so might possibly overheat the coil. In theory it should not as long as the distributor is disconnected, but turning off the key is a good habit to get into.

Try that and report back.

Paul

 

Another test you can perform quickly and easily while you're working.
Next time you have your hand-starting thingy connected, remove the distributor cap and crank the starter for a second.
If the distributor rotor spins, all good. If it does not, then you have other issues keeping your spark from happening.

Paul

 

Long, non-working on truck day, even thou I should have...
Will elaborate more manana...
1ton, how do you insert the many quotes in the fancy looking boxes in your AMAZING replies...

 

Judicious use of the copy and paste functions.
I hit the quote button and then separate the paragraphs I want to make.
Then copy the prefix and suffix marks that show up. Paste them where I want a quoted paragraph to begin and end.
If you don’t put them in, it doesn’t separate them into different quotes.

Easier said than done. Easier to describe on my computer too, rather than on my phone.

 

On the PC
It is easy
With a little crtl+c & crtl+v
I would not
even try
on a phone
As you can see...

 

Here's what it looks like when you're typing your response.

 

See? I told ‘ya!😎😁

 

So if I do this test, & rotor spins my Ignitor II is OK

 

No. Sorry, I mis-spoke slightly.
Instead of “all is good“ I should’ve just said that one aspect is still good. And that is that the distributor and its gear are still meshing with the cam gear inside the engine.
So there’s no deep diving you have to do in that regard.
But just because the distributor is spinning mechanically, doesn’t mean that the electronics are still good. Further testing may get you that answer. Or it may not.
I thought there was a webpage somewhere that used to describe how to test an Ignitor module. Not sure if it works for all igniter models, but you might check the Pertronix technical pages to see if they have a test procedure for your particular module.

I was just suggesting you check that the rotor is spinning first, just because it’s simple, and will tell you that a worn out gear or sheared roll pin is not the reason for no spark.