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My 75 F100 w/ a 360 won't start. It cranks great and has plenty of fuel being delivered but will not fire. I pullled the number 8 wire and checked for spark. Nothing. I pulled the coil wire off of the distributor and nothing ther also. I am not even sure if I should get anyhting from the coil wire at all. I am thinkin bad coil. I have taken the fresh air pump off of it and have a few loose vacuum connections but I am not sure if this would cause it not to start. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks, Travis
If you want to test the coil, pull a spark plug and stick it in the coil instead of the wire running to the dizzy, (or at the end of the wire running to the dizzy). Crank the motor and see if it fires. Always worked for me.
Plug those vacuum lines! If you're not getting a spark, obviously it's unrelated, but it won't run worth half a damn if you've got a vacuum leak. Pick up a test light from Kragen or the like, and check the + coil wire. If no power, follow the wire back...
Most likely it's your coil, as if your solenoid went out, your motor wouldn't be cranking. If you do the spark plug trick, and get no spark, then check with the test light. Light goes on, coil bad. Light doesn't go on, just follow back, as there's not too much between the battery and the coil...
Okay, bought a new coil and installed it. Same symptoms. Test light is at work as I am movong right now ans have little tools. However I notice that when I turn the ignition key on/off this box is clicking that I have provided a photo of. Can anyone tell me what it is? Thanks, Travis
Also I am going to plug the vaccum lines. I have all the correct fittings to do so with at work and am going to do so when I get my truck to work. This occured after I had removed the smog pump and the large air feed tubes to the heads. Thanks, Travis
Could be 180 degrees outta time as well....was it running before or is this the first time youve tried starting it in a while? IE you just bought it?
-Chris
The best way to check your primary side of the ig system is to get a test light and ground the clip, then probe the connector (NOT THROUGH THE WIRE SHEILDING!!) at the coil - term and crank the motor. That will tell you whether or not the the coil is supposed to be firing. It can be either lit or not with the key on, it depends on the system. No matter what, if your primary system is functioning correctly, the light should blink as you crank your motor. Of course you should check for + at the + terminal first. That is the pickup and IG module collapsing the field in the coil to give you the spark for the plugs.
If the light blinks and there is no spark, it's time to OHM the coil. I've never seen one that had continuity that didn't work. Sometimes they are weak but since you have no spark I'd start with the easy stuff.
Don't just start throwing parts at it, you never learn anything that way.
Figured it out. This last weekend when I was poking around in the engine compartment checking things out, I apparently disturbed an ancient bundle of wires formerly known as a wiring loom. Five or six of the wires had the copper exposed as the brittle sheathing had crumbled away creating a short or shorts of sorts. I have temporarily taped them up and it fired right up. Thank you all for the help that you have offered. I am now going to purchase an engine harness and replace everhting. I guess the shelf life was 32 years for the wires. Not to shabby. Thanks again, Travis.