Well Now I've done it!

CobraEd · #1 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 08:05 AM

My Classic Roadsters has been running great. Had a terrific time cruising around Sunday except that recently, it will not crank when I turn the key. It has gotten to the point where this now happens very often. But if you push the car and pop the clutch, it fires right up, so I have just been dealing with it.

Anyway, I determined that the problem is the solonoid and I replaced it. Now the car cranks over great every time, but IT WILL NOT FIRE UP AND RUN

I looked and saw that while changing out the solonoid, I knocked a bunch of the connecters off the 4 wire Duraspark plug. So I stuck them back the way I *thought* they went on. Nothing!!! So I went into the house and got the big CR build manual and got the correct wiring and connected everything back as per the book, . . . NOTHING!

I am hoping that I just blew out the duraspark box when I wired it wrong and thats it.

Any ideas are welcome

Unhappy Ed

Ron61 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 09:39 AM

Ed,

I am not familiar with your Duraspark box, but can you take an ohm meter and see if it is open or shorted between any of the terminals? Most likely you blew a chip or whatever they use in those boxes. Can you wire around the box and see if the car will start? That is what I do with my Jacobs if I have a problem. Sorry that I can't tell you more. Maybe a suggestion. Don't ever put electrical wires back on where you think they go.

Ron

xlr8or · #3 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 01:53 PM

Verify that your ignition box has power when the key is in the start position and in the on position. Maybe the wiring is wrong and you no longer have ignition power when cranking.

CobraEd · #4 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 01:58 PM

Is the hot lead to the ignition typically fused in most cars?? For some reason, I thought that ignition was not fused. But who knows, maybe I blew a fuse.

Ed

dscott · #5 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 03:24 PM

Check the ignition 1 fuse. It probably blew.
Don

I have the fuse block diagram in my gallery.

fxbill · #6 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 10:24 PM

If the dura spark is the standard Ford electronic ignition box I have at least one or two laying around from pre MSD days. You're welcome to one if you need it.

Jack21 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-13-2005, 11:04 PM

Any circuit not protected by a fuse or circuit breaker is asking for trouble. You'd be (unpleasantly) surprised at just how flammable fiberglass is!

If you're still running a stock Duraspark, you might consider upgrading to a CD (capacitor discharge, multiple spark) ignition system. Although MSD is the defacto standard, there are several equally good ones on the market. Crane, Accel, Jacobs, Mallory.

CobraEd · #8 (**permalink**) 04-14-2005, 06:49 AM

Thanks guys for your help and offer of the box. Since the start of this fiasco Sunday afternoon, I now have the following:

1) My CR build manual with the proper wiring connectivity
2) A detailed Duraspark functional wiring diagram (from the Internet) showing exactly what each color coded wire does
3) I now know that the ignition IS fused and I know where the fuse is

So, I believe that I have everything I need to dig in and find the answer.

Just as an FYI, I do have an MSD box on the car, but the first thing I did was bypass that and try the Duraspark directly, and it still wouldnt run, so I know the MSD is not the problem.

Right now I suspect the fuse or the Duraspark box

Muchas Gracias to all!!!

Ed

CobraEd · #9 (**permalink**) 04-25-2005, 11:13 AM

For those of you who may be interested, I fixed the problem and the car is running again.

When I knocked to wires out of the Duraspark connector, I first put them back how I thought they looked like they should go. WRONG!

Then I got out the CR book and put the wires back as per the book. Still nothing. After lots of troubleshooting, I found that the three wires to the distributer were not as per the book. Whoever built the car years ago, switched the wires between the black gound and the purple magnetic pickup. The reason the car ran all these years, is because they switched the same two wires at the Duraspark module, so the wrong wires were used, but the circuit was good.

So, I wired it all up properly and "VROOM"

One problem was that from trying to start it over the last two weeks while pumping the gas a few times each time, I think I got a fair amount of gas in the oil. What a lot of lifter clatter when it started. I shut it down and changed the oil and filter, and after running for a few minutes, it seems to be fine.

Ed