I do not know where Jimmy is located, but if he is in Canada or U.S. there must be someone who has been responding to his questions that could help him, in person.
OK, let's not Monkey Fart around anymore and get Jimmy's 350 running. We will probably need to wait to get that second set of eyes on it on Wednesday.
Guys!!! I appreciate all of you! You guys are the best and I know people have different opinions and it’s hard to troubleshoot based on a thread. But I want to give all of you some good news. I was in the middle of work (launching a jet out) and received a notification that an individual in my area wanted to help. His name was Mike from TA Performance. He is the owner’s son, he said he would help today if I was free and of course I could not refuse this opportunity. A TA Performance guy helping little old me? So I told him I was down! He showed up and brought some spare parts just in case. He installed an HEI distributor and set everything and she fired up! Installed mine and nothing. We thought it was the dizzy itself or cap and rotor. We had a few beers and he made some calls and figured out the issue might be the condenser so he swapped it out and adjusted the points slightly like barely anything and it fired rough but he had a fancy timing light and got her running beautifully. I still can’t believe this is real lol but he did it. It’s guys like him and like all of you that have helped me this entire time that I am happy to serve this country. Thank you all of you!!! You guys would be drinking beers and tequila with me if I could get you all together!
Wow! Been watching this thread but don't have the knowledge of the other guys to even think of posting but do remember seeing another thread where a guy was needing parts over the holidays when TA was closed and Mike came in anyway and got the guy the parts he needed. Major kudos to Mike and TA once again!!
Had this happen 40 years ago. Yeahh glad it is running You should keep the electronic ignition as it is really better. Now lets go burn some rubber! Good job Mike from TA What do they call that...Too many Chiefs and not enough Braves lol Happens all the time at work.
Nice! It’s very rare to have a faulty condenser, but with Chineseum parts, it’s more prevalent. A Dwell meter is your friend. No matter what you set the point gap at, you still should check the dwell with a meter, and you would have seen your issue at that point too. Way to lend a hand, Mike Jr!
Excellent!! I’m glad you got it sorted out. Kudus (again!) to Mike and T/A! This is the type of thing we all should remember when it’s time to buy parts and ask ‘should I buy the T/A or the cheaper chinesium part?’. Now apply that to your local parts, hardware or whatever store. Apply it when looking at tools, boots, appliances, car parts and repairing vs. replacing old stuff. Patrick
L Like I’ve said before the people at TA are first class. With out them we’d all have Chevy engines because all the 455’s would be taken.
Thanks for the fun evening! Told you we'd get it running The only odd thing I noticed was the coil had 12V going to it with the key on, so it's probably burning the points up because of this. Were the resistor wires braided? Because this had a braided wire that was forked/spliced going to 1 wire that went down to the starter and 1 to the coil.
Sounds like the stock resistor wire set up to me Mike. It had sort of a cloth covering. You'll get a 12 volt reading at the coil if the points are open. You have to check with them closed. The wire from the starter bypasses the resistance wire only when cranking. From my FAQ thread, To test the system for proper functioning requires a volt meter. Connect the voltmeter between the positive side of the coil and ground. Turn the ignition switch to the run position. The reading should be 5.0-5.5 volts. It is important that the ignition points be closed for this test. If the points are open, the voltmeter reading will be full battery voltage. Bump the engine over until the points are closed, and check again. Again, 5.0-5.5 volts is the normal reading with the engine stopped, ignition key in the run position, and the voltmeter connected between the positive side of the coil and ground. The second part of the functionality test requires that you pull the coil wire out of the distributor, and ground it so the engine will not start. With voltmeter connected as before, crank the engine continuously, and observe the voltmeter. The reading should jump from the previous 5-5.5 volt reading up to 9 volts minimum. If it does not, it indicates a problem with the shorting switch inside the starter solenoid, or a wiring problem between the "R" terminal of the solenoid, and the coil. This will result in hard starting when cold.
Mike Jr. How is the timing set at now? Can u state for the record? Thanks to you and senior for getting us.out of this problem.
Cool. I've never fiddled with points in the car, we have the luxury of a distributor curve machine lol. Thanks Larry.
Again, nope! KOEO voltage at coil + will be around 5.5v with the points closed, and around 9v with the points open, providing the resistance wire is still in place and all wiring is good. How can you get 12v to the coil KOEO when 12v from the ignition switch is going through the resistance wire? Cranking voltage at the coil + should be at least 9v. Ideally, it will be highly, but a lot depends on how much voltage drop during cranking occurs. Cold temps, worn-out starter, etc will cause the voltage to be closer to 9v. Less resistance during cranking equals higher voltage, but a minimum of 9v is needed to aid in starting. This is the only time the coil receives full battery voltage, or the points will burn in a very short time. As mentioned, this comes from the starter “bypass circuit” or “jump-out circuit”. With the engine running, the resistance wire cuts the voltage down to the coil + to around 9v and the starter circuit is now open.
