123Ignition Problem, No spark - Is it my wires? Options

[clapeza]

I've installed the 123Ignition distributor in my 1970 1.7 Djet, but I've got no spark. My car was running well enough before. I bought the Djet friendly distributor (4-R-V-IE) and a new Bosch Blue Coil during the group buy, but kept my (not so) old spark plug wires. When cranking, I get no attempt to start. I checked for spark by clipping my timing light lead on the #1 wire, but get no flash, suggesting no spark.

I installed the distributor per the instructions and the helpful hints from the group buy thread. Left the black wire off the coil to set the static timing. I saw the timing LED through one of the slots, as expected. I rotated it until it went off, then back until it just went on.

While rotating it, I got a mechanical solenoid sound ("BZZZzztt") from inside the distributor that lasted a second at most. No one has mentioned this previously, so I thought I would to make sure it's what everyone else has seen.

Connected the black wire to the coil, then attempted to crank it. All the usual noises are there for any attempted ignition, except no sounds like it's trying to fire. No catch, no backfire, etc.

My spark plug wires are Bosch Ultra-Premium 7mm Opti-Layer Copper Core. They're not that old, and are still in good shape. I've checked the boots and the connectors, making sure they're making good contact inside the cap. I know there was the option to buy new wires from 123Ignition, but I kept the old ones since they are in good shape; but are they not up to snuff for this distributor?

[914_teener]

So tell us why you would leave the ground wire off the distributor to set the timing?

[Morrie]

So tell us why you would leave the ground wire off the distributor to set the timing?

That isn't a ground wire in the conventional sense. It goes to the points, or in this case the electronic equivalent. When the rotor turns, the cam on the shaft closes the points, creating a ground path for the coil primary side. This collapses the field on the primary and the secondary side (its a little step up transformer inside) pulses the HV out the HV lead to the distributor which "distributes" the spark signal to the plug wire the rotor is pointing to. We disconnect it using the method in the instructions (the on board LED in the distributor) so that when the internal points close, we don't get high voltage running to the cap while it is off and your hands are in there?

Make sense?

[clapeza]

So tell us why you would leave the ground wire off the distributor to set the timing?

That isn't a ground wire in the conventional sense. It goes to the points, or in this case the electronic equivalent. When the rotor turns, the cam on the shaft closes the points, creating a ground path for the coil primary side. This collapses the field on the primary and the secondary side (its a little step up transformer inside) pulses the HV out the HV lead to the distributor which "distributes" the spark signal to the plug wire the rotor is pointing to. We disconnect it using the method in the instructions (the on board LED in the distributor) so that when the internal points close, we don't get high voltage running to the cap while it is off and your hands are in there?

Make sense?

That's what I was thinking.