76 2.0 not starting Options

[Rjmathison]

Still need some help.. my all stock 76 2.0 isn't starting. It was running excellent a month ago after installing petronix. All of a sudden it was having a intermittent stuttering problem but went away. After parking, went out the next day and it would only turn over but not start.
Thinking the petronix went bad, I replace points/condenser and it fired up and seemed to be running /idling fine. Turned it off and then it won't start again.
Fuel pump is working and the i tank fuel screen is intact. It's Not getting spark. Stumped !!!

[worn]

Still need some help.. my all stock 76 2.0 isn't starting. It was running excellent a month ago after installing petronix. All of a sudden it was having a intermittent stuttering problem but went away. After parking, went out the next day and it would only turn over but not start.
Thinking the petronix went bad, I replace points/condenser and it fired up and seemed to be running /idling fine. Turned it off and then it won't start again.
Fuel pump is working and the i tank fuel screen is intact. It's Not getting spark. Stumped !!!

Fuel pump working? Do you hear it when you turn the key? Do you hear the injectors fire when you slowly push the pedal down with the ignition on. Want to rule that part out.

Then do you get 12 volts to the coil with switch on? Does the distributor have a good ground path (if you have the pertronix I think it has a ground lug?)How old are the plugs? From my own bitter experience I have come to suspect the coil. Do you have a spare and/or does the existing one have the right resistances?

I have a 76 too - went through this not long ago.

[rhodyguy]

Btw, The car is like it came out of a time capsule. Beautiful 2.0 with Malaga red original paint, super interior and looks to be a 76' with all the leftover parts out of the factory bins. Stunning unmolested survivor. My guess is a late production #.

No spark. I thought about it all the way home. I think your coil might be suspect Ross.

Fuel pump energizes briefly with key in the first position. After a bit of cranking you get a faint whiff of fuel at the engine. Plugs were not pulled. Spark test with both a spare plug and a timing light showed no sign of spark. For the first coil test, one checks for voltage to the coil at the positive terminal with the key on? That would be coil terminal #15 (Haynes wiring diagram)? The coil body is grey in color.

I'll go look for a spare coil for you to try.

[Rjmathison]

Btw, The car is like it came out of a time capsule. Beautiful 2.0 with Malaga red original paint, super interior and looks to be a 76' with all the leftover parts out of the factory bins. Stunning unmolested survivor. My guess is a late production #.

No spark. I thought about it all the way home. I think your coil might be suspect Ross.

Fuel pump energizes briefly with key in the first position. After a bit of cranking you get a faint whiff of fuel at the engine. Plugs were not pulled. Spark test with both a spare plug and a timing light showed no sign of spark. For the first coil test, one checks for voltage to the coil at the positive terminal with the key on? That would be coil terminal #15 (Haynes wiring diagram)? The coil body is grey in color.

I'll go look for a spare coil for you to try.

Sooo, putting the old (working) coil in didn't help!!
Still stumped !

[porschetub]

Btw, The car is like it came out of a time capsule. Beautiful 2.0 with Malaga red original paint, super interior and looks to be a 76' with all the leftover parts out of the factory bins. Stunning unmolested survivor. My guess is a late production #.

No spark. I thought about it all the way home. I think your coil might be suspect Ross.

Fuel pump energizes briefly with key in the first position. After a bit of cranking you get a faint whiff of fuel at the engine. Plugs were not pulled. Spark test with both a spare plug and a timing light showed no sign of spark. For the first coil test, one checks for voltage to the coil at the positive terminal with the key on? That would be coil terminal #15 (Haynes wiring diagram)? The coil body is grey in color.

I'll go look for a spare coil for you to try.

Sooo, putting the old (working) coil in didn't help!!
Still stumped !

The old coil maybe won't work with Pertronix anyway did you buy the right coil for the unit to start with ? early unit will work with Bosch blue,or Beru sports coil (so called),later pertronix ignitor II require one with less resistance if I remember right.
Have run so many of theses units and never had an issue, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif) .

[Rjmathison]

I put the old Bosch blue coil back in and with new points and condenser. Still nothing .

[rgalla9146]

I'd clean the points contact surfaces and re-adjust the points

[914_teener]

Check the ground lead inside the dizzy.

[Rand]

Check the ground lead inside the dizzy.

That was my thought. The way it was somewhat intermittent, then went dead, I'd definitely check the braided ground wire between the advance plates. You could pull a plug wire, stick a plug in so you can ground it against the case, then watch the spark color while someone cranks it for you. If the spark is a weak yellow color instead of a bright snappy blue, that wire would be my first suspect. Not an uncommon failure for one end to break loose. If there's zero spark, you've ruled out fuel or vice versa. Quick way to narrow things down.

[worn]

Check the ground lead inside the dizzy.

That was my thought. The way it was somewhat intermittent, then went dead, I'd definitely check the braided ground wire between the advance plates. You could pull a plug wire, stick a plug in so you can ground it against the case, then watch the spark color while someone cranks it for you. If the spark is a weak yellow color instead of a bright snappy blue, that wire would be my first suspect. Not an uncommon failure for one end to break loose. If there's zero spark, you've ruled out fuel or vice versa. Quick way to narrow things down.

I should also mention that I bought a new set of points and they failed in less than 50 miles. Started intermittent and ended with a flat bed (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hissyfit.gif)