Brand new to me 74 914, No spark or very little Options

[Kevkroll]

I was referred here because I was told you guys are a very helpful Bunch so I have a question if you don't mind. Please forgive me I know this is probably been asked before but I can't not find it. I have a 1974 914 1.8. I recently put a new coil in yet I still have no spark if not extremely low amount of spark due to that obviously the car will not start. It cranks perfectly but I have no spark can anybody help me?

[mgphoto]

I was referred here because I was told you guys are a very helpful Bunch so I have a question if you don't mind. Please forgive me I know this is probably been asked before but I can't not find it. I have a 1974 914 1.8. I recently put a new coil in yet I still have no spark if not extremely low amount of spark due to that obviously the car will not start. It cranks perfectly but I have no spark can anybody help me?

Clean the points or replace, replace condenser, check rotor and cap, clean or replace.
Check the plug wires, they could be the wrong resistance. Check engine ground strap body to tranny.
Swap to a pertronix.
Daunting task but not impossible.
Leave updates here.

[Dave_Darling]

Step 1: Do you know for a fact that you don't have spark? Test with an extra plug; hook to a plug wire and tape with the threads or outer electrode touching a ground. Look for spark when cranking the starter.

Step 2: Make sure the coil is hooked up properly. There should be three wires and one big cable going to it.
- The wire feeding power to the coil is black with a red stripe, though the stripe can fade over the years. It is the thicker of the two black wires coming from the ignition wiring harness to the coil. This gets plugged into the (+) terminal on the coil.
- The tach signal wire is black with a purple stripe; again the stripe can fade. It's the thinner of the two black wires going to the coil. It gets plugged into the (-) terminal on the coil.
- The wire that takes the signal from the points (by way of the condensor) is green, and it plugs into the (-) terminal of the coil.
- The L-jet cars actually have a white wire that plugs into the (-) terminal as well; this tells the FI when the sparks are occurring.
- Finally, there is the fat cable from the center terminal of the coil to the center terminal of the distributor.

Step 2: Check for power to the (+) terminal of the coil when the key is on.

Step 3: Make sure the ground braid inside the distributor is attached to the points plate and to the distributor body.

Step 4: Unplug the tach signal wire from the coil (-) terminal to take it out of the circuit. A failing tach or a short to ground in that wire will prevent sparks from happening. (Which is a decent anti-theft device BTW.)

If everything above checks out and you still don't have spark, double check that the points are actually opening and closing, and that when open the wire that goes to them actually does hort to ground.

--DD

[StarBear]

Amazingly, I also have a '74 1.8 and started having exactly the same problem only a few days within this one. Question: what should be the resistance in the coil-to-distributor wire? Mine measures about 590 ohms which seems a log and might (?) also (?) be the problem.

[jim912928]

You mentioned the spark might be weak? Might just be the method you are checking it. Do you hear the fuel pump running? If the car has been sitting your AFM might be sticking. There is a flap (forgot the technical name) that opens as the engine sucks air in. When it opens it turns on the fuel pump. If it’s stuck closed...fuel pump won’t turn on. Easiest way to check is take off the air filter and push open the flap you’ll see. Had this same problem when I had a 1.8l motor in mine.

Also check the rubber connector between afm and intake plenum...where it bends is prone to cracks that are not always visible and inhibits it’s ability to run if it’s a big enough crack.

Note: I assume you still have the ljet FI in the car.