Really need help

[mdcops8]

Okay so My car was running great until i had to screw it up by replacing the distributor. I had an OEM distributor and accel coil and went to put in the new accel distributor and i get nothing. I have the distributor wire hooked up to neg terminal on the coil. Positive coil terminal is connected to a ground on the mounting bracket, the ballast resistor, and there was a piece on it with a thin flat piece of metal that matched up to another thin flat piece of metal on the top of the coil mount. That piece broke off but it was never connected anyway. What was it? And can anyone tell me if this is the right wiring for the distributor and coil? And if correct, and help on what i should check? Thank you in advance. Oh yea, the engine cranks fine but wont start.

 

[mrkinger]

Im not sure, but you need a hot wire from your engine harness ,going to the positive on the coil.do you have spark to your plugs.The positive on the coil isnt a ground

 

[Red63440]

Okay so My car was running great until i had to screw it up by replacing the distributor. I had an OEM distributor and accel coil and went to put in the new accel distributor and i get nothing. I have the distributor wire hooked up to neg terminal on the coil. Positive coil terminal is connected to a ground on the mounting bracket, the ballast resistor, and there was a piece on it with a thin flat piece of metal that matched up to another thin flat piece of metal on the top of the coil mount. That piece broke off but it was never connected anyway. What was it? And can anyone tell me if this is the right wiring for the distributor and coil? And if correct, and help on what i should check? Thank you in advance. Oh yea, the engine cranks fine but wont start.

Your wiring is *** backwards...RED POSITIVE dist. wire to the POSITIVE side of the coil, black dist wire to the NEG side of the coil...

 

[mdcops8]

Your wiring is *** backwards...RED POSITIVE dist. wire to the POSITIVE side of the coil, black dist wire to the NEG side of the coil...

The thing is, it was hooked up that way from the start and it ran great before. I have been trying EVERYTHING and every different combination and i believe i even tried to hook up black/red to neg/pos respectively. Does anyone have a similar year 318 with points distributor that has a pic i can see andd go off of? I will try the dist pos again when i go back out. Thank you guys for replying. Any other ideas?

 

[mdcops8]

Also, i the oem dist had one wire, new one has 2 wires (black and orange) and i read that the orange is for the tach, which i dont have. Can anyone confirm or deny that? I talked to accel from their site and they have no clue about any of their products so it was no help.

 

[Ron of Chicago]

Use a test light and check for voltage at the positive side of the coil with the key on engine off. Then move the test light to the negative side of the coil and check for a pulsing light while cranking the engine.

Ron

 

[mdcops8]

okay so no voltage at all at coil or wires coming from ballast

 

[Hemirunner]

The OEM distributor was a points distributor, sounds like the new one is a hall effect trigger type distributor for electronic ignition. It's not going to fire without an ignition box. Why don't you post the part number of the accell distributor.

 

[mdcops8]

pn 59301 distributor, supposed to be drop-in replacement. Cant even get the old distributor to fire anymore either. No voltage at all from coil in run. Used to have a Haynes manual but cant find it so im trying to get a wiring diagram to manually give the "run" wire 12v and see if thats part of the problem. Also, tried jumping from batt pos to coil pos. That time i was able to get 12v out of neg coil terminal but still no start. Im just so pissed because this is my daily driver and if i just didnt screw with it in the first place, it would still be running great. Its probably something very easy that i havent thought of yet.

 

[mdcops8]

The new accel distributor does operate by the hall effect, does that mean it is electronic ignition? And what else would i need if it were electronic ignition. Please excuse my ignorance, i hate electrical but im learning as i go along. Thanks.

 

[69Bee]

The two wire dist is for electronic ignition, and the original single wire is for a point setup. The coil + (pos) goes to the ballast resistor, and the - (neg) goes to the dist lead on the point setup. The distributor is the connection between the circuit and ground.

Unground the ballast resistor from the coil bracket, you are shorting it out. The coil is not to be grounded on either side.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

The two wire dist is for electronic ignition, and the original single wire is for a point setup. The coil + (pos) goes to the ballast resistor, and the - (neg) goes to the dist lead on the point setup. The distributor is the connection between the circuit and ground.

Unground the ballast resistor from the coil bracket, you are shorting it out. The coil is not to be grounded on either side.

second that!!

 

[Hemi Rebel]

And you had to blow a fuse. So check for that too

 

[Conrad]

I have a 318 in my 74 satellite, let me know if you still want pictures or not. Itll be a bit before I can get them posted its pouring outside right now. I just replaced my coil on it yesterday and fired up on the first try so Im pretty positive all my wiring is right too.

Also quick question of my own, I have a short wire coming off of my coil and it connects to the coil bracket bolt on the engine. If thats not a ground what exactly is it? The end that connects does have a round black plastic piece on it.

 

[Sixer]

A condenser would be my guess-eliminates radio interference.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

That distrib is a mechanical. you have to run a electronic ignition box. It is drop in replacement for electronic set ups not points.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACC-59301/

AND HOLY COW POS COIL TO GROUND ARE YOU CRAZY?!

You have already spent the money on a new distrib you might as well go all the way with the upgrade and get a accel or msd box it will be plug and play at that point and work every time. You can loose you ballast resistor with a new set up.

 

[mdcops8]

A condenser would be my guess-eliminates radio interference.

Yea that "ground" i found out, was a condenser for the radio noise.

 

[mdcops8]

Use a test light and check for voltage at the positive side of the coil with the key on engine off. Then move the test light to the negative side of the coil and check for a pulsing light while cranking the engine.

Ron

Okay so its all wired right, now im getting 12.xx volts at positive side of coil, used test light on negative side of coil while cranking and also on distributor side of coil wire (the one that goes on top of cap) and no voltage at either point. I have a "hot" wire running from batt to ballast resistor, through a switch in the cabin of the car because i was getting no voltage at ballast with key in run position. Where should i go from here to diagnose problem? Before this happened, timing was bouncing around so i replaced the dist drive gear, dist, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and just put on a new double roller timing chain/gear. Thanks for any input, just need to know where to go next to diag. this.

 

[beermiester]

Okay so My car was running great until i had to screw it up by replacing the distributor. I had an OEM distributor and accel coil and went to put in the new accel distributor and i get nothing. I have the distributor wire hooked up to neg terminal on the coil. Positive coil terminal is connected to a ground on the mounting bracket, the ballast resistor, and there was a piece on it with a thin flat piece of metal that matched up to another thin flat piece of metal on the top of the coil mount. That piece broke off but it was never connected anyway. What was it? And can anyone tell me if this is the right wiring for the distributor and coil? And if correct, and help on what i should check? Thank you in advance. Oh yea, the engine cranks fine but wont start.

Hi everyone, I'm new here and I think I might have the answer. Is your new distributor electronic? If so you need the controller for the new distributor too.

 

[Ron of Chicago]

Just to clarify things in my fuzzy brain, you have an electronic distributor but NO module (box)? What year is the car? Point distributors had one wire. Voltage came from the ballast to the positive side of the coil, through the primary windings and out the negative side to the distributor points. When the points were grounded (closed) the primary would build and when the points opened, the field would collapse across the seconday and cause the high voltage spike to come out the center tower to the center on the distributor cap. If you have an electronic distributor the pick up and reluctor under the cap takes the place of the points. Only thing is you have to have power going through the pick up sending the signal to????????? hopefully the control box on the cowl.

I am assuming you have a single ballast?

If you need a good wire diagram, let me know, I'll post one for your engine but if it is supposed to be a points distributor that is what you will get.

Hang in there, it will get easier.
Hope this helps in some way.
Ron