Not getting power to coil

[AZKen]

Take off distributor cap, leave plug wires on it.

Take the red and black wires of the Pertronix off of the coil and do this with them. (You will have to reconnect the negative battery cable I told you to disconnect)


1. Connect a jumper wire from the Ignitor Plate to battery ground post. this is the plate inside the distributor that the Pertronix stuff is mounted to.
2. Connect the Red wire from the Ignitor to the battery positive terminal along with the red lead from a volt meter.
3. Attach the Black wire form the Ignitor to the black lead of the voltmeter.
4. Move or rotate the magnet sleeve (black round piece) in front of the Ignitor Module (black box), the voltmeter should vary from battery voltage to 0 volts and back. So should see 12V.....0......12V....0....as you as you rotate it by hand or crank motor.

[newyorksong]

What is the magnet sleeve? Is that the black ring? That only moves about 1/4 of an inch or so.

[newyorksong]

Ah I see I can crank the engine and watch, hooking up multimetter now

[AZKen]

Yes, the black sleeve. Those are the instructions from Pertronix. I agree they did not explain why they say "by hand or crank motor". You will have to crank motor I guess, I'm not up on this test. Just be careful that wires are safe from touching anything or get caught in a moving part. Rig it up, shouldn't have to crank much to get a reading on MM. It's either going to stay on zero or stay on 12V during rotation if it's bad.

Do you have a ballast resistor?
Does coil say internally resisted or externally resisted on it?
How long has the motor been running good and starting good. days, months, years?
FYI: Older (first generation) Pertronix would burn out if key left on.

[newyorksong]

Okay hope I got that mess right. Think so. It wasn't changing much showed between 8v and 6v and 7v and 8 etc during cranking.

[newyorksong]

What with being 73 and my back, and it being freezing out it's a bit of a challenge.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

I don't know a thing about petronix, but reemember that that gray wire from the key is a resistor wire and runs 6 volts. I know you're talking about the connections at the igniter, but saying it ran from 6-8 volts made me want to speak up.
I'll go back to watching now

[newyorksong]

This 305V6 has run perfectly ever since I got her a few years ago. Then I started having trouble turning her (my shoulder) without power steering and finally found a 73 Chevy G10 Van with a 250 and 3 on tree and power steering. MUCH easier on the shoulder so I parked the GMC though I keep her tab current. So she has been sitting about a year with me starting her every few weeks. Then winter hit and the Chevy Van quit. So I tried to bring my GMC back but she wouldn't start. A lot of work and new carb has the 73 Van going but I don't feel too confident without my pickup running, These are my only vehicles they are my daily runners and without them I am going nowhere.

[AZKen]

Fetch, the test is done with coil not in the circuit. So the resistance wire is not either.
OK New York. let's go back after it when conditions are better, body and temp. That unit is supposed to make and break like points. Doesn't seem to be doing that. So gotta decide what to do. Price wise and reliability wise. Talk tomorrow.
Can you post a few pics of your test set up?

You didn't answer a few of my last questions

[newyorksong]

Ya Ken got a bit too cold out there tonight. Tomorrow I will re-rig it and take pcis along with new readings. Don't want to go back to points though, hate that adjustment. Thanks so much for the help!