Expert: Dennis W - 9/3/2007

Question
Deep breath....

Ok, I recently rebuilt my son's 302 EFI. The motor is back in, and the harness, belts, hoses, etc, etc, etc are all back in place. I tried to start it with no luck. Using a test light, I checked to make sure that my 12v wire going in to the coil was hot and followed it to the plug to the control module which also has 12v. I have replaced the control module, ignition pickup coil, ignition coil and still no luck. I have a strong 12v going to all ignition components, but no fire in the distributor itself. I show no ground faults using a test light. Three days and counting working on this problem. I have a friend with his own shop. He stopped by today, but was unable to chase it down either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Did you make sure the distributor is turning? Rotor installed? Make sure all the grounds are connected, clean, and tight.

You did not mention the year or model of vehicle. This could make a difference as some had a module mounted to distributor, some remote.

Using your test light, probe the negative side of the coil, should blink when cranking the engine. If not, and the distributor turns, either the pickup is bad, you have a wiring problem, or a PCM problem. Make sure to use quality ignition parts. Many aftermarket ignition modules are not worth the money.