My man you just saved me a headache for sure. I just bought a 77 d300 with a 400 and guy said he tried for a hot minute to get it to fire but no luck. I was chasing wires to no luck myself. Seen this video and as soon as I got home tried it out and boom... off to the races. Thank you sir
Thanks very much for this tip ,been chasing the start non start issue on my 66 chrysler new yorker for a few days ,came accross this and I'm running fine now 👍🏻👍🏻
I had the same symptoms you described (I hate 'sometimes' failures worst of all). I followed your advice, cleaned off my box ground & gave it a try. It started right away. I shut it off and tried it again & I was back to square one: rrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrr....and no fire. I bought a new (blue) box at Oreilly's for $27 & hooked it up. Everything works fine now....at least after three starts. Apparently the orange box can go bad over time & work only when it feels like it. Thanks for the video.....short, sweet & good info.
had a 76 dodge 1/2 ton(360/727) back in the early 90's,it kept killing them boxes. i learned to keep a spare! .i sold it . a few years later i spoke the guy who bought it he swaped out the distributer for a points unit..
When my old '74 Satellite was new, from the start it would die, no spark, when it was hot such as summer, bumper to bumper traffic. Let it cool off a while, crank right up. The dealer finally found it was a bad pickup (induction) coil inside the distributor. Apparently there was a break somewhere inside that would open when the engine was hot. Replaced it, and never a problem again.
That's a pretty rare problem. Had it happen on a Proform distributor but not an OEM. I just used a genuine dealer pickup plate. About 30 years ago I had an '81 Imperial that still had the fuel injection on it. One day I was on a back road and it just died. Walked back to a gas station 3-4 miles up the road, got some parts, no luck. Went back and paid $90 for a tow to have it towed 13-15 miles back home. (The guy kept insisting it was farther when he quoted me the price.) Next morning the car started up normally. Did NOTHING.
I’ve got that same issue with the same box in my old D100. It’s been years since I mounted it and bet it’s got a crap connection! Once this snow melts away I’m going to check that. Thanks. 🤘🏼🔧
Yea man. I bet that's what it is. I ran a ground wire straight to the ground on the battery to the front hole on the ecu with one of them star washers so far so good. Hope it fixes yours.
There's a lot of good things about the Chrysler Electronic Ignition and a lot of bad things. It's good that the electronic parts are not under the cap and run cooler. The bad is that it has the narrowest dwell angle of all the factory electronic ignitions, GM being the best. (Which is better for hotter spark at higher RPM). Unless you're doing a full-on resto or working with a car that had it and you want to keep it there are better ignition options out there. Even some of the 'premium' ECU replacements improve on the original like the Rev-N-Nator or the 4 seconds flat box. There's some limitation too because of the small distributor (cap) size. That's why GM went to the larger cap with the HEI coil, to reduce spark scatter and crossfire.
Doh! Now I know why a prior owner ran a braided grounding strap from the engine block to the firewall - by using the bottom bolt of the ecu. And when I 'simplified' the electrical system (dumb move) and moved my ecu to another location, I had firing problems. Now I know due to inconsistent ground. They didn't cover this in the old MoPar training videos. :-)
You are doing a voltage drop test. Any time you find power on the ground side of an electric component it means that your ground circuit is bad. All the circuit has to be connected and the circuit must be powered. Another MOPAR ignition test is to disconnect the 2 pin connector from the distributor. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap and hold it near a ground. Now take the loom portion of the 2 pin connector and drag the male terminal across the intake manifold. If everything is good to the 2 pin connector, you should get a good spark from the coil wire.
Thanks for subscribing! I appreciate you watching. I got alot of stuff planned. I gotta get some better cameras. Lol I lost a bunch of good footage today due to my camera. My phone camera overheated and my action camera didn't record.
@@Dartfreak75 I shoot everything on an iPhone. Whistlin Diesel shoots on an iPhone. Landscape is the ticket. A $20 clip on mic.... you can produce really good stuff.
The ProForm distributor kit use to have an orange box , sometimes they last long or forever (maybe) ,but sometimes they will be just crap ... Last time we got in trouble we tought about using an old Mopar chrome-box but the connector didnt fit..
I had two and yes, they were just crap. I always mounted another 'good' box next to it as a spare. Thank God I did. There's plenty of NOS American made aftermarket boxes out there.
Mine would cut off my truck while driving on the old one. Just put a new one on . 4 day after installing. It back to volts dropping. Hit break engine cut off. It would also be Xtreme hot when I touch the ignition module. So it could be not enough ground. I was thinkinv about adding heatsink thermal on back and run a ground wire from battery to it.
Over the years I have found that the problem was what I had just done. In other words I had created a problem by not making the proper adjustment. Note: on electrical items use electrical paste, the ground and connections last longer.
Yes you are correct. I actually replaced my original one with this orange one because I wasn't getting a spark, at first the orange one worked then it intermittently wouldn't. After I found my problem I hooked up my original one and sure enough it works perfectly fine. Thanks for watching i appreciate it!
@@Dartfreak75 At least you have a spare now. Those boxes do go bad. I have a coupe that got hot enough for the epoxy to run out of them and down the firewall.
@@Dartfreak75 I’d trust a 50 year old used one more than an aftermarket one from a parts store. The best modern adaptation I’ve seen is the one Four Seconds Flat sells. I have yet to try one, but I hear good things. They look very well made and have a built in rev limiter.
Anti-seize works better. It's more conductive. Dielectric grease is insulative that's why it's used for plug wire boots. A lot of problems with these boxes is the really sketchy modern construction and most are Chinese. That huge power switching transistor should have power on the case when it's running. Power will back feed to the case if it's ungrounded. If you look, there's a thin mica insulator between that transistor and the heat sink. I wouldn't be probing it or touching it either. You will get a shock if it's running or damage it. Some of these problems are also due to 'dirty' power input causing the boxes to fail. The old ones had better filtering.
Yes I know I was demonstrating how to tell if the ecm is not grounded. When its not grounded the case is hot. When it was hanging there the test light let thus showing it was not grounded
Man, I bought a new wiring harness for the ECU, ignition coil, and to the dual ballast resistor. I got no spark. I will ground the ECU and see what happens.
Presumably the test light is clipped to ground. Whenever the probe touches something with voltage on it (in this example, the ecu case - but could be any "hot" source like the ignition terminal, a headlight switch, etc) the voltage difference flows current through the test light filament and it lights up. He's expecting it NOT to light, because the case shouldn't have voltage. The fact that it does indicates the poor ground. This only really works if you know the component you're working on is suppressed to be grounded through the case AND you've got the power to it turned in, as he did
I've been searching you tube for a week now and found this video today. Have a 85 Dodge 350 with similar issues. I've thrown new ECU in it. New coil. New resistor. New pickup in the distributor. Still no spark. I'm try what you done here. Now. And still nothing. Any suggestions?
Sorry I'm just seeing this. I have another installment video for testing the spark at the distributor ill post a link here. I'll do my best to help you.
Thanks for your opinion I really appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts with me. I agree it does suck I have changed it in more recent videos. This was one of my earlier videos before I really learned how to edit thats why it's so much louder! Thanks again please check out some of my newer content and feel free to give me pointers on how I can improve them as well!
We never use test lights. We are told to throw them out. They dont show you voltage. Buy a good brand multimeter and learn to use it on voltage, amperage and resistance scales and this issue would have been diagnosed faster than a test light could any day.
I have a multimeter I use also. I have learned how to look at the bulb on a test light and judge the voltage by the brightness of the bulb. But yes I understand what you mean. I believe test lights have a purpose and work well for that intended purpose
@@Dartfreak75 i have 2 but we are not even allowed to solder anymore. Everything must be butt-connected and heatshrunk. I work for Landrover/Jaguar. When reporting electrical issues we always have to give connector numbers, pin # , wire color and voltage value, resistance values through the circuits. Sometimes amp draw depending on issue like heated windscreens. In your case, noticing the ignition module has 12v when not grounded is obviously apparent. And visa versa when it is grounded.
![No Spark Troubleshooting [Mopar Electronic Ignition with Ballast Resistor]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RiC8OaSXMs8/mqdefault.jpg)
You have my eternal hero worship. I was about to take a lot of things apart before I stumbled on your video. Thanks!!!
Glad I could help! Thanks
Got to love those dual ballast resistors. 12 v for start 9v for one. Love those old Mopar ignition systems
My man you just saved me a headache for sure. I just bought a 77 d300 with a 400 and guy said he tried for a hot minute to get it to fire but no luck. I was chasing wires to no luck myself. Seen this video and as soon as I got home tried it out and boom... off to the races. Thank you sir
Good! I'm glad I could help. That sounds like a fun truck.
Thanks very much for this tip ,been chasing the start non start issue on my 66 chrysler new yorker for a few days ,came accross this and I'm running fine now 👍🏻👍🏻
Awesome! I'm glad It help you out! I appreciate you watching thank you!
I had the same symptoms you described (I hate 'sometimes' failures worst of all). I followed your advice, cleaned off my box ground & gave it a try. It started right away. I shut it off and tried it again & I was back to square one: rrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrr....and no fire. I bought a new (blue) box at Oreilly's for $27 & hooked it up. Everything works fine now....at least after three starts. Apparently the orange box can go bad over time & work only when it feels like it. Thanks for the video.....short, sweet & good info.
Cool man this is why I run a ground to the box for 100% connection.
Yes that's a great idea! Thanks for subscribing I greatly appreciate it!
@@Dartfreak75 your very welcome I love Mopars!
had a 76 dodge 1/2 ton(360/727) back in the early 90's,it kept killing them boxes. i learned to keep a spare! .i sold it . a few years later i spoke the guy who bought it he swaped out the distributer for a points unit..
I'm having the same problem on my 66 Chrysler imperial, thank man!
This is a cool test. My problem ended up being a bad coil.
When my old '74 Satellite was new, from the start it would die, no spark, when it was hot such as summer, bumper to bumper traffic. Let it cool off a while, crank right up. The dealer finally found it was a bad pickup (induction) coil inside the distributor. Apparently there was a break somewhere inside that would open when the engine was hot. Replaced it, and never a problem again.
That's a pretty rare problem. Had it happen on a Proform distributor but not an OEM. I just used a genuine dealer pickup plate.
About 30 years ago I had an '81 Imperial that still had the fuel injection on it. One day I was on a back road and it just died. Walked back to a gas station 3-4 miles up the road, got some parts, no luck. Went back and paid $90 for a tow to have it towed 13-15 miles back home. (The guy kept insisting it was farther when he quoted me the price.) Next morning the car started up normally. Did NOTHING.
I’ve got that same issue with the same box in my old D100. It’s been years since I mounted it and bet it’s got a crap connection! Once this snow melts away I’m going to check that. Thanks. 🤘🏼🔧
Yea man. I bet that's what it is. I ran a ground wire straight to the ground on the battery to the front hole on the ecu with one of them star washers so far so good. Hope it fixes yours.
There's a lot of good things about the Chrysler Electronic Ignition and a lot of bad things. It's good that the electronic parts are not under the cap and run cooler. The bad is that it has the narrowest dwell angle of all the factory electronic ignitions, GM being the best. (Which is better for hotter spark at higher RPM). Unless you're doing a full-on resto or working with a car that had it and you want to keep it there are better ignition options out there. Even some of the 'premium' ECU replacements improve on the original like the Rev-N-Nator or the 4 seconds flat box. There's some limitation too because of the small distributor (cap) size. That's why GM went to the larger cap with the HEI coil, to reduce spark scatter and crossfire.
Doh! Now I know why a prior owner ran a braided grounding strap from the engine block to the firewall - by using the bottom bolt of the ecu. And when I 'simplified' the electrical system (dumb move) and moved my ecu to another location, I had firing problems. Now I know due to inconsistent ground. They didn't cover this in the old MoPar training videos. :-)
Glad I could help. Yea a ground strap to the back is a good idea. Thanks for watching.
Great video. Helped me, same problem.
Thank you
You are doing a voltage drop test. Any time you find power on the ground side of an electric component it means that your ground circuit is bad. All the circuit has to be connected and the circuit must be powered.
Another MOPAR ignition test is to disconnect the 2 pin connector from the distributor. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap and hold it near a ground. Now take the loom portion of the 2 pin connector and drag the male terminal across the intake manifold. If everything is good to the 2 pin connector, you should get a good spark from the coil wire.
You saved my truck today sir
Awesome! Im glad the video helped.
@@Dartfreak75 Thank you so much
Hey, friend ! Nice work! Nice to see you posted a video !
Thanks!! Yes its long overdue I want to start making them more frequently!
This is a nice channel and good stuff. I subbed.
Thanks for subscribing! I appreciate you watching. I got alot of stuff planned. I gotta get some better cameras. Lol I lost a bunch of good footage today due to my camera. My phone camera overheated and my action camera didn't record.
@@Dartfreak75 I shoot everything on an iPhone. Whistlin Diesel shoots on an iPhone. Landscape is the ticket. A $20 clip on mic.... you can produce really good stuff.
The ProForm distributor kit use to have an orange box , sometimes they last long or forever (maybe) ,but sometimes they will be just crap ... Last time we got in trouble we tought about using an old Mopar chrome-box but the connector didnt fit..
I had two and yes, they were just crap. I always mounted another 'good' box next to it as a spare. Thank God I did. There's plenty of NOS American made aftermarket boxes out there.
Mine would cut off my truck while driving on the old one. Just put a new one on . 4 day after installing. It back to volts dropping. Hit break engine cut off. It would also be Xtreme hot when I touch the ignition module. So it could be not enough ground. I was thinkinv about adding heatsink thermal on back and run a ground wire from battery to it.
Thanks. Very helpful.
Thanks for watching
That worked for me for about 2weeks on a 78 new yorker back to not starting now
Over the years I have found that the problem was what I had just done. In other words I had created a problem by not making the proper adjustment. Note: on electrical items use electrical paste, the ground and connections last longer.
You're 100 percent correct. I find myself doing that all the time lol
yep i was going 3 or 4 of them a year ran a ground from battery and now we wait and see
All kinds of those get replaced because the ground is some awful painted surface.
Yes you are correct. I actually replaced my original one with this orange one because I wasn't getting a spark, at first the orange one worked then it intermittently wouldn't. After I found my problem I hooked up my original one and sure enough it works perfectly fine. Thanks for watching i appreciate it!
@@Dartfreak75 At least you have a spare now. Those boxes do go bad. I have a coupe that got hot enough for the epoxy to run out of them and down the firewall.
@@johnwilburn yea I plan on collecting a few more of the "good" ones for spares. I hear the new aftermarket ones aren't very good.
@@Dartfreak75 I’d trust a 50 year old used one more than an aftermarket one from a parts store. The best modern adaptation I’ve seen is the one Four Seconds Flat sells. I have yet to try one, but I hear good things. They look very well made and have a built in rev limiter.
@@johnwilburn yes I have too I thought about trying one.
Maybe try dielectric grease between the bare metal contact points too. It should help with conductivity and help reduce corrosion
Anti-seize works better. It's more conductive. Dielectric grease is insulative that's why it's used for plug wire boots. A lot of problems with these boxes is the really sketchy modern construction and most are Chinese. That huge power switching transistor should have power on the case when it's running. Power will back feed to the case if it's ungrounded. If you look, there's a thin mica insulator between that transistor and the heat sink. I wouldn't be probing it or touching it either. You will get a shock if it's running or damage it. Some of these problems are also due to 'dirty' power input causing the boxes to fail. The old ones had better filtering.
Dielectric grease is only for keeping moisture out it does not conduct
Dielectric grease is not conductive
Use a Rivnut in the fender holes and use machine screws.
That's a good suggestion thanks!
Where is the wire to the tester attached? Thanks
It's connected to the body. Any known group will work for this test.
LOL the box is grounded when you bolt it on,..... not hanging on the loom, hilarious
Yes I know I was demonstrating how to tell if the ecm is not grounded. When its not grounded the case is hot. When it was hanging there the test light let thus showing it was not grounded
@@Dartfreak75 Point taken mate, cheers
@@markholroyde9412 Thanks for watching bud!
ECU has to be grounded. I think modern orange box ECU's are powder coated. This why it is so difficult to get a good ground.
I agree.
We use these in our Studebaker s
I know a good chassis ground will help a ton
So your test light was connected to the neg post on battery?
Yes
Can you buypass the icm and run the coil into distributor only and use togle switch to kill it
In theory yes I guess you could I've never tried it. You would be better off getting a points distributor if you want to bypass the ecm
Man, I bought a new wiring harness for the ECU, ignition coil, and to the dual ballast resistor. I got no spark. I will ground the ECU and see what happens.
Any news? Did you get spark?
what did you hook your test light to ,,to test the Ecu?
Presumably the test light is clipped to ground. Whenever the probe touches something with voltage on it (in this example, the ecu case - but could be any "hot" source like the ignition terminal, a headlight switch, etc) the voltage difference flows current through the test light filament and it lights up.
He's expecting it NOT to light, because the case shouldn't have voltage. The fact that it does indicates the poor ground. This only really works if you know the component you're working on is suppressed to be grounded through the case AND you've got the power to it turned in, as he did
Yes exactly! Excellent explanation!
I've been searching you tube for a week now and found this video today. Have a 85 Dodge 350 with similar issues. I've thrown new ECU in it. New coil. New resistor. New pickup in the distributor. Still no spark. I'm try what you done here. Now. And still nothing. Any suggestions?
Have you figured out problem I’m having same issues it’s a nightmare
Sorry I'm just seeing this. I have another installment video for testing the spark at the distributor ill post a link here. I'll do my best to help you.
th-cam.com/video/ow_x1s2dH7M/w-d-xo.html watch this let me know if it helps or not
I have had the same problem on a 80 Ford f350 400 mod
Still can't find it
Im not super familiar with 80s fords ignition system. I would start by checking with the coil ser if you have power there
That blast of music at the end sucks!
Thanks for your opinion I really appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts with me. I agree it does suck I have changed it in more recent videos. This was one of my earlier videos before I really learned how to edit thats why it's so much louder! Thanks again please check out some of my newer content and feel free to give me pointers on how I can improve them as well!
We never use test lights. We are told to throw them out. They dont show you voltage. Buy a good brand multimeter and learn to use it on voltage, amperage and resistance scales and this issue would have been diagnosed faster than a test light could any day.
I have a multimeter I use also. I have learned how to look at the bulb on a test light and judge the voltage by the brightness of the bulb. But yes I understand what you mean. I believe test lights have a purpose and work well for that intended purpose
@@Dartfreak75 i have 2 but we are not even allowed to solder anymore. Everything must be butt-connected and heatshrunk. I work for Landrover/Jaguar. When reporting electrical issues we always have to give connector numbers, pin # , wire color and voltage value, resistance values through the circuits. Sometimes amp draw depending on issue like heated windscreens.
In your case, noticing the ignition module has 12v when not grounded is obviously apparent. And visa versa when it is grounded.
im the opposite
@@tristengerhardt5458 thos could be a positive post but your negative?
See what I did there?🤣😼
@@matthewmorrone883 im the lightbulb dude what u talking about
It’s not an ecu
Yes Sir, It is. Electronic control unit. Aka ecu.
@@Dartfreak75 no it is in ignition control module not a computer
@tommywilliams1402 your right its not a computer. It is a electronic control unit. It's stamped right on the front of it on the original ones.
You have no clue do ya
Probably not I usually don't! What are you referring too?