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Have replaced all timing parts and timing is right on. Replaced points and condenser. Have plenty of fuel at carborator.

Starts when cold, but won't idle and dies.

Then won't start at all. NO SPARK AT COIL!

When the engine fails to start, for trouble shooting purposes, run an 18 gauge wire from the + batttery post to the + low voltage post of the coil. This eliminates the ignition switch wiring. If the engine now starts, you have bad wiring in the switch wiring.

you could have a bad coil obviously, try and test that, they are cheap enough that you can just replace it, I dont know what year your truck is, mines an 81 and it has an igniter on the coil, its a funky thing, costs about $400 to replace, napa has it for 200 wholesale, i dont know what they regularaly charge for it, part number is tp167, its a nippondesno, same exact thing as the stock, i just replaced mione, my truck started up fine, the next morning its got the same problem as before, no spark to the engine, i must have a bad wire, you should check all your wiring also because im out 200 for the igniter(also called control module) and it sucks.

Todd

What year is your LUV?

If it starts when you first go out there you have spark. Yes.

So was anything changed before you did some trouble shooting?
You should ck your points again if thats what you have. Is it fryed?
Did you install a different type coil maybe. You should get a coil specific for that year.

I will assume it starts and when the key goes back to the On position its still running. If it Kills itself when going to the ON position maybe the ballast resistor wire is loose.
In point type vehicles the ballast resistor is bypassed to give the coil a full 12 volts during load(start up) but then runs thru the ballast to cut the coil current / voltage down so the points dont get eaten up.. Some times the wire will fall off/loose or corroded.(This is the white ceramic block next to the coil)

Sometime people put them Super coils on forgetting to add the extra ballast resistor with the kit in series with the stock ballast. otherwise they go down the road with fryed points fast. But this is for the Super coils. The point type system.

If you have electric ignition you should use a true 12 volt coil. As a MSD blaster or such(stock is fine).

But as you said you have points(single point distributor) . But there is a Pertronix conversion for you point system. #1741. Is 2 wires and best 70$ I have spent. uses the stock system. Installs to where the points bolt down to. The red wire goes to Plus side of ballast resistor(fuseable switchable 12volts) and Blk wire to minus side of coil Thats it.
You can get them blade piggy back connectors so you dont have to cut any wires and looks stock.

But you need to ck why your coil is loosing power. Maybe its just bad or you got the wrong coil in there.


As one person told me he put a Accell Super coil on his 280zx. Well its a point type coil on a electric type system. Whay happen is his coil got straight 12 volts and cooked till it would loose power. Cool off then work again.

As some said you can ck the switch by getting a volt meter.
Place blk lead to grn turn key switch to ON and on the plus side of ballast resistor you should get 12 volts(disconnected the wire first cause you will see it on both sides. That is only be a 1.6 ohm resistor .)

Dissconected the wire that goes to the starter solinoid(so you dont use the starter!

Now the side side of the ballast resistor Or the plus side of coil will get 12 volt if you hold the switch on the start position.

If that is good hook all the wires back up and see if you get close to 12 volt on the pluse side of coil with the switch to on. This will show the ballast is good(or you can ohm it out).
This will show that you have a good system. Then I will assume its just your coil.

But I will assume its good anyway cause you said it starts and runs for a bit. which shows the switch is good. Fell if your coil is getting really hot. Maybe you peeling the varnish off the wires causing it to short.

Dont forget to put the starter wire back on.

Sorry I forgot to give the year, 1975. The coil is fairly new and as far as I know it is stock. The truck runs for maybe 10 minutes then dies and wont restart, no spark. Then when it cools down it will start run ten minutes or so then dies and wont start, no spark, and so on.

if you want, you could completely bypass the luv ignition system and use some el cheapo chevy guts for about 30 bucks in parts. the directions are for a toyota setup but it shouldn't be too hard to make it work with a luv[/url]

robertcda said


if you do this you create a continuous cirucit, it arcs out and will drain your battery, and it doesnt work.

Darn near sounds like the coil heats up and seperates. Either that or the resistor heats up and seperates and then opens it up and there isn't anyplace for the spark to go.

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