I swapped out my stock points distributor and droped in a HEI distributor and now it wont run! I have spark, I am not flipped 180 , I have fuel. I just dont get it :mad3: Every now and then I will get a little hickup back through the carb but thats it . I have check my plugs , I have flipped it three times, checked fireing order a million times It ran with the points so there should be no reason for it to not work now O YA it is a 80 2 bolt chev caprice 350 and the distributor came from a 75 4 bolt pickup 350,the points distributor was from a 73 350 .

Any Ideas on what I might be missing Thanks

sure you got it on TDC #1 ? did you swap wires too?

swap wires ????

Isn't there a built in ballast resistor reduceing the voltage to the coil? Check the power at the coil and make sure you got 12 volts. If in question just run a wire directly from the battery to coil. #1 one is when the timing mark is at zero and both valves are closed. 18436572 and she should fire from any place the rotor is pointing.

Ya I tryed the straight to battery and nothing changed I am getting spark just wont start

Just thinking here, but aren't the coils different from electronic to points?

I don't get the swap wires. Aren't they just a conductor?

hello 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2 hay number 1 plug tdc look at timing mark on bal hook wires in this order. make sure you know which way the dist rotates it should run let me know

the module in the HEI is bad...go to Kragen or somewhere and get a new one.

points dist have a diff. type wire than hei dist. - one has female ends, one has male...

If you have spark, then it shuoldnt be the module, if the module was bad it wouldnt spark at all, atleast mine didnt when it died, sounds like off 180 IMO double check it

EDIT:
Just thinking here, but aren't the coils different from electronic to points?

In an HEI distributer, the coil is on the distributer cap.

has spark !! and I have double checked my firing order several times and it is correct . I have swapped out the modual and tried diferent caps , rotors, plug wires , and still nothing still get spark. at first I was thinking it wasent getting a good enough sparks so I started swapping things out and nothing has worked ..
It ran this morning with points dis. in it now nothing! I have the big three fuel, air, spark and the !@@!#$#%$%^^%$^* thing wont fire ?????

You might have your wires in the correct firing order, but when you set your distributer in you could be 180 degrees out. Set your motor to TDC on COMPRESSION STROKE, or exhaust stroke. if your not setting it there then you could be 180 out. you said you had it on TDC but you didnt say which stroke you were on, if your were on intake or power stroke then you are 180 degrees off on your ignition. Simple 4 stroke technology, not rocket surgery.

I'm with rebelchevy02. I think it is 180 off which is causing the sputtering. Where you set it, 6 would have been TDC on compression stroke.

I have done that also I have fliped it 180 degrees and then every stroke it backfires threw the carb just like is is should being backwards !! I know this isint rocket science thats why it is pissing me of so bad !! I aslo changed my wire end for the female style . It is a brand new accel supper coil and new cap and rotor , new springs and weights .swaped modulators from two cars that were running .. how do you know if itis a reverse rotation distributor ??

I bet you're a tooth off. when you dropped the distributor in you probably lined it up with #1 on the cap and it spun past it as the gear engaged. If I remember correctly you should line up the rotor pointing between the #3&5 cylinders and as it drops in it should rotate to the #1 wire on the cap. you should be abe to set it close enough to fire just by lining it up while holding the cap above it and rotating the housing with it till it points to #1... also check that you started your wires in the right place o nteh cap, ask Butler how many days it takes to find that you started the firing order in the wrong spot ;). hope thats fixes it for ya.


:usa:

no reverse rotations. what he meant was you need to make sure you are putting the wires on in a clockwise direction looking down on it. my question is did you take the old cap off, mark where the rotor was pointing and where #1 was and then drop this one in before turning the engine over at all. the only good way to tell #1 tdc is with something in the spark plug hole and watch the #1 valves (front two on the left bank as you sit in it and look forward.). roll it up with the plug out until you can feel with a screwdriver or something that it is tdc. I have had the outer ring on a couple balancers spin on me. I don't trust marks anymore. it is 100% foolproof with teh left valve cover off and the cap off and a screwdriver in the hole.

I'd say you are off somewhere, you can check for TDC by removing the spark plug on #1, (thats the forward most cyl. on the DRIVERS side) Tap the starter around with your thumb over the spark plug hole, when the compression blows by your thumb, thats the compression stroke. point your rotor at #1 spark plug wire, and it will start. remember, the dist. wont always drop down flush to the block until you crank it a turn or so to get the dist. clocked with the oil pump drive shaft. Also, are you running a ground wire? Sometimes it doesn't get a good ground through the dist housing. Also check the drive gear on the dist, make sure the roll pin hasn't sheared part way.
if that doesn't get it, get some local help down at Cooter's.

Make sure that you have the ign wire going to the ign terminal on the dist and not the tach terminal. It might run if you plug it into the tach terminal but not worth a crap. Don't ask me how I know.

Gus

He he he....sorry been there done that.....finally had to have my dad check it over and it was the order of the wires. Everything said above sounds good....though I'm leaning towards it being one tooth off. Hope you get it, I know how damn frustating it can be. :grinpimp:

I usually pre set the timing when dropping in a distributor, and 9 times out of ten, I do not have to reset it. It is a pretty easy procedure, and I have showed it to a lot of techs.

1. On a GM, if you draw a line through the #1 and #8 terminals on the cap, it should be parallel to the front of the motor. It really doesn't matter, but this just sets it up like it came from the factory.

2. Once you have decided which terminal is going to be #1, put the cap on the housing and mark #1 on the housing with a sharpie or awl.

3. Set the engine at TDC #1. Make sure that it is, this is the basis for all other settings. I usually set the timing mark to the timing that I want now. So if you want 8, set it there, if you go past, turn the engine back a half turn and go back to setting the mark.

4. Now you are ready to drop the distributor. You may have to keep moving the distributor one tooth at a time to engage the oil pump, once you get it to drop all the way, if it is not lined up, just move the shaft one tooth at a time clockwise, each time making sure the distibutor drops down. This will slowly rotate the oil pump. Keep doing it until your rotor is pointing at the mark that you made.

5. Once you get the rotor pointing your mark, take off the rotor and take a look and the pickup coil. There should be eight points on the shaft, and eight points on the coil. Lightly twist the shaft counter clockwise only to take up any gear lash from the shaft to the cam. Then rotate the base until the points line up exactly. They are usually only up to a 1/16" off. Then tighten your dist clamp and assemble everything. It will fire that way, and the timing will be set at whatever you initially put the timing mark at.


hope that will help.

Shit I used to have a friend crank her and just turn dist both ways until she started up, then hit with the light. As long as you had enough play in the plug wires it was easy.

Charlo

I usually pre set the timing when dropping in a distributor, and 9 times out of ten, I do not have to reset it. It is a pretty easy procedure, and I have showed it to a lot of techs.

1. On a GM, if you draw a line through the #1 and #8 terminals on the cap, it should be parallel to the front of the motor. It really doesn't matter, but this just sets it up like it came from the factory.

2. Once you have decided which terminal is going to be #1, put the cap on the housing and mark #1 on the housing with a sharpie or awl.

3. Set the engine at TDC #1. Make sure that it is, this is the basis for all other settings. I usually set the timing mark to the timing that I want now. So if you want 8, set it there, if you go past, turn the engine back a half turn and go back to setting the mark.

4. Now you are ready to drop the distributor. You may have to keep moving the distributor one tooth at a time to engage the oil pump, once you get it to drop all the way, if it is not lined up, just move the shaft one tooth at a time clockwise, each time making sure the distibutor drops down. This will slowly rotate the oil pump. Keep doing it until your rotor is pointing at the mark that you made.

5. Once you get the rotor pointing your mark, take off the rotor and take a look and the pickup coil. There should be eight points on the shaft, and eight points on the coil. Lightly twist the shaft counter clockwise only to take up any gear lash from the shaft to the cam. Then rotate the base until the points line up exactly. They are usually only up to a 1/16" off. Then tighten your dist clamp and assemble everything. It will fire that way, and the timing will be set at whatever you initially put the timing mark at.


hope that will help.


YIKES!!! I sure hope you're not working flat rate... :flipoff2:

is there a tach hooked up? or is there a wire going to the tach side that could be grounding out somewhere? had this happen to me and it kept the motor from running. its possible that the pickup coil has gone bad and its allowing a spark, but not in the correct time. try another distributor. also, what condition are the weights and springs under the rotor? what shape is the vaccum advance in? these parts might be work or sticking and causing your timing to be advanced too much even tho u have it set in a factory position

When converting from points to HEI get rid of the original wire running to the coul run one from the small terminal on the starter to the coil. The HEI needs the full 12V at all times. The #1 spot on the cap are not the same spot from pionts to hei (1 terminal off). If you stat at the same spot as the points terminal it will backfire and not run. The last time I tuned up the wifes suburban I did the one terminal off.
Good luck

YIKES!!! I sure hope you're not working flat rate... :flipoff2:


I worked flat rate for a lot of years, and once you get the procedure down, it's actually extremely fast, plus there is no guess work, and if ya do it right and the you don't have keep screwing around, then you make more money!

I have friends that call me up to come drop the distributor while an engine is on a stand so that they know the timing will be right when they fire a new motor....