Hey guys, I recently installed a Mallory electronic ignition on my 71 comet 302. I followed the instructions correctly, all the wiring is right, but when I turn the key it'll turn over but the engine won't catch. I also replaced all the spark plug wires and battery. Anyone have any suggestions? Also I don't think the part is bad, this is the second one. I had to exchange the original because it didn't even turn over.
Turning over and ignition usually have nothing in common. First step you need to find out if you have spark.
did you put the motor on tdc and note where the distributor rotor was pointing before you pulled it and put the new one in the same position? have you checked to see if your getting spark from the coil? did you remember to put the rotor back in?
I placed the distributor in the same position as when I removed it yeah, but I did remember having problems gettin it to seat properly. So I guess it's possible that I messed up on that. Oops. If that's the case how would I go about fixing that?
Pull it back out and put it back in turning it one tooth in the direction that best lines the rotor up with #1
are you getting spark from the coil wire? test this by taking the coil wire off of the distributor cap and place over something metal in the car with about 1/2" gap. then crank the motor and watch for spark to jump the gap.
this should be done first, doesn't matter if it's out of time or not. this insures the ignition is good....then check the timing. what firing order are you using?
As it turns out I'm not getting spark from the coil. We also went and replaced the coil but the new one won't spark either.
What's the voltage to the coil? If you are using the factory wiring, you may find that what you are using needs more than the 9 VDC that the factory resistive wire delivers.
We decided to just return the kit and try again another time, and when we returned it, it turned out they gave us the wrong part. The part number didnt match up with the car, even though they said it did. So they gave us the correct part at a good discount. Thanks for the help guys.
