Try this. Disconnect the wire from the distributor to the (-) side of
the coil at the coil. Pull the center wire out of the coil and put one
of the spark plug wires in its place. Take a known good spark plug and
plug it onto this wire. Ground the body of the spark plug any way that
seems good to you. Take care you don't get a shock if it DOES spark.
Turn the key on, and ground the (-) terminal of the coil with a jumper
wire to a good ground. Now when you lift this ground wire, you should
see a spark in the gap of the plug your accomplice is holding up against
a good clean non-painted, non-rusty, non-greasy ground. I'm not trying
to be a smartass, but you'd be surprised what it takes to get a good
ground on a car. Anyway, if you DO see a spark, then the coil and its
wiring are ok and something is screwed up in your distributor or the
associated wiring. One thing I've seen is the little flex wire inside
the distributor between the breaker plate and the connector on the
outside sometimes breaks, but the insulation stays in one piece and you
can't see it's broken, you have to check it with an ohmmeter. Or maybe
the carbon brush in the distributor cap is burned up? How's your
rotor?
On the other hand, if you don't get a spark, then something is wrong in
the wiring from the ignition switch to the coil (since you've replaced
the coil, we think it has to be ok, right?). Or maybe the wire from the
(-) terminal to the distributor is open.
Without some test equipment (Digital Volt Meter, on sale right now at
Harbor Freight for 8 bucks, test lamp) it's dam near impossible to
troubleshoot something like this. Once you get those items and get
comfortable with using them, you'll wonder how you ever lived without
them.
Another possibility is that all your plugs are fouled beyond belief.
You've checked that, right?
Good luck!
Barrie
'66 2000
San Diego
i have changed the coil and the ballast resistor, the
> points and the condensor. still nothing. i know my battery is ok because it
> is still turning the engine over after maybe 20+ tries without any charging
> inbetween. where else can i look?? i thought maybe the ignition switch, but
> when i turn it to the on position, all of the accessories work no problem.
> do i just need cut open every wire cluster and examine every wire? i hope
> not, but that is where i'm going next unless someone has another suggestion.
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