[Bricklin] Car will not start. Any suggestions

[John T. Blair]

At 05:24 PM 4/28/2010, you wrote:


 >I finished redoing the rocker studs with Permatex Red a couple of 
days ago.  I
 >go to start the car and it just cranks.  Looks like I am getting fuel and
 >compression, but it does not appear to be getting enough spark......

 >I am getting 12 volts at the coil, the starter is cranking,   I 
remove the coil wire
 >from the distributor and I can see spark, the distributor is 
rotating.  The pistons
 >are moving.  I have swapped the coil wire from another car to see 
if the level
 >of spark is the same.  I have also swappd out to an old coil and it acts the
 >same.  I have checked the fuses and they appear to be OK.  Battery 
is fulling
 >charged.

 >Any suggestions?  I believe I am past a fusible link issue since the starter
 >is turning the motor over.

Greg,

You have a 74, AMC powered, with a distributor and points.

I'd pull a spark plug wire off a plug, and hold it near a ground, or 
plug in an old
spark plug and ground the case of the plug and try and start the 
engine.  See if
you have any spark at the plug.

There are several things it could be:

1.  A shorted rotor button, allowing the high voltage from the coil 
to go to ground
      through the shaft in the distributor.  I've seen this several 
times, though not
      on a Bricklin.

2.  The points could have slipped, so you aren't getting enough spark.

3.  A bad condenser.

If you are getting any spark at the high voltage wire from the coil, 
then the points
are not shorted, again I've seen this many time, but usually after someone has
changed the points and messed up the job.

John
John T. Blair  WA4OHZ     email:  jblair1948 at cox.net
Va. Beach, Va
Phone:  (757) 495-8229

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