Topic: Weak Spark please help

[Silentstrike]

Yeah thats what we thought thanks.  It's just held in there so tight that we're taking a punch to the notch and hammering that to turn it back and forth till we can finally get it out

[stimpy]

easy way to turn these is to use a band wrench or take a 1 inch wide leather belt( like the one that hold up your pants )  and wrap it around the base plate of the distributor to spin it .

[Silentstrike]

We got it out and got the new one in thanks for the advice guys.  I'm just hoping once I get the plugs back in and the cap and rotor on she fires

[Silentstrike]

anyone know if there is a master gear on the distributor it seems to only want to go in place one way

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

It should go in at any position that the gear teeth will mesh. It will turn a bit as you drop it in so you have to account for that when you line it up. Otherwise you could end up a tooth or so off. You might need to use a long screw driver to turn the oil pump shaft a little so it will line up.

[Silentstrike]

I've tried turning the distributor gears in different positions but it seems to only wanna drop to all the way down at ione combination

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

I've tried turning the distributor gears in different positions but it seems to only wanna drop to all the way down at ione combination

Then try turning the oil pump shaft in the direction you need the distributor to turn.

[jphillips3333]

Yeah - I always take the cap off before I pull the distributor.  Makes knowing how it goes back in a lot easier vs. being 180 out per Hammer's comment.

[Silentstrike]

Thanks guys sorry about all the questions I'm 17 and still learning

[jphillips3333]

Alright - we'll tread lightly.  Anything you need to know feel free to ask.  There are no dumb questions.  Also, if anyone flames you, I'm pretty much the most obnoxious jerk on here so let me know, capice?

(INSIDE VOICE - wait, that was me just repeating what the ex always said - that I was an obnoxious jerk .... I'm still emotionally traumatized by her rantings ...boo-hoo)

[ta78w72]

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what the problem is.  The only thing I can gather is the color of the spark was said to be weak.  But, other than that, I have no idea of how the car runs...whether it starts or not, or if it runs poorly.  I'm really at a loss as to what problem is being solved.

[stimpy]

also make sure the battery is fully charged , as it will crank the motor but not have enough juice to light the charge and make sure the electrical connections at the starter ar clean as this is where the voltage that supplys the system comes from and a loose or corroded or burnt wire will cause a resistance effect

[Silentstrike]

Alright so update for today, My car turns over it doesn't start we have the distributor in the spark is now white.  We are trouble shooting for other problems but when I crank it it puffs some vapor out of the carbureutor that doesn't smell like burning gas (brand new carbureutor my dad and I were thinking maybe a shelf preservative?) .  The top of the fuel pump is wet with gas now so my dad and I are going to see if we're getting gas to the carb but after that we're absolutely stumped.  It has a whole new ignition system and carb so any ideas guys? thanks

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

Preservative? What's the carb made of that it would spoil on a shelf? LoL


Ok, I'll be serious now. How does it sound when it's turning over? Is it trying to fire? Or is it backfiring? Does the vapor you see smell like coolant steam? Did the plugs look wet when you pulled them?

[ta78w72]

That's not how you determine if you're getting the right spark or not.  But, try squirting some gas into the carb opening to see if it will begin to fire.