Ignition woes....

Captain Caravelle said:
I know Eric.
I was just trying to keep it low to no buck as far as solutions go.
The OP sounds like he's tight for cash. And ultimately the LB setup should work fine as long as the computer didn't die. When my computer gives it up I'll do the swap myself but till then it works fine. With those computers they basically work till they die. That's when I'd do the swap personally. It may well be that his packed it in but if I was light on coin I'd troubleshoot. Then if I knew it was dead I'd go the other route. But that's just me.
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Cap, I am tight on cash so thanks for looking out

bremereric said:
The MSD ready to run distributor is another choice. I used it on the Gran Fury.
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How much for that eric?

Captain Caravelle said:
Good choice too.
The dizzy could be the problem.
At least I thought so when he said he had spark from the coil but weak from the distributor.
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I checked for distributors locally and believe it or not the parts house 2 towns over has one. It's a bit of a drive but I'm doing some troubleshooting now.
 
Ok so here's what's up. I have power on both sides of the ignition coil with the key on. I have no power in or out of the pickup when starting so there is no trigger for the ignition to fire. I pulled the plugs for the LB comp. Ignition on I have power on pin 1&2 of the small plug, 4,7, 12 and 11 on the big plug. According to the schematic I found online (included below) that means I have power to the coil but not the pickup. Then again, being a hall effect sensor it should generate it's own signal when it's rotating right? If it should then that's what is bad. If not then it is a power issue.

Can't find any bad fuses or links, or a pinout or schematic for the 12 pin connector

Schematic link because i dont know how to post pictures
https://www.google.com/search?q=lea...rysler+lean+burn+12+pin&imgrc=byGKlPh0zQjRyM:
 
I'm a self professed electrical moron.
But I have the factory service manual.
Here's the troubleshooting page and the index for the inner workings. If you need pics of anything let me know.

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I was just reading through the Electronic Spark Control section in my '79 service manual and it looks like no spark can be from various causes. If I could copy and paste from the manual, I would but it's not possible (CD-ROM). Quite a bit different than regular electronic ignition.

The pickup coil is a magnetic pickup and generates a voltage (about 1 volt AC) as the reluctor passes by.

Make sure your air gap is correct, .oo6-.008" using a brass feeler gauge. An alternative is, 2 sheets of standard printer paper is about .007" thick. Also use something light made of steel (feeler gauge, paper clip, etc) and check that the reluctor is magnetized. It won't be much but there should be some. If it isn't, there won't be any trigger. Rust on the trigger wheel will mess it up. Cleaning it usually won't help. If all else fails, try putting a different reluctor on and see what happens. Can't hurt! If you do, make a note of which slot the pin goes in. One is for SB, the other for BB.

Just reread your original post. Did you change the rotor? If you have spark at the coil but none at the plugs the rotor may be burned through under the carbon contact point and sending spark straight to ground via the distributor shaft. I've only seen it a couple times on a Mopar (lots of times on the old GM HEI with integrated coil) though, but it does happen.

I assume you meant you have spark from the coil wire at the cap end???
 
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Cap, thank you thank you thank you! That is something I desperately needed and will be using tomorrow as I am out of light now.

Aspen, gap is correct. And yes I changed my rotor. The only way I could get spark was an interference fit from the pickup and reluctor. I'm buying a new distributor tomorrow and I'll hope for the best.

Might be selling it soon anyone interested?
 
The way it's been sounding I'm thinking that distributor might be your problem. But.....I'm a driveway mechanic so I'm no expert. Let me know if you need anything else from the manual.
 
Luck, just have to think logically, electricity flows like water in a hose, takes the path of least resistance. The battery is like the water pump. If it's not completing it's loop all you can do is focus on what is keeping it from getting past where it's "stuck", and get it to its next point, and past that, until it's making its full loop, without excess resistance/restrictions. It seems simple , but you have to be methodical about it.
 
Monkeyed said:
Luck, just have to think logically, electricity flows like water in a hose, takes the path of least resistance. The battery is like the water pump. If it's not completing it's loop all you can do is focus on what is keeping it from getting past where it's "stuck", and get it to its next point, and past that, until it's making its full loop, without excess resistance/restrictions. It seems simple , but you have to be methodical about it.
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Agreed. I'm 2 steps away from selling this thing. if i cant fix it by sunday, its going on ebay.
 
I would grab a wiring diagram for the ignition and check each wire for resistance. I would also check the plugs in the controller for loose or broken pins. Converting to Mopar standard electronic is a cheap and easy solution if the lean burn is dead.
 
80mirada said:
I would grab a wiring diagram for the ignition and check each wire for resistance. I would also check the plugs in the controller for loose or broken pins. Converting to Mopar standard electronic is a cheap and easy solution if the lean burn is dead.
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x2. I've had a few wires break inside the insulation, but never burn through, so they appeared to be intact. It's a time consuming process, but hopefully you'll find the problem.
 
Update. After 3 hours of diagnostics and checking every voltage, every wire for continuity, resistance values. Every test came back new spark computer. I don't have the $$ for a new spark computer. $250 locally and at best $150 on ebay. Electronics donations are welcome as well as offers on the car.

Steve

Edit: if anyone has the components for the standard ignition swap that is welcome too.
 
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