152 Getting no spark

S

spartnak

New member
Vehicle: 1962 Scout 80 with a 152. Delco distributor with pertronix ignitor kit and pertronix flamethrower coil. Ignitor and coil about a year old.

Story: while driving down the road, my Scout backfired about twice and went dead. Turns over great but wont hit a lick.

Problem: troubleshooting, I can't get a spark. I can't get any of my plugs to spark or the wire from the coil to spark.

I feel like either the ignitor or coil has to be bad though I don't know how to check either. The truck has been running fine for the past year and just decided to go down all of a sudden. Ignitor and coil about a year old. Plugs and wires about 2 months old.

How can I check the coil and/or ignitor?

Thanks.
 
Thanks for the reply, however, I've already read that page. It's only real advice for my situation is to check and make sure the wires are all connected and I've done that. The wires are connected and not corroded or in bad shape. The air gap can't be any greater than it has been for the past year. I pulled the dist cap off and the magnet ring is still bolted up tight.

I feel like my only real option is to buy another one and put it on, but that's an expensive shot in the dark. Especially when this one has only lasted a year.
 
Then going back to the old reliable "points and condenser" would be the cheapest option.
Buy high quality tune-up parts.
 

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If you by chance left the ignition on without the motor running, it usually kills the pertonix 1s. Happened to me when I got a new set of tires put on by the same guy who told me my truck was stupid because he couldn't figure out how to release the emergency brake.went with a dui and haven't had a problem since. They even make a seven wire that will work with fuel injection.
 
Did you check for voltage on the positive side of the coil with the key on? If you have power, than check the coil and pertronix as previously directed. If no power at the coil you might have a bad ignition switch.
 
Well I got it figured out. The coil is dead. I pulled a coil off another parts Scout that I have and it fired right up. Not sure why it would give out so soon though.
 
Here is a warning for everyone to not be an idiot like me. In the process of putting my Scout back together, I thought it might be a good idea to run the wires for my ignitor through the view window of the dizzy cap. You know, to keep from pinching them between the cast iron body and the cap. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it isn't. Lasted for about 24 hours then my engine cut out again driving down the road. I guess it left enough bounce for the wires to touch the bottom of the rotor. So they finally got caught and it twisted them around the shaft and ripped them off. I'm not even sure there is enough wire for me to salvage, I probably just need a new ignitor.

Maybe the rest of you wouldn't make that mistake but it seemed like a good idea at the time to me. Just be warned, haha.
 
That's too bad. I have a v8 delco dizz in my Scout that I put a crane xr-I electric module in years ago. It seems to me that there was a grommet-type plug in the dizz body where the stock wires exited to the coil. I can't recall for sure, but I'm pretty sure I used that hole for my crane wire run.
 
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