ignition failure

A

azscout77

New member
I have a 77 Scout 2, that will not turn over...replaced gb, ignition switch ,starter and still have no luck on getting my baby back on the road...very novice on wiring but would lit to learn as I go...any suggestions?
 
Welcome to the forum. You say it won't turn over. Please clarify. Do you mean the starter motor won't engage to crank the engine over? Or do you mean that it cranks over with the starter, but it won't fire? Big and important difference there. What condition is the battery in? I'm hoping you can give us more substance than it looks fairly new. How about the battery terminals? Corrosion free and tight? I'll await additional input and backstory from you before I delve further. Don't hold back. The more specifics you provide, the better.
 
I turn the key to start position, and nothing happens...battery is good, have juice at the starter....so I feel there is a break in the ignition circuit....it was running great, stopped for gas. After she was filled up went to start it and nothing....that happened about two months ago....and have been replacing parts since......I have a manual four speed, and read thad it could be the neutral safety switch, but can't find it
 
No nss with standard trans. That's only with the autos. Would really be helpful to have some voltage readings at the battery and at the starter with key off and during starter crank. Do you have a volt meter? If not, you can try this. Switch the ignition on. Take a screwdriver if wrench with insulated handle. Reach down to the starter and short the metal portion between the large terminal and the small 's' terminal. Be damn sure that the trans is in neutral with brake set and/or wheels chocked. Report back. Be sure not to leave your ignition on with the engine stopped for any longer than is necessary.
 
There are 2 places you need power at the starter to make it crank. The big terminal from the battery should always be hot, and the small wire going to the s terminal on the starter solenoid should have voltage with the ign key in the crank position. If you have power to the s terminal, most likely your solenoid or starter is bad.
 
Okay, spent all of Sunday working on it.....got her running, but she is running poorly...and I've got it down to a grounding issue I believe..I can put my test light on it(test light securely grounded) on my wire to the negative terminal of my coil and she purrs like a kitten....take my test light out and she starts to run rough....any suggestions?
 
You're leaving out important information. What was preventing you from engaging the starter...the original point of this thread...and what steps did you take to fix it?

Are the fasteners on the coil terminals tight? The coil is one instance in automotive electrics where the minus or negative symbol does not denote chassis ground like you see with the battery. The coil isn't grounded directly to the chassis. Current passes through the coil in several ways including both small terminals depending on reluctor wheel or points cam position inside the distributor. I know what ignition system this year of Scout came with when new, but that doesn't mean that's what you have in it now. We need to identify your distributor model/type. I suggest posting several well lit and focused pics of your engine bay from various angles with closeups on your coil wiring, distributor with cap on and off and your starter solenoid.
 
Have the points and particularly the condenser been replaced recently? My guess is that the light is lowering the voltage and stopping the points from arcing. This is the condenser's job.

What is the input voltage to the coil when running?
 
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