No spark in Toyota Landcruiser
Discussion
Hi guys. I have a 3.9 L petrol Landcruiser that has no spark. I replaced the coil, the leads, condenser, points (opening 16 thou), rotor button, distributor cap, wiring directly from battery to coil (Positive) new wire from negative coil direct to distributor. I tested the wiring inside the dizzy to make sure it is not earthing out before it gets to points. I tested the new coil for leakage and tried four other coils. two other condensers, two sets of leads, including the one from coil to Distributor cap, earthing of engine block to battery, earthing of distributor to block etc etc etc, still no spark getting to plugs. Desperation- maybe put in a diesel motor- any thoughts?
John northcott said:
Hi guys. I have a 3.9 L petrol Landcruiser that has no spark. I replaced the coil, the leads, condenser, points (opening 16 thou), rotor button, distributor cap, wiring directly from battery to coil (Positive) new wire from negative coil direct to distributor. I tested the wiring inside the dizzy to make sure it is not earthing out before it gets to points. I tested the new coil for leakage and tried four other coils. two other condensers, two sets of leads, including the one from coil to Distributor cap, earthing of engine block to battery, earthing of distributor to block etc etc etc, still no spark getting to plugs. Desperation- maybe put in a diesel motor- any thoughts?
That's a bit extreme!John northcott said:
Hi guys. I have a 3.9 L petrol Landcruiser that has no spark. I replaced the coil, the leads, condenser, points (opening 16 thou), rotor button, distributor cap, wiring directly from battery to coil (Positive) new wire from negative coil direct to distributor. I tested the wiring inside the dizzy to make sure it is not earthing out before it gets to points. I tested the new coil for leakage and tried four other coils. two other condensers, two sets of leads, including the one from coil to Distributor cap, earthing of engine block to battery, earthing of distributor to block etc etc etc, still no spark getting to plugs. Desperation- maybe put in a diesel motor- any thoughts?
Jeez, it's not hard.1) buy a cheap multimeter, you can get one on amazon for about £5
2) Check the coil is receiving power, by measuring between the Low Voltage supply terminal and the chassis or battery negative
3) Check the points are breaking the current. When the points are open, you will measure battery voltage on both Low voltage terminals of coil. When the points are closed, the LV supply terminal should be close to battery voltage (no more than 1 or 2 volts below at maximum) and the LV terminal connected to the points should be close to ground (0v)
4) Check the coil works, stick a single lead in the top of it, stick a spark plug in, make sure the body of the spark plug is earthed, use a bit of wire shorted against ground to simulate the points by holding it onto something that is grounded, then release it (don't touch the actual conductor with your fingers, you'll get a shock!!) You should see a nice spark across that plug
5) Now you know the coil and points are working, check the distributor and leads. Are they in the correct order and aligned correctly. You may need to TDC the engine and ensure the rotor arm is pointing at the correct output terminal of the dizzy cap. Once you know No1 is in the right place, the other need to follow in firing order
Work through that list, in that order, when you find the part that doesn't work, then you know what's gone wrong!
Max_Torque said:
Jeez, it's not hard.
1) buy a cheap multimeter, you can get one on amazon for about £5
2) Check the coil is receiving power, by measuring between the Low Voltage supply terminal and the chassis or battery negative
3) Check the points are breaking the current. When the points are open, you will measure battery voltage on both Low voltage terminals of coil. When the points are closed, the LV supply terminal should be close to battery voltage (no more than 1 or 2 volts below at maximum) and the LV terminal connected to the points should be close to ground (0v)
4) Check the coil works, stick a single lead in the top of it, stick a spark plug in, make sure the body of the spark plug is earthed, use a bit of wire shorted against ground to simulate the points by holding it onto something that is grounded, then release it (don't touch the actual conductor with your fingers, you'll get a shock!!) You should see a nice spark across that plug
5) Now you know the coil and points are working, check the distributor and leads. Are they in the correct order and aligned correctly. You may need to TDC the engine and ensure the rotor arm is pointing at the correct output terminal of the dizzy cap. Once you know No1 is in the right place, the other need to follow in firing order
Work through that list, in that order, when you find the part that doesn't work, then you know what's gone wrong!
Good advice, also you could try hot-wiring the coil straight from another temporary supply to see if it is a wiring issue before the coil.1) buy a cheap multimeter, you can get one on amazon for about £5
2) Check the coil is receiving power, by measuring between the Low Voltage supply terminal and the chassis or battery negative
3) Check the points are breaking the current. When the points are open, you will measure battery voltage on both Low voltage terminals of coil. When the points are closed, the LV supply terminal should be close to battery voltage (no more than 1 or 2 volts below at maximum) and the LV terminal connected to the points should be close to ground (0v)
4) Check the coil works, stick a single lead in the top of it, stick a spark plug in, make sure the body of the spark plug is earthed, use a bit of wire shorted against ground to simulate the points by holding it onto something that is grounded, then release it (don't touch the actual conductor with your fingers, you'll get a shock!!) You should see a nice spark across that plug
5) Now you know the coil and points are working, check the distributor and leads. Are they in the correct order and aligned correctly. You may need to TDC the engine and ensure the rotor arm is pointing at the correct output terminal of the dizzy cap. Once you know No1 is in the right place, the other need to follow in firing order
Work through that list, in that order, when you find the part that doesn't work, then you know what's gone wrong!
E-bmw said:
Max_Torque said:
Jeez, it's not hard.
1) buy a cheap multimeter, you can get one on amazon for about £5
2) Check the coil is receiving power, by measuring between the Low Voltage supply terminal and the chassis or battery negative
3) Check the points are breaking the current. When the points are open, you will measure battery voltage on both Low voltage terminals of coil. When the points are closed, the LV supply terminal should be close to battery voltage (no more than 1 or 2 volts below at maximum) and the LV terminal connected to the points should be close to ground (0v)
4) Check the coil works, stick a single lead in the top of it, stick a spark plug in, make sure the body of the spark plug is earthed, use a bit of wire shorted against ground to simulate the points by holding it onto something that is grounded, then release it (don't touch the actual conductor with your fingers, you'll get a shock!!) You should see a nice spark across that plug
5) Now you know the coil and points are working, check the distributor and leads. Are they in the correct order and aligned correctly. You may need to TDC the engine and ensure the rotor arm is pointing at the correct output terminal of the dizzy cap. Once you know No1 is in the right place, the other need to follow in firing order
Work through that list, in that order, when you find the part that doesn't work, then you know what's gone wrong!
Good advice, also you could try hot-wiring the coil straight from another temporary supply to see if it is a wiring issue before the coil.1) buy a cheap multimeter, you can get one on amazon for about £5
2) Check the coil is receiving power, by measuring between the Low Voltage supply terminal and the chassis or battery negative
3) Check the points are breaking the current. When the points are open, you will measure battery voltage on both Low voltage terminals of coil. When the points are closed, the LV supply terminal should be close to battery voltage (no more than 1 or 2 volts below at maximum) and the LV terminal connected to the points should be close to ground (0v)
4) Check the coil works, stick a single lead in the top of it, stick a spark plug in, make sure the body of the spark plug is earthed, use a bit of wire shorted against ground to simulate the points by holding it onto something that is grounded, then release it (don't touch the actual conductor with your fingers, you'll get a shock!!) You should see a nice spark across that plug
5) Now you know the coil and points are working, check the distributor and leads. Are they in the correct order and aligned correctly. You may need to TDC the engine and ensure the rotor arm is pointing at the correct output terminal of the dizzy cap. Once you know No1 is in the right place, the other need to follow in firing order
Work through that list, in that order, when you find the part that doesn't work, then you know what's gone wrong!
Test 5 may show that the distributor isn't turning or not turning correctly
Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff