Problems after HEI install

[Bruce F]

Hi , I have just installed a new HEI unit (ebay) in my 69 stepside with a 250 six

i ran a new 10 gauge wire to ign unfused on the fusebox inside and disconnected the original resistor wire at solenoid and coil

I set #1 @ TDC and made sure the new rotor was pointed to # 1 -- and vac advance was in roughly the same position as original disty

engine turns over but does not fire - based on searching other threads I have

-confirmed ground - 0 ohms from metal stem of HEI to ground (batt neg and engine)
-ran a direct wire from batt + to HEI + (not tach)

no change

I also removed - removed HEI and power and ground to it - no plug wire connected - when I rotate the gear - I see a visible spark on #2 position but not on others

any ideas welcome ?

thanks Bruce

[MARKDTN]

So with distributor installed when you try to start it are you saying you are only getting spark on #2 and no other plugs? I assume new plug wires and plugs with different gaps than the points system? If only spark on 1 wire consistently I would suspect wires or maybe the cap but it could be a bad coil or module. Need more info on spark when installed.

[72SB]

ebay HEI???......what brand?

IMHO a pertronix kit in the stock dizzy would be better

[1967-C10]

must be "compression TDC"
there are "2" TDC positions.

[Bruce F]

Hi

I am on compression TDC -- where pressure pushed finger off # 1 spark plug hole - the timing mark is at 0 when piston is at the top so it seems like the balancer lines up like it should .

- when I indicated I am only seeing spark on # 2 - it is with the entire distributor /HEI unit removed - power and ground applied - when I rotate the gear by hand there is a large spark from the terminal on # 2 - and only a click but no spark on the others - plug wires are detached at this point

I did regap plugs to .045 and plug wires are new Accel to match HEI - but i did need to trim to length and add the caps

HEI unit from eBay was new - Assault Racking products 1029212 "Chevy Inline L6 6-Cylinder One Wire Drop In HEI Distributor 194 230 250 292"

[bry593]

Buy an old, crusty original GM HEI and it will great! Those China imports are terrible. The weights have no stops, the wires are barely crimped, the coils don't fit in a standard cap, etc......

['68OrangeSunshine]

I bought an L6 Distributor off EBay from ''Assault Racing.'' It was a dud right out of the box. No warranty, no support. All I could do was give them a lousy rating and gut the unit,and build back up using American parts.
Their response was to changed the name of the company. Still selling crap.

[RichardJ]

>>and made sure the new rotor was pointed to # 1<<

#1 what? Just the way you wrote that, I hope you're not pointing the rotor to spark plug #!.
When someone says to point the rotor to #1, they mean the distributor cap tower that the #1 spark plug wire plugs into.

>>removed HEI and power and ground to it - no plug wire connected - when I rotate the gear - I see a visible spark on #2 position but not on others<<
>> I rotate the gear by hand there is a large spark from the terminal on # 2 - and only a click but no spark on the others - plug wires are detached at this point<<

In all likelihood a unreliable test. A bench test by spinning with a small motor to simulate a Dist Machine will work, but forget any finger spinning.

>>I see a visible spark on #2 position<<
Where exactly are you seeing this spark ? If checking for a spark you should be using plug wires and GROUNDED spark plugs.

From what you have posted, I see a very high likelihood that you do not have the engine at TDC Compression AND the distributor rotor pointed toward the #1 PLUG WIRE TOWER ON THE CAP.


.035" is a good gap for your HEI 250 inline.

In 1975 GM set the HEI plug gaps at .065"
By the late 80's , GM reduced most plug gaps to close to .035" and by the mid 90's the remaining V8s that had a distributor such as the Vortec had gone back to a small cap HEI with 7-pin Module mounted on the outside.

GM was originally forced to the oversize HEI cap because of the .065" plug gap. I took them all those years to figure out .065" gap caused higher emissions, lower fuel mileage and with little to no increase in power.

The spark plug wires in 1975 were of much lower quality than the wires that began to appear in the 1980's. The .065" gap along with the HEI, ate the 1975 plug wires very quickly. In 1975 the plug wires had to changed almost as often as the points in the pre-1975 points ignition.

[Bruce F]

thanks for input

when I say rotor is pointed to # 1 - that is the tower in the cap that # 1 plug connects to - which is at the front of the truck in my case - following that i go clockwise 1 5 3 6 2 4

as per earlier post I am fairly sure I am at compression TDC on cylinder 1 as that is where the pressure pushes my finger off when i rotate the engine via the fan (and also lines up to the timing marks )

I need to head out of town for a few day and will resume when i get back - that for all the help and suggestions

truck was running great on points but i want to go on a 1500 mile round trip so was looing for something a bit more reliable as i did have some points issues on the last longer trip I took with it a while back

cheers Bruce

['68OrangeSunshine]

Gap .045 for HEI. That's textbook.

[rockyrivermark]

Originally Posted by bry593

Buy an old, crusty original GM HEI and it will great! Those China imports are terrible. The weights have no stops, the wires are barely crimped, the coils don't fit in a standard cap, etc......

Yep!
Posted via Mobile Device

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by bry593

Buy an old, crusty original GM HEI and it will great! Those China imports are terrible. The weights have no stops, the wires are barely crimped, the coils don't fit in a standard cap, etc......

This is the right thing to do. Mine works great.

[MARKDTN]

You may be getting the cart before the horse. If you are not getting spark on all cylinders it makes no difference what the timing is-it won't run. Sounds like a bad distributor. My advice figure out spark first, then worry about timing. And I agree with finding a real GM one and it will probably work. As far as timing, pull the #1 plug. Roll it to TDC on the balancer. Back it up a few degrees. Put a wadded up paper towel in the spark plug hole. Rotate forward. If it blows it out you are in the right place. If it doesn't, pull the paper towel out, rotate a full revolution and try again. One or the other should be close enough to start it. When you get here, the rotor should point to #1. Best advice when pulling a distributor is rotate it to the #1 firing position before you pull it. That way you have a baseline to easily put it back. Good luck with it. (PS-make sure you put the plug wires on in the correct firing order and correct direction)

[LNP]

I bought my HEI from Summit and no issues at all. I do agree you should make sure it spark on all 6 first. But do it with the distributor in the engine One plug at a time turn it over to see if it will spark. Pick up a OTC spark tester 6589. I used them in the garage for almost 30yrs. Never failed me. If it sparks as you crank it you're good to go.

[Bruce F]

Update --- I was up at my weekend place for the last few days and have a spare 250 motor stored there that I bought last fall. It has a distributor with a Pertronix 1162 installed.

I set the engine to compression TDC on # 1 cylinder and I installed the pertronix equipped dizzy it and the stock looking coil using the resistor wiring and it fired right up .

timing was off but once set to about 14 degree advance using the light it settled right down.

I just took it for a ~ 90 mile run - runs fabulous (minus the semi shredded fan belt that was squealing loud when i got home )

plug gap is still at .045 from my "HEI experiment" --- is that too much for the Pertronix?

I have 2 days to decide if I take my truck on the 1500 km round trip but am leaning that way right now

thanks for all the input -

cheers Bruce

[tim_mc]

Good deal. Per their FAQ, they recommend a max of .007 over the stock spark plug gap:
https://pertronixbrands.com/pages/faqs

['68OrangeSunshine]

I used .045 plug gap with an Ignitor II module and Flamethrower II coil. They insist on matching parts. I taped off the Yellow 20 line to the Coil [+] terminal, and ran a 12 ga wire from IGN/UNFUSED in the fuse block, to the Coil [+].
The factory resistor wire will flow 12 vdc when cold, for starting, but as it heats up, resistance increases, and voltage drops to 7 - 8 vdc.
Electronic ignitions need a constant 12 vdc.

[Bruce F]

thanks Tim and 68 Orange

I have re-gapped plugs to .040 and will run a dedicated ign switched 12 volt to direct to the pertronix / dizzy red wire

I need to keep the coil I have for time being and it is the type that needs a resistor so I will leave that yellow resistor wire to the coil + in place for now

Once I get the matching coil I will remove the resistor wiring -

I found a Pertronix diagram with this config .



Bruce