Chasing Gremlins that have Kryptonite
I need some help with my electrical gremlins: 72 Skylark 350 TH350. This car was cloned from a skylark convertible to Skylark GS convertible some time ago, I have owned it for about 5 years. It has an non-original motor which codes out as a 73 10:1 compression. I started having problems with the starter not turning and just clicking about two months ago, figured the solenoid on the started was getting stuck, took it off and cleaned it up and it worked for a while, but I new that was a short term fix. Put a new starter on it and it worked fine for a couple weeks. Then it did the same thing, so I replaced the undersized 5 year old battery and once again it worked, but...not for long. I hooked up the battery charger and fully charged the battery and got it to start. I parked it in front of the garage to wash it, ran out of time and didn't get it washed. Went to start it up and didn't even make the "click". Dash lights work, headlights work. Checked the alternator pigtail and it had an exposed piece of wire, took the alternator off and had it bench tested at my local auto parts store (it's fine) and bought a new pigtail and installed it, (as well as new radiator hoses and drive belts). Put it all back together and it cranked really well but no spark. The car has had electrical shorts that I have chased down and fixed before, it has most of the original wiring and it needs replaced, I know, the previous owner didn't stick to the wiring diagram too much I think. I did buy a new engine harness but was hoping to get it running for the rest of the summer and then install the harness this winter. I did put a whole new distributor on it, I had originally planned on putting a Pertronix distributor rebuild kit in the HEI module but when I went to disassemble the old distributor the magnetic ring under the weights literally fell to pieces along with a couple of other plastic parts. I tested the spark by putting a bolt in a plug boot and grounding it to the frame, no spark. Someone suggested pulling a plug and leaving it in the boot and laying on the valve cover to test for spark as a more reliable method. I also had the suggestion of taking the cap off the distributor and cranking the engine to see if the rotor is sending spark, but had a more reliable source tell me this might be a little more risky with the HEI voltage. I will be checking to see if there is fuel getting to to carb over the Labor day weekend as well as undoing the wiring loom to check wires. So to summarize: cranking hard and easy, no spark not turning over. On a separate note the electric top quit working earlier this summer. Danged gremlins, electricity is my kryptonite!! Suggestions are welcome please.
alternator and battery wiring
If anyone can provide a link to an alternator and battery wiring schematic that would be helpful. I have the service manuals (chassey and body) but I literally don't know anything about wiring/electrical unless it's plug and play. Specifically the red wire that comes out of the alternator: I have it attached under the rubber boot on the back of the alternator, is this correct? The white wire that comes off the alternator pig tail with the red wire: I have this grounded to the engine block, is this correct? I opened up the engine wiring harness and there is a heavy (10 Guage?) black wire with a red stripe that wasn't attached to anything, it looks like it's been crimped onto something in the past? Where does it go? I know this sounds like a stupid question and You tube has given me conflicting answers: does the negative battery terminal go to the starter or the positive? does the negative battery terminal get grounded to the frame or the positive? Right now I've got the negative going to the battery and the positive grounded to the frame, it cranks the starter strong but no spark. I'm feeling a bit ashamed and stupid for not knowing about electricity but my next option is to haul it in to an electrical shop. Thanks for any help.
distributor install questions
OK, got things rolling and wired right, now to install the new distributor after the old one crumbled (literally). Finding TDC: manually cranked the engine to 0 degree mark on the harmonic balancer, I know there are lots of ways to find out if #1 is TDC compression stroke but some I am unable to do as one person such as plugging the hole with a finger or blowing air into #1 to see if the air comes out the exhaust or carb. I have chosen to remove the valve cover on the driver side and look to see when the intake valve opens prior to the timing mark coming around on the crank, then when the intake valve closes just before TDC you set the distributor in with the rotor facing #1 with the timing mark at 0. Here's my question: Which valve is intake and which one is exhaust? The chevy videos I have seen do this have the intake valve as the second one from the front of the car, a Buick diagram I have found here on the interweb shows the first valve from the front of the car as the intake valve, thus my confusion and the question. Yes, I will look in the shop manual when I get home from my kids cub scout meeting tonight but if anyone feels like giving me an answer before then I'm always interested to hear it as well as any tips for dropping in the distributor. Thanks!!!