On an 88' lucas distributor. Is the 1 on the top of the cap where you start the firing order with the 1A plug? All the firing order pics online show 1A being almost straight left on the distributor... it's been a long day and I never labeled the wires so plug 1A should go right inline with the white vacuum nipple?

 

I don't have my car or books close by at the moment to double check but it's a fair guess that 1A goes in the socket marked "1".

All the caps I've had are specifically marked with "1A" to avoid confusion

Cheers
DD

 

ha it seems logical, but always good to get a second opinion. Thanks

 

the number 1 on the distributor is for the 1A spark plug, the arrow shows the rotation

 

thank you, I assumed so but after 7hrs of trouble shooting my mind went... not good.

 

I believe I see A1 attached to the no. 1 distributor outlet here

 

I can confirm that. Same system here and that orientation is correct. I've never seen a cap with the vacuum port inline with 1A before.

 

ha it becomes such a mess when they're all connected.

Ha, that's not very reassuring since I'm getting no spark out of my cap.

 

I'm sure it's just a design variation. The port could go anywhere. This position actually makes good sense as it aids in A1 location.

Do do you have spark into the cap? Is the coil / coils providing a good hot blue spark?

I have had a rotor short to the shaft. Button and cap can also fail. Check them carefully for damage, corrosion, pitting or carbon traces in cap.

 

Cap is new and so is the coil. Not sure how big the spark is but I'm getting 12.3v at the coil. I'm wondering if the cap is crap or not making good rotor contact..

 

You need to establish the "oomph" of the spark out of the coil.

If its a decent CRACK and Blue, you are on the right path.

If its a piddly fizzy, ya got issues, and that list is loooooong.

That rotor looks very ordinary to me.

Also, please understand. The TIP of the rotor and the contacts inside the cap DO NOT make contact. There is a designed "air gap" that the spark "jumps". That is why you NEVER clean the tip of the rotor, you increase that air gap, and the spark oomph at the plug is crappy.

Sooooo the stronger the spark out of the coil, the stronger it will be at the plug. It has a few "gaps" to navigate before the spark at the business end of things.

 

i don't believe I'm getting jack squat out of the coil! I've tried hooking a spark plug to the coil out and get nothing. I get no test light flash on the neg terminal. The coil itself is brand new. Why would I get voltage to the coil but nothing out of it? Does that point to the amp as being crap? Thank you

 

The voltage comes to the +ve from the Ignition switch, and via a relay on some year cars.

The Ignition module, INSIDE the Ignition AB14 amp switches the -ve terminal, just as contact points did in earlier systems, and that is when the spark out of the HT of the coil is generated.

That module is fickle, and a simple "mis-wire" can fritz it, or it can simply die on its own.

That condensor thingy inside also causes issues, and can be removed. It attaches to one of the +ve terminals of that module.

Lousy wiring, mainly the small loom that travels from the distributor TO the amp being #1 on any list I write. Not the easiest to test, but test you must.

 

i wish I knew of an xjs owner around me that had a know working ab14 I could test on my car. Because from what you're saying it almost seems like the module isn't working, if it's not sparking? How do you test the wire going from the module to distributor? Am I looking for voltage out of it as well? Cause I did hook a volt meter up to the output of the module today and was getting like .7 volts. Like I said electrics are not my strong suit. Am I looking for volts or ohms or amps or magic? Ha. I did a visual inspection of the wires to the distributor and they weren't broken or cracked. I did replace all the wires in the amp and took out the condenser thing. That loom was a mess and wouldn't be surprised if it shorted out the module. I did notice the module had grease or oil on it... not sure where that came from. I have a gut feeling the amp is dead. I always did after I put it all together. Not fun tossing money if you don't know for sure but it's becoming a second job trying to figure this out. Thank you for all your help again.

 

Its a GM module. I dont know the number, but it in this section somewhere. Doug has mentioned it a few times.

The wires going thru the rubber bung of the distributor casing actually break INSIDE that bung. So, it is hard to trace. Disconnect that loom at the amp. Set your meter to Ohms, and probe the 2 wires at the now removed connector and note the reading. There will be resistance, and I dont remember the numbers, BUT, what you are looking for is continuity. With the probes in place, "wiggle/fiddle" the wires AT the bung, and watch the readings. If nothing odd occurs, all OK.

You are in the States, and Echlin is still available I am told???. The Echlin part number is TP45 for that module. It may come up as TP45B, with the "B" being for the Blister pack it comes in, duh.

At some stage you are going to need some of this. It goes well with JD.

Electrical theory as per Joseph Lucas.doc

The smoke appears on here from time to time in small jars, and Norri has the applicator, or did a while back.

 

appears echlin is sold still through napa. I'm going to have to grab one I'm thinking. I'll have to get an ohm reading on the wires when I can get to the car next. And yes I need plenty of smoke!

 

I'm going to grab one of the modules tomorrow and install it. Who wants to put a bet on it being the issue? If it isn't the issue then it's going to a local shop to be sorted or pushed into a lake 😂

 

Apologies if you've already done this, but just to be sure, I'd test your brand new coil as follows...

meter voltage on both coil v+ and v-. You should get 12v on both with ignition in position 2 "run".

Plug a spark plug into the coil output lead and ground the plug. I prefer to use a big alligator clip jumper wire so that the plug gap can be easily seen.

Put another alligator clip jumper wire on the chassis. Disconnect the wires from your coils v- terminal. Insulate them safely. You don't want a short. With ignition in "run" quickly tap and release the grounded jumper wire on the coil v- terminal repeatedly. Now you are acting as the pickup and amp. You should get a nice strong spark with each tap and release.

If it is is good then I'd suspect the pickup or its wires before the amp module , but definately check those amp wires carefully as Grant suggests.

The greese on the module is heat transfer paste. The module gets hot, particularly at idle, and needs a good thermal path to transfer this heat to the case.

 

i did try and do that the other day and got nothing but I wasn't sure if I had done it properly or not. I had a wire wrapped around the threads of the plug and connected to a ground. Then I had a wire Attached to the neg on the coil and used the opposite end to tap against a ground. I don't believe this was right and also I was not getting any spark. Instead I should ground the second wire and tap against the coil neg? Seems like it should work both ways but I've never done it before.

 

Either end grounding/breaking ground should work just the same.

If you have 12v to the coil v+ and this does not produce a spark the that coil is dead. New or not. Exchange it.