Date:         Fri, 25 Apr 2003 06:04:48 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: No spark
Comments: To: Jeanon@AOL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

You can remove a spark plug wire and plug it into the coil. On the other
end use a spare spark plug and make sure the threaded area of the plug
is touching metal on the engine. Crank the engine while watching the
plug for sparking. If still no spark, the old coil wire, cap, and rotor
are not the cause as they are out of the circuit.

Just because there is 12 volts at the coil but no spark does not mean
that the fault is with the coil. The ECU triggers the coil based on hall
pulses. If that part of the ECU is bad or if the ECU is not getting
power to it there will be no spark. Is the fuel pump running for a few
seconds every time the key is turned on? If not, the ECU may not be
getting power as the ECU controls the fuel pump also and should always
run it briefly when the key is turned on. If the pump is running as
tested above then the ECU is at least partly alive. Hall pulses that
trigger ignition are also used to trigger the injectors. You can easily
pull the injectors out of their seats on one side and watch them to see
if fuel is being sprayed in pulses as the engine is cranked. If it is
then the hall sensor is working at least somewhat.

Mark

Sidney White wrote:
>
> this is a 1987 2.1Digifant. No spark from coil, tested coil wire for
> resistance= total resistance. Substituted another wire, still no spark. I
> have power to coil. Replaced distributor with good? hall sensor-mine was bad.
> I know to retest the replacement hall sensor but until tomorrow What else can
> be wrong. PS, can you buy just the coil wire?
>
> Sidney in New Orleans