VH won't fire. - Need help BAD!!

[Lewie]

Gurus, My faithful VH blue 202 has died inconveniently and suddenly. I drove home from Sydney last weekend (Nowra, south coast NSW, 2.5 hours) without incident and with no running issues. Stopped for fuel, food ETC and car started fine again no problems. I went to start it Sunday and it won't fire at all no matter what I tried. I'm assuming that this issue could be determined by the car being hot or cold but it started fine in Sydney.

What I've checked:
* I know I'm getting fuel
* The engine turns over fine
* Plugs and leads are almost new
* Swapped dizzy cap with a spare (no result)
* Swapped rotor with spare (no result)
* Gently cleaned off contacts inside the dizzy cap

I tried every way in the book to rig up a spark plug to a lead to see if I am getting a spark but I get nothing which leads me to thing it's something to do with the coil. I went to a few car places to discuss my issues but I came away more confused than before. One place said I have a points distributor, another says I have electronic. I looked under the cap and there is nothing else under there apart from the rotor. certainly nothing that looks like a contact running on a cam or anything like that. Granted I am no Distributor guru so I have included a pic of under the dizzy cap to clear up any confusion. If it is the coil (or component of) and it stuffed out during the drive home would the engine still run? Or would it die on the spot?

Basically I want to know if you guys think it could be anything else other that the coil causing the problem. Eg a smaller (cheaper) component maybe? There is a condenser looking thing (small cylindrical thing with a single wire) positioned on the side of my coil. One place said to replace it, another said it was to stop interference with the radio.

If I'm up for a new coil what are good ones to go with? Apparently the traditional cylindrical ones are on the way out in favor of the much smaller units like on top of the LS1/3 engines.

On a side note before I left for home I replaced all the gaskets on the intake and exhaust manifold and removed the EGR butterflies from the engine. I freed up the bottom one (larger) but the top was rooted. So I took them all out leaving the butterfly housings in tact minus the flap itself. I did this to fix up numerous leaks and blockages but I don't think this has any bearing on my current issue. Included it just in case.

Any help would be appreciated.

[delcowizzid]

its an electronic dizzy first test i would do is see if its spinning round when you crank the engine they strip dizzy cogs

[Lewie]

Yep. It spins.

[delcowizzid]

check for 12v at the coil + .if theres power there it only rally leaves the coil or the module on the dizzy

[Lewie]

Bugger! I was hoping I wasn't going to have to use electrickery devices! A. I don't have any and B. I'd probably break them if I did. I'm assuming you mean a multimeter. Is there another way I could check that?

[delcowizzid]

indecator bulb and a bit of wire

[Lewie]

Great! I'll check it tomorrow and post the results. Like the way you think. This may sound like a stupid question but, so I get it right, where should I put the wires on the coil? Is the positive the main one that goes to the center of the distributor cap? Can I earth it to the block?

[delcowizzid]

nope look at the coil there is a + and - on the small terminals for the power feed and earth sit the solder part of the bulb on the + with key on and touch the spare peice of wire onto the metal side of the bulb to the engine it should light up

[Lewie]

No light. Couldn't get it to light up. What does that mean?

[PirateJoe]

It means no power to the coil, so there is either a break in the continuity somewhere or the fuse(s) is blown. Next step check the fuse in the ignition circuit - better to check all of them. The easiest way is with a proper test light however, you dont have one so pull them one at a time and check each for a break. Fingers crossed theres no shorts..

[ari666]

just to get her started, run a wire direct from the battery to + on the coil, crank it over and see if it fires. the wire to the coil will work all day everyday, you just have to disconnect it to stop your engine

edit* if the wire colours are the same as VK V8 then ignition+ should be a fat pink wire and there should be a brown wire to tacho. hope that helps

[Lewie]

I checked all the fuses in the car and they were all intact. Unless there are any in the engine bay. I guess I should start looking for a break in the wires somewhere. Is that the next step??

ARI666, I was able to start the engine using your trick. I'll keep it in mind if I get really hard up for a ride to work. The wire colours are as you described also.

[PirateJoe]

The fuse box is under the black cover in the right hand top corner of the bay behind the strut tower (facing the engine).

[Lewie]

HAZAA!!!!!! While I was looking for the fuse box (that wasn't there!) I traced the wires on the coil as far back as I could looking for damage and what did I find??? A brown three pinned plug that had worked it's way loose. See pic. I nearly sh!t a kitten when I saw it, usually I'd check that sort of thing first. It looked a little dusty and crappy so I think it may have been just hanging on for a while. I pushed it all the way back together and turned the key.

Music to my ears. Thanks a whole bunch guys. I learnt some handy stuff in this thread. Much appreciated.

Peace, out.

[ari666]

yeah just behind the brake booster soz i totally forgot about that one. i cut mine off on the last engine install.

[RippleEphex]

i have had problems with that connector before, had to take apart the connector itself and solder and clean the connectors, painful job.
my problem was with the ignition wires or something, all the electrics would die completely while driving down the road :/ gave the connector a few taps and off she went again

[kym192]

cheering funny that mine has had the same problem the other day wored one day then just stopped, but im going to go around the hole thing and put a switch in and wire it up that way

[ari666]

guys guys guys.. take my advice, cut all old plugs off and solder then up. they are only there to make changing your engine easier. but a pair of sidecutters does the same job is less time. i had nothing but trouble with mine as well, plus the VK has a bigger one on the passenger side which runs battery constant to the cabin that fails.

cut, solder, shrink wrap, electrical tape. and it will NEVER be a problem again

[kym192]

yep tryed all the ideas on here mines still not running time to turn it to scrap

[blinky666]

Will my VK have them same connectors? I'm having the same problems but the car isn't at my house so I can't go out and look.

[RippleEphex]

it should have same connectors but cant say if its the same problem, id have a look at those connectors though, they're not sealed and they fill up with dirt and get corroded, you can clean them off with a little bit of fine grit sand paper or do what ari666 said, cut the connectors off and solder the wires together

[ari666]

yeah the VK have em' the 5 wire plug on the other side is worse though, cos it powers most of the cabin and there is a lot of current running through mediocre plugs, they get hot, melt the plastic bodies and eventually just corrode away.

cut em' off