*Night_Ryda* Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Hey guys, sorry for being away for so long. Anyway, here is the situation. I ran my truck completely out of gas in front of my buddy's place now she won’t start.-thnkboutit- She'll turn over, but I later checked and I'm not getting any spark. Here's what I know so you don't have to ask and or guess. Fuel pump is working correctly; I have a new battery, spark plugs, and distributor cap. I tend to think it’s either my spark plugs, or distributor, but I'm no mechanic and these are just guesses. With any luck maybe one of you guys will know what’s up, or can at least guide me on how to check what the problem really is. thnx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 (edited) Check that there's spark coming from the coil. It's in behind the distributor. Might be worth a shot. Check the connections to, and from it. ALso, there's a little grey box in behind that (can't remember the name of it right now) but I had an issue once where mine wouldn't start and the connection to that little grey box was loose. Edited December 13, 2005 by Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 u're sure u ran out of gas and didnt break a timing belt? i donno if u've pulled a plug or wire to see if its actually sparking or if it just wouldnt crank up but i had the same thing happen and i broke my timing belt...hope thats not the case for ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Night_Ryda* Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 Well, I checked my coil with a volt meter, I get 12v before the coil and slightly less after it, I duno if that checks out as being ok or not, but I'll be sure to check the connections to and from it, along with that gray box next time I see my truck. u're sure u ran out of gas and didn’t break a timing belt? Yep, I’m dead sure I ran out of gas, It was parked in my garage with next to no gas left so I poured in the rest of the gas that’s supposed to be for my snow blower (btw my snow blower only gets premium gas) and that was barley enough to get me to my buddy’s place. I idled it on his street while we moved cars out of his driveway so we could put her into the garage and she just died on me in the process. In any case yes I did pull a plug wire to check and I get nothing, but I'll go ahead and check the timing belt anyway just to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Are you saying you checked the output line of the coil (goes to the distributor ?) with a volt meter and only got 12 votls coming out ? It should be more like 15,000 volts, and thats NOT how you want to test it !! Tell me I misunderstood... Do you have an Ohmmeter ? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 not owning a snow blower but it is a 4 cycle motor right and not where u mixed 93 and oil for a 2 cycle?...i've also heard if u run a tank dry and have trash in there and refill it it'll clog up the filter in the tank maybe try changing fuel filter out side of tank 1st? or even better yet i dont think its that cold yet but maybe the gas solidified (froze)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Night_Ryda* Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 To tell the honest truth I was not the one to test with the volt meter, so I couldn’t tell you exactly how my friend ended up reading 12v before the coil and slightly less after the coil. When he told me that it did sound pretty odd, but in any case, if you know the correct way to test if it’s the coil, I'd be more then happy to go and try it your way. not owning a snow blower..................................... but maybe the gas solidified (froze)? Yep, she’s a four stroke, no oil in the mix, and certainly there was no crud in the gas I added. Once we pushed her up into the garage checking the fuel flow was #1 on my to do list, seeing as how my fuel pump had gone haywire on me just the previous month. (Corroded ground wire kept blowing fuses for me) Anyway everything checked out, my only problem is not getting a spark. I'm pretty confused actually. Lets say even if it is my distributor, spark plug wires, or coil, they all worked just fine before the running out of gas incident what would be preventing them from working now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Night_Ryda* Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 Hey come on guys, please don't ignore my post. I really need some help on this one. :help: :help: :help: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M in KC Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Would a quick and dirty way of checking for spark off the coil not be to unplug the coil wire at the distrtibutor cap and lay it along side something conductive and check for the spark to jump from the end of the wire to the metal source? I essentially do this on my motorsickle when I trouble shoot iggy problems there. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Look for spark at the points and check the condensor. If there is no spark there then you will have to fault find the reason why. If there is spark there, change the coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 I still have no idea what year Pathy we're trying to fix over the internet here. AS USUAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M in KC Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 '88 the bio sez '90 but Ryda should confirm. It would eliminate some confusion. Ryda where you at .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revgolem Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 For a couple of bucks at any autoparts store you can get a plug wire tester. can be used at the plug end or at the coil. If you are reading "less than twelve" volts after the coil, definatly try a new coil first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeMan Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 If you do have spark, the injectors could be air locked. Not usualy a problem but can happen if you run her out of gas. BYW this is assuming you have a MFI engine not TBI, but well, I guess that would be the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Night_Ryda* Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 yes, she is a 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Ok, so what have you tried ? For lack of better answers... pull a plug, put the wire on it and hold to/near the motor. If you get a fat blue spark or a zap good enough to inspire the macarena, your coil is fine. That would mean distributor on down... Any answers are helpful. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 i assume you have checked all ignition related connections? checked yer battery? how old are yer plug wires..plugs...dissy cap n rotor?? alternator been tested? checked the t-belt? changed the fuel filter and filled her up with gas? sssh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Personally, I see no reason whatsoever for the ignition system to have spontaneously failed when it ran out of gas. I'd pull the output hose from the fuel filter, stick on a longer piece of hose, put a bucket under it and make sure there's fuel pressure still. If not, you know where to look next. Fuel pumps have a bad habit of dying if you run your tank out of gas. Since fuel cools the pump as it runs (because it's running 100% of the time the engine is running), without any fuel the pump overheats...and it's been running for over 100,000 miles already, hasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Personally, I see no reason whatsoever for the ignition system to have spontaneously failed when it ran out of gas. I'd pull the output hose from the fuel filter, stick on a longer piece of hose, put a bucket under it and make sure there's fuel pressure still. If not, you know where to look next. Fuel pumps have a bad habit of dying if you run your tank out of gas. Since fuel cools the pump as it runs (because it's running 100% of the time the engine is running), without any fuel the pump overheats...and it's been running for over 100,000 miles already, hasn't it? 88 makes a very valid point. It does not take much to kill a fuel pump at all. I did not give the running out of juice a second thought. Good job old man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Ditto 88 and Vsicks, especially since he specifically mentioned recent issues with the fuel pump (wiring at least). Also, if its bright light conditions try dimming the light when checking for spark, just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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