Troubleshooting ideas
 

72 olds 442 W30 4-speed. Has run pretty trouble free for about 5 years. All of a sudden I am having trouble getting it started. It all began when I had to let the car sit in a cold garage while the movers packed up my heated garage (recently relocated from Ohio to AZ). The day before I knew they were going to load the car for the move, I went out and started the car and let it warm up good. Next morning, the thing wouldn't start. Cranked and cranked, nothing.

I put the battery charger in it because i ran it down & went out to get a can of starting fluid.

Two really small shots of of starting fluid and it finally fired up. The strange thing was how it started. I was cranking and cranking, and the moment I let the key rotate back, that's when it tried to start.

Since I got to Arizona, the car will not start normally. It sometimes eventually fires but again only when I am giving up basically, and then it sputters and bogs (no choke) no idle.

Once it warms up, it seems to run fine. Took it for a ride and it runs fine under load. Shut it down and it will not restart unless I shoot the starting fluid (today, that didn't even work).

I have the lectric limited points conversion kit under the cap and its been there for about three years with no issue.

I've replaced the plugs, reset the timing and idles (the car took a tune no problem once warmed up).

Today just because it was cheap, I replaced the ignition switch with no improvement. Car still fired as the key was being turned back to off.

Have a known good carb on it with a new filter.

I am thinking about putting the points back in it tomorrow to see if the module is going bad?

Any other thoughts or ideas?

Appreciate any help. I'd like to enjoy the car now that I am in Arizona.......

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

I am going to go out on a short limb and say it's a quadrajet?
Do you think the fuel pump diaphragm or carb seals are bad/gummed up from ethanol gasoline?
Have you taken apart the carb?

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

I swapped the carb with a newly rebuilt unit the other day. Different carb didn't change anything.

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Sounds like the conversion module has gone bad. When you turn the key to crank, the coil is geting 12 volts, when it is in the run position it should be getting 9 volts.

When i had the wiring harness problem in my 72 Trans Am it kept frying the points because the harness was missing the ballast resistor in the harness. As a result it was getting 12 volts or more in both the on and crank, key positions. The harness was replaced under warranty with the correct resistor in it.

I ended up installing an electronic conversion. I spoke to the manufacturers of my conversion setup (M&H) and they said it will run on full 12 volts but the higher voltage will eventually fry the module. You need to run a resistor with these conversions, either an external ballast resistor or the resistor wire in the harness.

Are you runnng a ballast resistor or does it have the built-in resistor wire at the coil?

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Njsteve,

I hope it's just this module, it's driving me nuts.

The Lectric Limited unit is a single wire set-up that says to hook up to what's there from the factory. My car has the resistance wire to the coil.

I am just going to put points back in there determine if the module is bad or going bad.

Seems like a reasonable next step I guess.

Thanks,

Joe

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Hey Joe...I hope you get it sorted out [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Thanks Bruce, me too! While this car has never been perfect, it has never just not started in the 5 years I've had it completed.

By the way, we did manage to get up to the Pavillions last Saturday about 2:00pm or so &amp; stayed until about 5:30pm The place was nuts! We parked on the end of and aisle up by the Mongolian stir fry joint. We had a great time, but the car wasn't happy until I got back n the freeway.

Very frustrating right now.

Joe

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Let Rick and I know if we can help out!

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

I pulled the distributor with the module in it and built up a spare I had with new points I picked up yesterday &amp; that seems to have done the trick.

Wow, this module must have been slowing deteriorating because the car fired right up and once I quickly set the timing and idles, it sounds like its going to run great. Shut it down and it restarted immediately. I shut it down again and came back ten minutes later and again it started right up.

Now if it would just stop raining here I'd go for a ride...........I thought I moved to the desert. My dog thinks we relocated to Seattle. &amp;#128522;

I think I am going to swap the choke parts, jets, and metering rods from the other carb to this one since it seems to be happy on there.

Oh and you guys are welcome to come over any time! Not much room to move around in the garage but the fridge is stocked.

Joe

Re: Troubleshooting ideas
 

Great news. I will call you during the week. Saturday looks to be a nice day. We can caravan over to the show~!