Electronic Ignition Help

This may then be a voltage problem.

ONE POINT should all join together----

the "input" to the ballast (opposite from coil side)

the IGN power coming out of the bulkhead

The "I" terminal of the voltage regulator

and the power terminal of the ECU

(In the top drawing, this POINT is the bottom terminal of the ballast resistor. This should also feed off to your regulator "I" terminal)

So do four checks

1 Key on, engine off, measure voltage between battery + and the "POINT" above, IE the bulkhead side of the ballast. You want to see very low voltage, the lower the better. More than .2--.3V (that's 3 TENTHS of a volt) means you have a voltage drop problem in the harness

2 Hook voltmeter to battery + and coil +. Unhook and ground coil high tension wire. Crank engine USING THE KEY, NOT by jumpering the start relay. Again, you want a low reading, the lower the better. More than .3-.5V means voltage drop, and even .5 (1/2) volt is really too much

4 Engine running at "low to med. cruise" RPM measure the battery voltage, and measure on "bulkhead" side of ballast. You should have 13.8--14.2v optimum, no less than 13.5, no more than 14.5. Do this with engine and regulator warm.

Also examine all connectors. Remove and "work" the connectors in/ out to scrub them clean, "feel" for connector tightness, and visually inspect for rust/ corrosion. Do this for ballast, ECU, and distributor. Pay particular attention to the distributor pickup

I'd recommend you pick up (no pun intended!!) a .008" (that's inches, not mm) brass feeler gauge. O'Reallys had these last time I asked. Check the reluctor/ pickup gap in the dist, and examine the reluctor/ pickup for debri, damage, and "feel" the shaft for side play. Make sure the reluctor has not been striking the pickup coil.

The same drawing "cropped." This drawing is excellent, as it shows clearly the polarity of the distributor connector, and the "start" and "run" connections