Strange Ignition Problem on my 383W

[Brians94]

This is REALLY driving me crazy now!!
Got the new 383W installed in my 94
Using 94 ECU and harness. (Was a V6 car)
Converted fender mount TFI to my new distributor with TFI on it.
Finally got everything else hooked up.
Turned over fine but no spark.
Suspected TFI but new one arrived today and they shipped a fender mount one by mistake
So I got out my electrical drawing and went through everything that might be ignition related and found no ground to the TFI!!
Fixed that and using the timing light, found I now have spark at the coil wire but not sparkplugs!!
WTH!! Replaced dist. cap and rotor with spares had and STILL no spark at the plugs!

Anyone heard of this before? What am I missing?
Is it possible it is the 10.4 Mallory wires I have installed.

REALLY want to hear this thing fire up

Brian

[ronburgundy]

if the coil is firing , then it has to be either the cap, rotor, or wires.

[Pro SC]

Do you have the block grounded to the frame?

[lone sailor]

Recheck yours grounds, then the plug wires.

[Brians94]

Originally Posted by lone sailor

Recheck yours grounds, then the plug wires.

My ground is good from the body to the engine.
Battery relocated to the trunk and grounded to the Frame.
Question on grounds, pin 6 on the TFI is 'TFI Ground'. Is this different than frame ground? I grounded that wire to the engine and that is when I started getting HV on the coil wire only.

I took a plug wire off the old V6 and put it on the engine, still no strobe on that wire either.
Very depressing!

[claypike]

does your rotor turn when you have the cap off when you crank the engine over?

[lone sailor]

Originally Posted by Brians94

My ground is good from the body to the engine.
Battery relocated to the trunk and grounded to the Frame.
Question on grounds, pin 6 on the TFI is 'TFI Ground'. Is this different than frame ground? I grounded that wire to the engine and that is when I started getting HV on the coil wire only.

I took a plug wire off the old V6 and put it on the engine, still no strobe on that wire either.
Very depressing!

Personal pet peeve of mine, I hate ground wires to the engine. I only run ground wires to the frame. Try grounding that TFI wire to the frame and see if that makes a difference. Even if it doesn't, you'll still be much better off in the long run.

[Pro SC]

I would try running the battery ground to the engine. If you don't have a long enough cable, hook up your battery the stock way. Have you ever tried your trunk mounted battery set up before? Sounds like you are not getting a good enough ground to the block. Its a long ways from the trunk to the block. Keep the ground to the frame and also ground directly to the block from the battery.

[Brians94]

I'll try anything at this point! I'll run a ground from the battery to the engine and see what happens.

Thanks for all the tips.

[j-roc]

TFI module bad?

[Brians94]

Originally Posted by j-roc

TFI module bad?

I tried several models with no luck
I ordered an MSD coil as I'm suspecting my cheap off shore one is crap.
It should be here Monday if I know my Summit.
Wish me luck

[lone sailor]

Good luck.

If you have a good working stock coil, that would work just as well in this instance.

[Brians94]

Coil not the issue but at least I have a better quality one now.
Ordered an MSD distributor for remote TFI.
I want to try the correct distributor for remote TFI as there is a connector in the engine harness for it and not in use right now. Makes me wonder if that connector sends something to the ECU that is not happening with the Distributor mounted version. Yet another week of waiting.
Why is there no place in Toronto to buy this stuff? At least not at bloated prices.