Re: Spirit engine problem fixed....now the %&*^$ SX/4

["Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A: Take your battery jumper cables and go from the ignition box (yes, grip 
it onto the box) to the distributor housing. If that doesn't work, then the 
breaker plate ground wire is broken inside the dist. Moving the dist around 
can make it engage and then not engage (kind of like the filiament in a 
light bulb when you shake it around after it "burned out" sometimes)


From: Marty Bricker <mbrickerusn@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Spirit engine problem fixed....now the %&*^$ SX/4
To: AMC List <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, northtexasamc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OK, latest update...it is electrical and not fuel.
Checked spark from the coil and the plugs and it was
weak and then non-existant.  Pulled out the TSM and
did some T/S w fol results:
-ign coil primary circuit checks out ok
-coil checks out ok
-per TSM removed coil wire from distrib and
disconnected 4 wire connecter from ign control
unit(icu)...no spark as it said there should be...
-connected ohm meter btw D1 from icu and batt neg and
had 2.6 ohm reading which TSM says is bad ground (less
than .002 is acceptable).
-I traced the D1 wire in the wire diagram and it goes
to the B1 connector from the distrib (this is the
ground wire)
-checked B1 to batt neg and it read 2.6 ohms
indicating a bad ground of the distrib
-removed the distrib and checked the area around the
distrib hole and the distrib hold down and it showed
good ground
-With distrib out of car rechecked continuity of B1
ground and it was good!
-reinstalled distrib and checked continuity numerous
times and it showed good
-attempted to start car and it fired right up
-let car warm up to reset timing, had timing reset and
dropped idle back to curb and car stalled...wouldn't
restart...same indications as original
-disconnected distrib connector and checked B1 and it
showed 2.6 ohms again indicating a bad ground!
It appears that engine heat is somehow causing the
ground to fail in the distrib.  Is this
possible/probable?  The distrib is a new/rebuilt unit
that has a lifetime warranty so I can take it back.
Just wondering if I'm wasting time doing this.  Is
there another way to ground the distrib to check out
the theory?  Thanks.

Marty