Need Help With My 73' Chevy

[73blue4x]

Ok, So I have a 1973 chevy k20. It has a 454 in it with a fresh rebuild. I bought it from a friend of the family who said it last ran about a year ago and ran just fine. I now have it an it will only crank. Im thinking something electrical. It is not getting any spark to the engine. I replaced the plug wires and coil thinking that might help. Did that and still no spark. Took out the distributor. Rotor and cap look fine. The points are a little dirty so I cleaned them up and set the right gap. Reinstalled everything and still no spark. We went thru with a multimeter and checked all voltages and everything is reading normal. Can anyone please help. Im just a 17 year old trying to get my truck on the road. Thanks and please help if you can!

[88fivespd]

Are you getting power to one little connection on the coil with the ignition switch turned on? If YES to that question, remove the distributor cap and turn the engine so the points are closed and open the points by prying them apart manually, it should spark at the points when they are pryed apart, again with the ignition switch turned on.

[75K30]

Welcome to the site:

Really sounds like a bad set of points. For the money, an HEI distributor is easy as pie to install, and will never leave you wondering why there is no spark.
The HEI is more reliable, powerfull, and all around easier to work with. While the cap is larger because the coil is located on top, it will be one of the best upgrades you can do. You should have plenty of firewall clearance for this mod.

[03chevy]

if you don't like working on points about every 3 months then get a hei dis.. one little thing with points like mosture or dust will have you filing and gaping them. so i would buy a hei distributor.

[Case 7230]

88fivesp is right. You should have two small wires attached to the coil. One goes direct to the dist. the other should have voltage at it when the ign.is "on". If you have voltage (check with a volt meter or test light) then the points need cleaned again. Draw a piece of clean thick paper or a piece of card thru the points several times. If still no spark and with voltage at the coil terminal then I would think the capacitor in the dist. needs replaced.

[73blue4x]

Yeah. I think I am going to buy an HEI. For the time being though, are you supposed to able to visibly see a spark between the points when they open? Thanks for the help!

[436'd skylark]

the positve side of the coil should have at least 8 volts. the negative side will be the wire that runs too the points. if either post is grounded out all the time, you won't have spark. if the point doesn't open, or fully close you won't have spark. the condensor also needs to be grounded as well.

you shouldn't see a spark when messing with the points.

first thing I would do is verify power at the coil with the key on, and again when cranking over.

[03chevy]

• Older vehicles may be equipped with breaker point switching mechanisms (also known as point sets). To inspect the mechanism, remove the distributor cap and rotor.
• Check the points and condenser to make sure they are securely fastened.
• Push the breaker points open with a screwdriver and check the condition of the contact surfaces. Badly oxidized (blackened) or pitted points should be replaced.
• Over time, points get burned. This can cause intermittent misfiring that will probably not be noticed until there is a complete breakdown.
• Points have a rubbing block that rides against the distributor cam. When this rubbing block wears down, the point gap becomes narrower. This retards the ignition timing.
• A failed condenser can ground out the ignition system, causing the engine not to run.
• just something i found on points to help you out so you can narrow your search down some.