Olds luvr

Ok so I am getting the car back together and have an issue I need help with. When I start the car and is in the run position there is no problem but as soon as you let the key go it cuts out instantly. If you hold it in the run it will run as long as you want it to.

I just the the column back in the car and also had to repair some wires on the non original distributor as the shielding on some of the wires needed to be fixed. When I redid the wires on the distributor I am pretty sure I got them back to how they were hooked up before and the car ran great.

Is the issue the ignition switch or distributor wiring?.......or possibly somthing else?

joe_padavano

What distributor are you running? There are two separate wires from the ignition switch to the coil. One is powered with full 12 volts only when the key is in the START position. The other has the resistor that drops voltage to about 9 volts only in the RUN position. It sounds like the latter is not connected or has a break in it. I've had exactly this happen to me.

Olds luvr

Thank you Joe, I am not sure what distributor it is as it came with the car and looks like it was out of a yard as someone wrote "olds 350'400'425'455" on it. Both of the wires the 12 volt and the resistor wire are connected together. What did you do to correct it when you did it?

joe_padavano

My question was meant to be, is it points, HEI, or aftermarket? If points, the two wires should both be connected to the + side of the coil. From the factory they are crimped together in one terminal. In my case there was a break in the resistor wire, which I had to replace. If you are not getting about 9 volts at the coil with the key in the RUN position, either the wire or the ignition switch are the problem.

Shizzy

I had the same issue on my Cutlass when I wired in a ford Solenoid. what is happeneing is you have the power to the Dist wired to the side that only gets power in the start position. you need to have it wired off a wire that has power in the run position.

with the key set to "run" check to see if you have power.

Bluevista

This seems common I guess?
I had the opposite problem when I installed my Petronix ignition.
It needs a full 12 volts so you eliminate the resistor wire and run a switched on with the ignition when cranking and running 12 volt wire. I had it hooked to the ignition but it was one that was hot after you released the switch. The car would crank like crazy but only start when you let go of the key and the coil got the voltage.

jeffreyalman

not that I can help at all but I am confused - this statement:


When I start the car and is in the run position there is no problem but as soon as you let the key go it cuts out instantly. it only "springs back" from START

If you hold it in the run it will run as long as you want it to. if RUN = START (from above, wouldn't that ef up the starter (if its running?)

scubastever

this sounds like a problem i've encountered before.

if you are running the old style (NON HEI) distributor, check the ballast resistor.

this is what they look like. the part number is NOT for Oldsmobile...it might not be correct.

Lady72nRob71

The 72 Cutlass has this ballast resistor's function incorporated into a single 1.35 Ohm, 20ga pink/black wire running from the coil to ignition switch. Time to check it out with an ohmmeter or check voltage at the coil with key in RUN (should be ~9V). If 0, then check back at the ignition switch. It should be 12V at the switch. If so, then the resistor wire is open somewhere. Check the contact at the ignition switch, too.

Olds luvr

Wll here are some pictures and maybe we can get this figured out. Coming off of the unknown distributor there are 3 wires green, brown and red. The red along with the resistor wire from the harness and the 12 volt are going to the positive side of the coil. the drown is going to ground and the green to negative side of the coil. In the picture the orange is going to the tach.

I swapped out the ignition and neutral safety on the column. keep in mine before I tore the car down it was fine. Any more thoughts?

Anyone know what this distributor is from?

I am tempted to throw in a stock distributor with a flame thrower unit I have on the shelf...

svnt442

That looks like a Mallory distributor to me. The wiring is correct for it becuse it tries to run.

This is from a 70 but should be close enough for govt work.

scan0002-1.jpg

Olds luvr

Ok so I went back out and put a meter on the coil with the key in the run. Now I am not that good with the meter but had it on VDC and the ground on the neg battery term and the positive on the positive side of the coil and got around 5.2 as it jumped around a bit. So what are some possibilities or work arounds as I want to get the car driving and rework if needed later.

Can I run new wires? Swap out the dist and run a stock unit with the pertonix or just track down this issue?

Olds luvr

Also, in one of the pictures there is a pink and black single connector under the junction black that is not hooked up. Also on the ignition switch why are there hot terminals and no wires on the harness plugs to match up to them?

Olds luvr

So does anyone know what this pink and black wire is and if it should be connected?

On the ign switch why is there 9 or 10 terminals and only 7 or 8 pins on the harness connector?

Wires going to the coil is just the factory yellow and the black on one connector, then the tach is on the neg post along with the green from the dist and the red from the dist is on the positive side.

Could the red and the green be on the wrong sides making the car cut out when the key is released?

Looks like everything else is good but I am only getting 5.2 volts at the coil positive side

Lady72nRob71

That would connect to the horn relay, so it will buzz when you leave the key in the ignition. Has nothing to do with engine operation.

Either someone took out some wires during disassembly or it was depending on the car and options that were installed at the factory...
72 Cutlass wiring diag shows 7 or 8 wires.

That seems a bit low - 8-9 seems more realistic.

I know nothing about the various aftermarket dizzies (esp. unknown ones ), but if you want to put in a stock one, I can help with that...

Olds luvr

Well Rob I am real close to just putting in a stock dist that I have from the old car and have a pertronix unit. Will solve the issue and just run the 12volt to the IGN on the fusseblock. Not to mention the new coil, cap and rotor too. Just do not want to mess with the timing is all but at this point if I can not figure out why the volts are so low or if that is the reason the car cuts out then I may have no choice.

That is what I do not get as to why it cuts out as soon as the key is released. Just more digging to do I guess

Lady72nRob71

Not enough voltage at the coil in the run position.

Olds luvr

OK so here is where I am, I believe the resistor wire is bad. On the pink wire on the ignition switch it is at 12.3 volts in the run position.and for some reason getting a good reading at the coil has not been consistant but get between 2.2 and 0 so I am assuming the resistor wire is bad.

How do you change the resistor wire?

At this point would it be better to swap out the Mallory distributor and original delco coil and go pertronix and just run the 12volt wire? Would that fix the problem?

defiant1

[quote=Olds luvr;183490]OK so here is where I am, I believe the resistor wire is bad. On the pink wire on the ignition switch it is at 12.3 volts in the run position.and for some reason getting a good reading at the coil has not been consistant but get between 2.2 and 0 so I am assuming the resistor wire is bad.

How do you change the resistor wire?
[quote]

When you test the coil are you grounding the coil to an engine block ground of some sort (from the negative side of the coil) before hooking up the multimeter to test voltage? Just trying to eliminate any false readings...

As far as changing the resistor wire (if you need to change it), it should run from the "R" side of the starter solenoid to its current location on the coil. The "R" side is the post closest to the engine block.

d1

Lady72nRob71

An excessive load at the coil will cause an excessive voltage drop across the resistor wire.
Disconnect the resistor wire at the coil and measure it to ground with key in run position. If you get 12V when disconnected, then something at the dizzy or coil is trying to pull too much current. If you get far less then 12V when disconnected, then the resitor wire may be bad.
Replacing it would mean finding one and running it from the ignition switch terminal to the coil (and wrap or strap it to the main harness.)
I do not know any thing about the pertronix thing, so I cannot comment on that part...

Olds luvr

Thanks guys, I almost feel as if I am over looking somthing as the car was fine before the dash and dash harness and fuse block was taken out. But everything else seems to work but do not know if the tach or rallye gauges work until the car runs.

So trying to look at other options could there be somthing not plugged in that may cause this or any thing else?

Lst night I tried a new coil as well. I will see what the resistor wire reads tonight off of the coil and see what I get. So if olds has the resistor built into the wire does anyone sell this wire?

Olds luvr

If the resistor is built into the wire, where do you buy a resistor wire? If not for sale how do you repair it?

Blk71SX

slap a HEI dist in that puppy!! problem solved

Dave Siltman

I have been thinking here and nobody mentioned anything about the OTHER end of the igniyion switch-----if the column was out maybe the rod that makes the contact from the top of the column where the key is to the harness at the bottom of the column is not properly aligned. Many, many years ago I did a frame-off on a '69 Camaro Pace Car and installed a tilt column from another car. Well, It wouldn't start properly and that was the problem----if that rod is off even a minute amount all bets are off.

Olds luvr

Dave, Thank you for the response. The column was out but the same column was put back in and was left intact. I have though about that was well.

BLK71SX, I am debating that right now. The car came with a mallory unit and I have a stock distributer and a Pertronix unit. I just do not like leaving problems unresolved but on this one i am very tempted.

Is there a chance that leaving it will cause future problems or I go through the trouble of swapping out the distributor and it still wont run?

Will the Pertonix unit work in the Mallory dist? If so that is an easy way to go and not have to retime the car or yank the dist

Thanks for the replies and comments

Olds442redberet

I know this thread was started several years ago. But I was wondering if you figured out the issue?