Car is a 1969 Toronado that was sitting for ~7yrs.

I've replaced:

_| Plugs
_| Wires
_| Ignition Coil
_| Distributor cap (Points were shiny brand new inside, I also found an old point in a bag inside the car, prev. owner must have replaced them, rotor looked newer as well)
_| Both +/- battery cables. (Positive was corroded all the way thru, was getting very hot during cranking. Cool as a cucumber after replacement.)


I took off the lead from the distributor cap (going to the ignition coil), put a screwdriver in there and cranked it, saw no spark.

Tested the resistance from the coil:
Primary winding (probes on the + & -) sat at '0.1'.
Secondary winding (probe on + & center pole) was roughly '10,200' ohms.

It cranks like a champ at least...

Any suggestions?

 

are the points opening? maybe they changed them but did not set them? what about the condenser? are you getting voltage to the coil with the ignition on, 12 volts while cranking and 7 to 9 volts any other time? just ideas to look at if you have not done them yet.

did you put the screwdriver in the coil? if so it would be easier to take the wire off the distributor cap and have it close to the manifold to see if you get a spark there, just watch out that it in not close to any gas that may leak from the carb that also sit for 7 years.

 

How about some basic troubleshooting?

Verify +12V at the + terminal on the coil with the key in both the RUN and START positions.
Connect a dwell meter and check for proper dwell while cranking.
If both are good, replace coil.

Edit:

The coil grounds through the bracket. Since the car has been sitting, ensure there is good contact from the coil can to the bracket to the manifold.

 

does the toronado get a full 12 volts when in run? i thought that all points cars were 9 volts or a little less in run and 12 while cranking.

 

over time condensers can go bad, leading to no spark. as a precaution it should be changed. also, the contact area of the points can corrode, not letting current flow. folded sandpaper rubbed between the contacts will clean them

 

Oops, I get 12v to the coil with both the key 'on' and while cranking, left that part out.

For the screwdriver test I did do it how you mentioned, taking the wire off the dist. cap, no spark.
I also took a plug wire off, popped a spare spark plug in it, and rested the plug bottom on an angle (just barely hovering above metal), cranked/no spark.

Condenser is brand new.

I do not have a dwell meter :|

I'll sand/clean up the area behind the coil bracket, just to make sure.

 

By the way, that small metal tube that is bracketed onto the coil, which has a wire going to the + side of the coil, is that just for radio noise? (looks identical to the distributor condenser).

I didn't get a new one with my new coil, but I'm guessing that doesn't really make a difference?

 

Yes, it is for radio noise suppression. From everything that you stated, I would replace the coil.

 

I have seen ignition coils and modules that ohm out properly but fail when under power. Coil would be last resort if points are adjusted properly.

 

Yea, i've gotten duds right out of the box before on auto zone parts, wouldn't be a shock to me.
I'll update the outcome in a couple days.

Thanks for the replies

 

Picked up a new coil, have spark!
The firing order was all fucked up as well, corrected that, and bam! she started for a second.

Pumped a bunch of old gas out, replaced the vac line going to the carb, and now it starts & runs for a few seconds at a time.

Getting closer!

 

Glad to hear you found your problem. I had a Napa coil (new) go bad in a month. Chinesium, oh well.

 

lol, at least they are incredibly easy to swap out.

I took the carb off, going to attempt a rebuild. There was some sand like gunk in some of the sections on the top cover that didn't seem to affect anything, other than that it wasn't too bad inside, random shells from some bugs stuck in crevices.

Doesn't seem to be any local places that have the kit for it though

I did find out it is not the original carb either, it's 7043251, from a '73, neat.

 

You will need that.

I'd guess your points are gapped incorrectly.