I have a 72 cutlass with a 350. I removed the old points and it replaced it with an electronic module. It starts with difficulty and runs great. I can run a jumper from the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the coil and it starts right away, but without the jumper it takes a while to start. In checking the voltage when in the starting mode it drops from 12 volts to about 9+. I took the center wire from the coil out and added another coil wire with a gap so that I could watch to see when it got a spark. The starter would crank from 5 to 10 seconds before the spark was visible at which time the car starts. I do not know if this delay in spark is from low voltage? I checked the voltage to the starter as well as the solenoid during start mode and both drop to 9+. If while starting I release the ignition from start mode it will start. I have replaced the iginiton switch with no change. Any suggestions.

 

Did you try the ignition brand new out of the box when you installed it? My car originally had points (72 350 as well) But was changed to an HEI from '75.

The car would run crappy until i replaced the, rotor, coil, plugs, wires, cap and i also redid all the wiring soldering it nicely rather than crimping and duct tape like the previous owner had it...

I would take a good look at my wiring quality. If you said you jump it and it starts right away, perhaps that's part of your problem.

Although i'm sure others will have good points to make too (pun intended.. lol)

Cheers,

Tony

 

I put in a brand new kit a long time ago and I have been experiencing the problem for a long time. At the time I replaced plug wiring, coil, internal parts in the distrbutor etc. I thought it was a carb problem and just recently decided to try a fix the problem. The car is one of several that I have and it does not get driven that often. A local machanic said that if it starts with no problem using a jumper wire from the battery to the coil that was an indicator that it was not internal problem with the coil distributor etc.

Thanks Herv

 

Did you bypass the resistor wire from the ignition switch?

 

Yes, I ran a new wire to eliminate the resistor wire since the resitor wire is used for points. From what I have learned the 12 volts when starting come from a yellow wire from the solenoid and the voltage there is around 9 in the starting mode.

Herv

 

You need to replace the factory resistance wire so the ignition gets 12V all the time. When I did mine I pulled the plug at the fire wall removed the pin that has the resistance wire attached to it and removed the pin from the old wire and solder a new copper wire in it's place. I tried hooking the wire to the fuse box first but had a similar hard starting problem but with it hooked up in the right place it works just as it should.

 

Since this only seems to be happening when cranking it isn't the resistor wire because it gets a feed from the starter. If you are getting low voltage from the starter you need to start doing voltage drop tests to and from the starter to make sure there isn't high resistance in the wiring to and from the starter.

 

X2 on this! Normally you would have battery voltage during start only and after its in the run position is where the resistance wire comes in to the picture!! It was there to keep the points from burning up.

 

Sounds like you've got at LEAST one dirty connection (or possibly corrosion throughout the starter wire).
You need to use a volt meter from hot to a GOOD ground (like the negative battery terminal) at every point from the battery to the starter, and to the horn relay and then the fuse box, to see where it is that the voltage drops.
Once you find it, clean it well, and if that doesn't work, start replacing wire ends or wires.

- Eric