i bought my room mates 87 cutlass off of him and drove it for a few days and then one morning i went out and it wouldnt start. i pulled a plug wire and checked for spark and had nothing. i wiped the points off and still no spark. i replaced the cap rotor and coil that afternoon and still nothing, so i ran a test light from the tach side of the distibutor cap and it didnt flash. is that the voltage regulator or is it something else causing this issue?

 

An '87 Cutlass should have HEI, not points.

What else has been modified?

- Eric

 

sorry not points then, everything is original. i cleaned off the 8 little tabs on the inside of the distributor cap. i just need to know if its the voltage regulator that would stop the tach side to stop flashing while cranking the motor over or if its something else inside the distributor?

 

First you must check for 12 volts at dist cap with key on. Its the pinkish wire. If you have 12v the problem could be the pickup coil....sometimes the wires break from vacuum advance motion. It could also be the module in the distributer. i think the auto parts stores can check the module for you for free.

 

Yup.

Start at the beginning and test things one at a time.

The voltage regulator is part of the charging system (not the ignition system) and is located inside the alternator on your car. Unless you are having charging problems with low voltage, there is no reason to suspect the regulator.

- Eric