1990 Glasstron wont start

J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Thanks for the help in advance.
It has a volvo aq131c 4 cylinder motor. Tow weeks ago I went to start it after being stored all year. It started up but after a few mins with the ears on it it died. I had no spark from the coil. I replaced it and put her in the water and ran fine maybe an hour. A few days later I went back out and it started missing bad while driving. Idling it didnt miss even if I reved it up. Then it just died. Now I have no spark again from the coil. I put in a new coil today but forgot which wire went where but traced the wire from the distributor to the neg side of the coil. I think thats right. But it still wouldnt start. I think its a bad coil. Why would I blow 2 coils in a week? It doesnt have electronic ignition. I ran a wire from the pos side of the battery to the pos side of the coil still no spark. maybe another bad coil? Im lost.
 
Bondo

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,525
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

It doesnt have electronic ignition.
Click to expand...
Ayuh,... What about the Points,..?? They tell the coil when to fire...
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

they looked fine when I checked them out and the wire was good to the coil. I couldnt find a condenser anywhere. I thought it would be in the dist? I am going to replace the points anyway this week when i get another coil.
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

Points can "Look Fine" and not fire. The condenser is mounted on the outside of the distributor, not inside. Not sure how you could miss it, unless it's not there. That would explain no spark.
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

Yeah i was thinking it would be right there or inside it. I didnt look for it much though as I was thinking coil again. Would points going bad cause it to misfire at high speeds? It was missing very bad while driving it, but not at all idling. Then it died and wouldnt start back up.
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

Thank you guys for the help. Replaced points and condenser (mounted outside of dist directly under the back screw for the dist cap, looked like the rest of the dist housing, thanks for that Don). Actually had to pull the dist to get to it. I marked the dist and the motor where to put it back in. She runs now and sounds pretty good (small miss) at idle and when gassing it, but when I put her in drive, I only get about 3000 rpm. She wont even plane off. When I put the dist back in it would not line up exactly with my marks, very close but not exactly, I guess turning it when it was out? I am thinking if pulling it again and turning it till it gets right or could the points do this too? I thought the points being off would make it run rough even at idle? Thanks guys
 
nola mike

nola mike

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
5,073
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

presumably you set the dwell and rechecked the timing after putting in the new points?
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

Yeah i set the dwell, .016 at maximum open. I didnt check the timing as I had no light there at the dock.I am taking one today. I didnt realize I would have to pull the distributer to get to the condenser. I will recheck the gap today as well. It is HOT here, been putting it off but cant any longer
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

Not sure if you can set the dwell on a single points dist.? Just the gap.
Yeah I figured i would be somewhat out of time after removing the dist, but was hoping someone could tell me which one they thought was the most likely problem, time or points gap. i guess I will time it first, then adj the gap if needed. Thanks for the help, this is my first time messing with points.
 
J

jon37705

Cadet
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
10
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

thought setting the dwell was same as setting the gap. Im learning....
the dwell is how long they stay closed, sometimes adjusted by angles. Mine are single and simply move on a pivot.
 
fishinpa

fishinpa

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
221
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

pull the plugs , get engine @ #1cylinder TDC on compression stroke and see where your rotor is pointing!

if it is off pull the dist/ recheck your point gap while you have it out !

reinstall in the proper position @ #1 replace all wires in order ,replace plugs.

start engine with Water on and a timing light hooked up , set timing to manual !



fish
 
nola mike

nola mike

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
5,073
Re: 1990 Glasstron wont start

jon37705 said:
thought setting the dwell was same as setting the gap. Im learning....
the dwell is how long they stay closed, sometimes adjusted by angles. Mine are single and simply move on a pivot.
Click to expand...

the dwell setting is just a more precise way of setting the point gap. the dwell is indeed the length of time that the points stay closed--it's expressed in degrees, which is the rotation of the distributor shaft. E.g., a 90' dwell would the shaft turning 1/4 of a rotation. gap gets you in the ballpark, dwell fine tunes it. your timing should be the last thing set, as changing the point dwell/gap affects timing. yes, this applies to your setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top