Need help! Truck won't run!

[Radim]

So my 620 finally decided to take a crap after a year and a half of running perfectly.

 

Started up perfectly fine.

 

I was driving to a electronics store with my brother and on the drive there the idle was really low at stop-lights, at the 2nd to last stoplight the charge light was even coming on and off cause of the erratic low idle.

Finallly at the last stop light it decided to shut off, tried cranking it over and it wouldn't turn back on... there was a weird smell, not burning electronics, or coolant/oil/gas, we pushed the truck to a diner and tried to figure out what was wrong, we bought a new ignition coil and that wasn't it. So we towed it back home to the tune of 40$... :(

 

The truck cranks super strong and if i keep the key turned to crank and gas it, the truck will "run" but not run per se, as soon as i take the key off of the cranking position to "ON" the truck shuts off......ignition switch is new.

 

This happened after a quick grocery-get not 2hrs prior to this.... ran perfectly fine then.

 

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated... i have to pick up my next shipment of stuff from Japan tomorrow and rather pick it up as soon as i can..... HELP!

[Radim]

Oh, here's an OIC for good measure.

 

 

[wayno]

Could the weird smell be from a hot starter from a lot of cranking? Wish I could help, none of the symptoms sound familliar to me.

[Radim]

No, the smell was around before it turned off, was very faint... thought it was just the car infront of me running lean or something.

[MicroMachinery]

Check for spark and fuel. Go from there.

[Radim]

Fuel definitely, spark not to sure, i'll keep poking around tomorrow.

[Diesel33g]

Dang man that sucks!! Could it be a belt?

[ariascarlos1990]

Does your truck have points?

[mike]

What carb are you running? I had the linkage come loose on the back of a hitachi and it bound up in the linkage rods on the backside of the carb. It looked like it was still getting gas when I checked. After going through the ignition (swapped out to a matchbox and coil) changed the fuel pump (to the old space ship style) and replaced the carb with a weber... I found the bound up linkage when I was taking the carb off... tightened everything up and it ran great... I still swapped the carb anyways though.

 

Other random shit to check aside from the ignition/points and fuel (cross your fingers and check your filter) would be the alternator mount bolts and your intake manifold bolts... Also if your running a weber check to see if one of the adjustor screws on either side near the top of the carb rattled loose.

[banzai510(hainz)]

if it runs During the START position then shuts off when key goes back to ON.

I would wigggle the connector back at the key switch.or loose wire at ballast resisitor(ohm out ballast resisitor)This is your HOTSTART wire circut. Known as the bypass circut. Power will bypass the ballast resisitot during start

Then get a volt meter ,i know that you have since your a Datsun mechanic and put the key to ON and see if you have 12 volts at the coil. if you have a ballast resisitor(points) then ck at the + side of tha ballast resisitor for 12volts. If yes then its OK.

 

If you get it running ck you charging sysytem with everything off see what the voltage is. then turn on things and also ck when it loads down. You could be draining the battery and not knowing it. Thats why buy a incar volt meter. the ones that plugs ito cig lighter works good. cathes these thing before its too late.

 

http://www.equus.com/Product/Detail/9D1F54B4-F1D3-4C67-827E-91FE755F3483

 

 

 

PS Point coils never go bad unless you run a point coil w/o a ballast resisitor.

 

also I hope if your running points you bought another POINT coil also. Yes they are different resisitance. If you buy a low ohm .7 ohm it will eat up the points unless you but a bigger ohm ballast resisitor.

stock spec is like 1.6 ohms

[Radim]

Woke up and tried to start it this morning..... it started...

 

WTF?

 

 

I'll be checking fluids, plugs, and what you mentioned Hainz.

Also, i'm running a Matchbox Distributor and Weber 32/36

 

 

Thanks guys!

[banzai510(hainz)]

Matchbox Distributor ??????I assume you have NO ballast resisitor!!!!!!!!

make sure you have a 79 datsun coil or a MSD Blaster 2 type.

 

If you ordered a 73 Datsun coil its made to run with a ballast resistor. Hooking it up to directly 12volt(or 14volts while runnin) will cause a point coil to get HOT. see if it gets hot.FEEL IT if breaks down again

 

Since your running a matchbox I would hook the ON wire( think its still blk/wht wire on trucks ) with the HOT start wire to the + side coil

 

be nice to know if anything was changed recently to cause this and the type coil or ohm resisitance value of the coil. and or if the ballast is still installed or not as One can use a matchbox with the stock coil and ballast just hook up the positive to the + side coil.

[Radim]

I have an MSD Blaster 2 coil on there.... and oddly enough the truck runs fine....

 

Started fine this morning i didn't touch anything after we got it towed last night, checked the plugs while i was at it and they were okay just a little carbon buildup... swapped them out for NGK-Irudiums, adjusted Carb, and it runs perfectly again.

My brother also noticed one of the spade plugs was detached from the wire on the module... wire was still in there just a little loose... he crimped it back to the spade connector and re-attached it...

 

The whole thing is super weird.... hopefully it doesn't happen again.

 

Thanks for the help and suggestion guys...

[banzai510(hainz)]

if you have a matchbox I would try running a ground wire from dizzy body to the pedastal 10mm bolt.

There might even be a ground connector on the dizzy itself

[Diesel33g]

Look whats at Z Bash!!!

 

 

 

Glad it's running good again.

[wayno]

I have had one of the wires on the matchbox distributer become loose and the truck wouldn't run, wiggled the wire and it would run again, it didn't come off, it was just a little loose, I bet that was your issue, and you have fixed it now. wayno

[Radim]

Yup, most likely the problem Wayno!

 

Haha, Nice pic Diesel!