Battery exploded now truck won't run

[1lo620]

The reason I say wires got crossed is thst I changed coils and I was thinking maybe hooked up wrong. I did check for spark from coil. If I did it right. (Pull center wire off distributor then touch ground like chassis then turn key..no spark.). I think it may be petronix also. But what the hell do I know...lol

[1lo620]

So if it ends up being the distributor that is fried. How hard would it be to swap out a matchbox dizzy distributor. I have one of those that came out of the 79 620

[datzenmike]

You have to hold the wire near ground so if there is a spark you will see it.

 

Coil cannot possibly get hot with the key off.

 

Go back and check coil + terminal with key OFF then ON and then START.... what you get???? This is easy, or should be as we head into page 3.

[1lo620]

Yes I understand all is easy for someone who has knowledge of this stuff. I will go back and double check it all. But I did have power to the coil but didn't see spark when I when I turned it over with the plug wire off distributor and held to the bolt in my manifold. If I did that wrong let me know. Soon as I get it running and back to normal it is probably going up for sale. I don't have the knowledge to take care of a 40+ car. And where I live there aren't many datsun guys. So I do and always have appreciated the help y'all have given. And still do and still need advice. And sorry if I am driving you all crazy with what you say is the obvious. 

[datzenmike]

2 hours ago, 1lo620 said:

 So I do and always have appreciated the help y'all have given. And still do and still need advice. And sorry if I am driving you all crazy with what you say is the obvious. 

 

No worries. Hang in there I was only giving you a small poke. Once you get this you'll even say it wasn't so hard. No one starts out knowing. They learn to learn. You can do this. Right now it's slow and methodical with lots of dead ends but another time you'll breeze through checking for spark is a few minutes.

 

Might be easier to pull any plug wire off and put a used spark plug in the end. Lay it on a grounded surface and watch the gap for a spark.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Maybe just buy a new Pertronix. Maybe there is a test on YOUTUBE to know for sure its bad

and put it in the same way you take out.

THen you dont need to find TDC and make sure the dist is pointing the correct way lining this up  Unless the Matchbox is a direct rotor match when installed. otherwise will be 5 more pages into this.

this is s simple swap if its bad. Just read the instructions with the Pertronix.

Edited July 6, 2021 by banzai510(hainz)

[1lo620]

So I have taken a few days off of this before I lost it and pushed the truck off a cliff. So I have decided to buy a new coil, ballast and probably a new petronix ignition. So next question which petronix do I buy. And is there a difference in coils and ballast resistors? And I am going to post more pics of my rat nest wiring later. And maybe y'all can let me know if I am wiring it all correct. Thanks for all the help. Much appreciated.

[Icehouse]

Pertronix sells a coil to match their setup so you don't need a ballast resistor.   I have that combo on my VW bus.  Some places sell it together even.  

[banzai510(hainz)]

1741 is the part number of the Pertronix.

what was the voltage at the coil when the key was ON????  Voltage going into the ballast?

list those 2 voltages.  Otherwise I dont see a need for a new coil and ballast.  Otherwise I give up this is a simple fix unless there was a major eltdown on this somewhere.

 

My yellow car i SOLD THE GUY SAID THE ALT WAS BAD AND NOW HE SWAP BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR AND CAR DONE RUN , NO POWER TO FUEL PUMP AND i SAID tHIS IS A SIMPLE SWAP HOW DOES THIS GO BAD. NOW CAR WORTH 800$

Edited July 7, 2021 by banzai510(hainz)

[]2eDeYe]

32 minutes ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

 

 

My yellow car i SOLD THE GUY SAID THE ALT WAS BAD AND NOW HE SWAP BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR AND CAR DONE RUN , NO POWER TO FUEL PUMP AND i SAID tHIS IS A SIMPLE SWAP HOW DOES THIS GO BAD. NOW CAR WORTH 800$

 

 

Where do I pay the $800?  😄

[banzai510(hainz)]

really he sold the car to cousin an some tried fixing it.

I asked exactly what to do and how they figure it was the alt when I had a good one in there .

More or less he said alt bad then fuel pump dont work. I said no way. what EXACTLY happen he said he swap battery and alt then electric fuel pump dont work. The later he say well i dindt have the ignition light. I went thru the roof and said I buy it for 800 cause if this car broke in the hood being so low to the ground one cant even tow it home it be smashed up and fucked with.

So he hasnt called back so dont know if fixed. I left a alternator batter volt meter in the cig lighter and no one tells me what the output is and even if they use it as one can make it home if the monitor the voltage.  Its only a blak wire the red white wire and T connector and now car dont run. I give up.  Was really a cool car. so simple to keep running.

[1lo620]

I don't have a volt meter. I could buy one. I just have a test light. I will get a volt meter and figure all this crap out. Have I mentioned I don't like electronic crap..grrrr

Icehouse...what up Jeff..hope all is good. 

[datzenmike]

 

Less that $5. Don't need a complicated meter you're only going to read 12v or less. Simple and fool proof.

[1lo620]

I have a testing light. And I had power to the ballist. I feel it is the coil or petronix just by what y'all are saying. It was running fine until voltage regulator went out and blew the battery. Now it is being a pain in the ass. 

[zmanofwashington]

You need to wash the entire engine compartment down with baking soda mixed in water, especially in the general area of the battery. Be generous about it to neutralize the battery acid. It definitely sounds like you're overcharging the battery. It's possible that you fried the Pertronix from a voltage overload. It's always possible that it could have taken out the coil as well. On some of the trucks they had a fusible link coming off of the positive battery cable. There is a smaller wire hooked to that side along with the battery cable and it may have an inline fusible link hooked to it. Check that out and see if it has power.  If any lights were turned on while this was going on it could have blown them as well. The matchbox dizzy is easy to wire. The plug in on the matchbox is in the form of a T. The top of the T or horizontal part goes to the negative side of the coil and the vertical post goes to the positive side of the coil. You may want to test your ignition switch with a test light and see if it's functioning ok. 

Your location says Renton but you're obviously in Texas now. Too bad you're not in Renton still you could tow the truck to me and I could have it running no problem. I've only been doing Datsuns since 1978. I did check my list of Z shops in Texas and the closest to you that I found was in Houston which is quite a ways away. I have ones listed in Benbrook and also in Irving but not sure how far away that is from you of if they would even touch a 620. Z man of Washington @ Z Specialties Inc. 360-668-2979

[1lo620]

10 hours ago, zmanofwashington said:

You need to wash the entire engine compartment down with baking soda mixed in water, especially in the general area of the battery. Be generous about it to neutralize the battery acid. It definitely sounds like you're overcharging the battery. It's possible that you fried the Pertronix from a voltage overload. It's always possible that it could have taken out the coil as well. On some of the trucks they had a fusible link coming off of the positive battery cable. There is a smaller wire hooked to that side along with the battery cable and it may have an inline fusible link hooked to it. Check that out and see if it has power.  If any lights were turned on while this was going on it could have blown them as well. The matchbox dizzy is easy to wire. The plug in on the matchbox is in the form of a T. The top of the T or horizontal part goes to the negative side of the coil and the vertical post goes to the positive side of the coil. You may want to test your ignition switch with a test light and see if it's functioning ok. 

Your location says Renton but you're obviously in Texas now. Too bad you're not in Renton still you could tow the truck to me and I could have it running no problem. I've only been doing Datsuns since 1978. I did check my list of Z shops in Texas and the closest to you that I found was in Houston which is quite a ways away. I have ones listed in Benbrook and also in Irving but not sure how far away that is from you of if they would even touch a 620. Z man of Washington @ Z Specialties Inc. 360-668-2979

Did you once have a shop off of Ballinger Way between Mountlake Terrace and Lake Forest Park. I took one of my 620s to a shop called Z specialties way back in the 90s..

May give you a call sometime. We are moving back to the NW..within the next few years. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

if the test light was ON right at the + coil then I assume power is getting to the coil and too the Pertronix since the Pertronix is ahooked up(shorted) to the + side of the ballast resisitor.

Now I heard and have done this to a point distributor if you take the - side wire on the coil and touch it On/Off  like a switch it will fire the center wire of coil . if center coil wire  near ground.  Im not sure if it work with a Perteronix but if it fires then I say the Pertonix is bad.  As your hand is acting like the points or Pertronix trigger .

 

you coul put a lug on a black wire then go to the minus side coil and put it on/off like a switch and see if you get spark on the Center coil wire. then you know for sure the coil getting power.

Coil has power on one side then it grounds and completes the circut. then when you break the ground the 2nd side coil colllapses and goes thru the center of the coil to spark plug and finds a gorund to make a SPARK

 

 

I have done this test with a Matchbox but never worked. But Im sure on a point dizzy the test is good

Edited July 9, 2021 by banzai510(hainz)

[]2eDeYe]

4 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

 

Now I heard and have done this to a point distributor if you take the - side wire on the coil and touch it On/Off  like a switch it will fire the center wire of coil . if center coil wire  near ground.

 

 

This works. 12v to the + and tap the - side to ground and your spark plug should spark.

 

Do this test with it isolated from the truck (not connected) and if it works your petronix is bad. 

[1lo620]

The only wire I have going to my negative side of the coil is the one that goes to the petronix distributor. I think I messed up the wires when I pulled them off to check them. 

This is how the wires are now. 

[1lo620]

[thisismatt]

Doesn't anyone have a wiring diagram to reference?

 

Also, if there is a next time, take a picture of the wiring for reference before you take it apart 😁

[1lo620]

1 hour ago, thisismatt said:

Doesn't anyone have a wiring diagram to reference?

 

Also, if there is a next time, take a picture of the wiring for reference before you take it apart 😁

Ya I usually do...forgot this time. And yes I have a guide. Need to check it out. Working on this beast tomorrow..hope get it running. Tired of driving all of you guys crazy with my wiring ignorance. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

22 hours ago, ]2eDeYe said:

This works. 12v to the + and tap the - side to ground and your spark plug should spark.

 

Do this test with it isolated from the truck (not connected) and if it works your petronix is bad. 

  Like I said I would make a wire to minus side coil to the chassis then  tap as mentioned - side coil. if coil fires to ground then coil is good. swap Pertronix. 

remeber put key ON and make sure voltage to + side coil when doing this test.

 

 

I dont know if the minus side Pertronix is a true ground set up to make it fire or just senses it since it a Hall effect sensor.

 

 

Yes only the blk wire from the Pertronix goes to the -side coil

Edited July 10, 2021 by banzai510(hainz)

[1lo620]

Guess my thing is that the only thing on the negative side of the coil is the black wire from the Petronix and nothing going to negative side from ballast. Is that right? That is why I posted pics of my crazy wiring. 

[datzenmike]

Only thing that should be on the negative side of the coil is the wire to the Pertronix (or the points)