Engine cuts out under load

[Dirtyowlnumber4]

Yes the engine is cutting out under load. It is preventing the car from racing.

 

It will drive fine forever normally but it cuts out if I really out my foot in it. Always comes back.

 

It is an A14 engine with a weber and magnetic pickup conversion

 

Here is what I've tried:

 

Ignition- replaced everything (including wiring) except distributor and spark plugs and coil. Was having trouble finding a quality dizzy to replace it with. did replace rotor and cap but the new parts were so much shittier that I put the old ones back on. Tried the coil out of another car but put the old one back after no change.

 

Fuel system - cleaned the carb. Adjusted the float height

 

I can link a video of it dying in second gear at full throttle going up a hill.

 

Thanks for looking friends.

 

 

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

you time the distributor w a timing light? make sure bushing not worn. Or dist plate vac advance? Fuel filter. Choke flap not blocking.

[ggzilla]

1 hour ago, Dirtyowlnumber4 said:

the engine is cutting out under load. It is preventing the car from racing.

...

magnetic pickup conversion

Is it a Pertronix Ignitor conversion? That unit is not rated for a high energy spark, so if you removed the resistor, try it with the resistor back in place. Often works OK without a resistor but Pertronix won't guarantee it. The Pertronix II is high energy

[banzai510(hainz)]

looking at the tach it seems your loosing electrical power.

 

a pertronix needs a ballast resistor as a stock point coil needs a ballast and gets HOT. can you feel the coil if HOT to the touch thats a issue unless you .film / photos of what you have.

 

I have Pertronix over 20yrs never had a issue and I run the ballast resisitor.

 

You you running a Nissan EI dist make sure to use the EI coil. but you can still use the stock point coil but needs a ballast.

 

to me something is breaking down electrically goin by the tach cause if a fuel issue the rpms would still read. If this is a in series POWER tach try with out . But most I think a parrellel power.

Edited August 18, 2025 by banzai510(hainz)

[ggzilla]

Yes, that is an aftermarket tachometer, so it will undoubtedly be hooked to the coil negative. For stock Datsun tach, USA B210 used the same wiring. RHD B210 as similar to the B110 wiring which connected to IGN + wire in dash

 

Easy enough to test if the tach is causing the issue, just temporarily disconnect tach wire from coil and then see if the cutting out goes away

[datzenmike]

Classic almost clogged fuel filter. Replace it, they are cheap, no harm done if this doesn't help. They should be replaced every 3 years anyway.

 

Under load, like passing or climbing a steep hill, the carburetor will use up all the fuel in the float chamber faster than the fuel pump can suck fuel through a dirty filter and it runs out of fuel. let off the gas the pump refills the carburetor and everything if fine again. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

be nice for a update

[Dirtyowlnumber4]

Sorry for the late update homebrews been busy with school and work. Still haven't got the car working. Here's what I've done since I first posted:

 

Complete carb rebuild this time and a buncha goofing around with it (float level change in case it was running out of fuel, took the float out and tried it on a funnel once)

checked the fuel pump pressure (between 3-3.5 psi)

new fuel filter for sure. and tried cleaning the one in the Weber.

tried hooking up the ballast resistor. Has never been hooked up before. didn't change it but left it that way cause it still runs.

tried clutching at straws and screwing with the timing and the adjusting the internals of the distributor which I don't really know how to do properly.

 

No changes with any of these attempts. Engine very predictable cuts out at ~3000 rpm. Hard to work on it much because it usually backfires when it does and I have neighbors. 

 

Am stumped. Would like to get a replacement distributor because thats the last piece of the ignition that hasn't been replaced but I don't know what distributor I got to fit on back in the day. Thinking of getting this reman one cause the only other options seem like a used one off a z car or the cheapest ebay ones.

More Information for CARDONE 31621

 

Here is a crappy photo of the ignition area. The ballast resistor is hooked up now.

 

 

Sorry again for not getting back boys, life got in the way and cars been on blocks getting new rubber.

Edited September 27, 2025 by Dirtyowlnumber4

[ggzilla]

Your coil needs no resistor. And neither does the GM EI module. If you have the high-energy spark plugs, they won't correctly work at high speed with the resistor in place

 

I think it's very unlikely the distributor is bad. But you can look at it carefully.

What is the number stamped on the side of the distributor, D4K or D4F?

 

 

[Dirtyowlnumber4]

I've got crappy copper plugs in there I think.

 

Don't think it's the distributor either but I figured I'll just keep throwing things at it.

Not sure if I've mentioned it but I've thrown a couple other coils on it to try out, and I've revved it as hard as it'll go for a while and felt the coil and module afterward - they are not getting hot.

 

The number very faint but it appears to read D4F

 

[datzenmike]

You video is definitely the ignition cutting out as indicated by the tach also cutting out. Get another HEI module, Chinese after market ones are crap.

 

 

 

Get rid of the ballast resistor it reduces coil output. Ignore the coil resistance below. The B terminal MUST be 12v so if the power goes through the ballast first this is the problem. The ballast drops the power to the coil by half and that reduces coil output. 

 

 

22100-H7360 is a '78 210 and on A14 matchbox distributor for manual federal/California emissions.

[ggzilla]

D4F is the "remote ignitor" electronic ignition distributor used on 1978 B210 and earlier california B210

 

D4F

Testing:

* If you can wiggle the shaft side-to-side, and the gap between a tooth and the pickup visibly gets wider and narrower, than yes, replace the distributor

* turn the rotor (or shaft) back and forth. There should be a little tension. If there is none, the mechanical advance spring is broken and timing will be erratic and pinging at random. Just swap in another spring from any B210 distributor, points or electronic

 

Other than that, these are very reliable distributors

 

 

[ggzilla]

Have you tried disconnecting the tachometer from the coil? In the past a couple of times the tach was causing problems

[datzenmike]

What did I say? matchbox.... it was the remote ignitor. D4F5-03 was only '78 on manual federal emissions and after '74 on manual California emissions.

[Dirtyowlnumber4]

Ignition module was replaced when I replaced all the ignition stuff awhile back, its a pertronix one now.

 

Have tried it with the ballast on the positive, its off now. Also measured the voltae going to the coil to make sure it wasn't dropping and it seems fine.

Did try it with the tach disconnected

also tried bypassing the ignition switch and wiring and hooked the coil straight up to the battery

did the checks on the distributor, it seems fine.

 

heres  better video of it trying to hold around 3500 rpms

 

 

[datzenmike]

Not sure if the Pertronix can handle a points coil without the ballast. Actually the points coil will overheat without the ballast connected to drop the voltage. It will work but will over heat.

 

If you have the Matchbox coil it won't over heat but the Pertronix may not last passing that heavy current load.

 

Hainz will know.

[ggzilla]

Pertronix Ignitor II is designed to handle high-energy coil

But the much more common Pertronix Ignitor I is not. A lot of guys run hot coils with it and it works for them, but Pertronix won't guarantee it

 

Have you tried disconnecting the tachometer from the coil? 

[datzenmike]

The ignition is definitely cutting out in the video.

 

Try making a jumper and run 12v directly from the battery to the coil + side. This will eliminate anything to do with the ignition switch and wiring.

 

Make sure the distributor is well grounded. Everything goes through the distributor to ground.

[banzai510(hainz)]

On 10/1/2025 at 8:39 AM, Dirtyowlnumber4 said:

Have tried it with the ballast on the positive, its off now. Also measured the voltae going to the coil to make sure it wasn't dropping and it seems fine.

Did try it with the tach disconnected

also tried bypassing the ignition switch and wiring and hooked the coil straight up to the battery

did the checks on the distributor, it seems fine.

sounds like he tried it all.

 

shit I would put a point distributor  in there and try that  for trouble shooting.

[Dirtyowlnumber4]

Update: new distributor came in and cars working better.

 

Problem was definitely almost solved once the new distributor went in and was tuned up, but ignition was still cutting out when I throttled off (tacho would drop to 0 rpm for a few seconds then recover).

 

Stole the coil off my bro's midget and that seemed to make it better. Still a few pops and bangs but the engine is almost a thousand years old and not tuned well and has no muffler so I'm not surprised.

 

 

Sorry for no clear reason that worked. Maybe bad ground in the old dizzy? maybe bad ignitor? idk.

 

Will probly pick up a high energy coil and some iridium plugs.

 

 

 

 

To answer questions I had tried disconnecting the tach and making a 12v+ jumper. Thanks for helping me through you guys have helped me understand this stuff alot better than I did before.

 

This threads kinda bloated I know but I'll ask here, does anyone know how to adjust the internals on these EI distributors? there is an adjustment between the ignitor and the pickup, and there is a brush underneath that hits the distributor shaft. That brush wasn't hitting the shaft when this dizzy came in the mail so I kinda just moved it inboard but I really don't know what I'm doing.

 

Thanks again, will see how it drives once I get the wheels back on. 

 

 

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

add ground wire

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

maybe the GM module needs a better ground also Im only guessing at this point going thru the screws. I dont know if back side metal. also engine block to chassis. and also the dist.

 

sometimes when a big load goes on there the ground is weak and cant carry enough current. People alway ck the power side but forget the ground. Since you said you bypasses the ignition and went straiaght to the battery then I figure try the ground. Maybe the old dist is still good and just by swapping the new dist you just got a better ground thinking you fixed it.

 

update

another thing I just thought of if you have a good meter is use the current function most are 10amp put the ignition going to +coil in series with the meter. then see when it cuts out if you loose current amps. then you can tell if drawing a load or really loosing the load.. Kinda science experiment.

Edited October 3, 2025 by banzai510(hainz)

[ggzilla]

On 10/2/2025 at 7:04 PM, Dirtyowlnumber4 said:

does anyone know how to adjust the internals on these EI distributors? there is an adjustment between the ignitor and the pickup, and there is a brush underneath that hits the distributor shaft. That brush wasn't hitting the shaft when this dizzy came in the mail so I kinda just moved it inboard but I really don't know what I'm doing.

I can't think of a brush. Do you have a picture?

 

The D4F remote ignitor distributor has one adjustment, the air-gap, between the "teeth" of the rotor and the electronic pickup. The ignitor is under the dash inside the car, or you can use a GM ignitor

 

Before or after installation, set the Air Gap to .2 to .4 mm/8-16 thousands inch (smaller than a points gap).

 

At tune-up intervals, check the condition:

* Air Gap

* Vacuum Advance module (does it leak air)? Push the rod with a screw driver, put your finger on the port and see if it holds a vacuum

* Bearing plate? Move smoothly? These usually have the good all-metal ball bearing plate, unlike the matchbox with its plastic plate

* Inspect Cap & Rotor, wash if dirty. Replace if burn marks found in cap.