I went home to get my car this weekend, rewired the charging system using the madelectrical.com guide. Now that it is up here in Michigan, we are going to take it over to my room-mates house. Tried to start it today, engine turned over, but no start. Used some starter fluid, but no luck again. I suspect a bad electrical connection to coil. Any common problems in this area associated with water/snow/salt?

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

Have you checked the dist cap for water/ice?

-S/6

would it form inside the cap? or should i be looking on top? If it is inside, how do I take it off.

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

Water has a tendency to find it's way into places it does not belong....

The dist cap is held on by two snap clips. Release the clips (can be done easily by hand) and pull the cap off. (leave the plug wires connected, but you may want to pull off the coil (center) wire for peace of mind) Dry it out if needed and reinstall. If the entire dist appears wet, let it air dry.

If the contacts on the cap or the rotor look burnt, or the cap has evidence of carbon tracking, replace both the cap and rotor.

There are many things that can cause no spark, water in the cap usually just makes the slant run rough, but can prevent it from starting.

Have you physically checked for spark? If not, pull a spark plug, reconnect the plug wire, and place the plug threads on a ground (frame rail, clean bolt, basically any clean metal you can find. Turn the slant over--you should see a spark from the plug. If you have to hold the plug to the ground, wear a THICK glove (rubber is best, leather works well too) or you will get shocked...and it hurts

-S/6

Thanks. I'll pull it in the garage on Friday (Right now I am in the middle of finals week). Then we'll clean it all up, and see if we can diagnose the problem. Hope I don't have to replace cap or rotor, because as soon as possible, we are going to replace the ignition system with a one wire alternator and Ford coil-packs so that our Megasquirt/Megaspark system can run them well.

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

spray wd-40 in your dist. cap and hit it with an air compressor to get the condensation out. I put a little vaseline on the lip of the cap and then put a surgical glove to prevent water from seeping in, but like another post said, water has a way of gettin anywhere it wants to.

Ok, pulled the cap. No water was inside it. But I did find some water in where the wires connect, and some corrosion in there. I used some q-tips to clean those out, and now I'll give it another try. I guess I'll have a look at where the wire meets the coil also.

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

Finally got it started. Looks like it had something to do with the choke. When it finally started, I was fiddling with the choke by hand while my roommate turned it over.

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

GOD, starting fluid. That stuff scares me. The only time I EVER use that stuff is when starting a diesel engine in ambient temperatures of 5 degrees C or less. And ONLY while I am cranking the engine. If you soak the air filter and THEN try starting the car and the ignition system is working, you can break piston rings and I have actually held in my hand connecting rods from DIESEL engines that were bent from use of starting fluid.

just to be difficult I am going to digress into the proper use of this poison so those with some lying around can deplete it for its intended purpose. If you have a diesel engine, and it's cold out, ether is a godsend. Attach a remote starter to your machine, and with trans in neutral etc etc, begin cranking. Spray a SMALL squirt into the air horn. If you must keep the filter on, repeat as necessary and be patient. Within about ten seconds of continuous cranking the engine should start. NEVER squirt ether into an engine when it is stopped, regardless of can directions. And as far as I am concerned, NEVER use ether on a gas engine, fifty below or not. Plug in the block heater and go grab a coffee. If youre just diagnosing a no-start condition, use another method. I have never learned anything about an engine's condition with ether. There are simply other ways to get the job done.

Ether is also a good recreational inhalant. And I will condone THAT before I condone using it to start your coveted vintage automobile.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Wow, thanks for the update. Never knew there was anything wrong with using ether on a gas engine. I'll just pour in some gas next time.

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1971 Valiant, Bone stock
1993 Saturn SW2, Not very stock.

Yep, that does the trick in the clutch, sometimes when no one's looking I'll just loosen the air filter nut and pour some into the dished area in the aircleaner, this lets the gas dribble into the air horn little by little while the engine is coughing to life. No smoking and keep an extinguisher handy for backfire BBQs though... Actually I don't know if a slant 6 aircleaner is dished this way, but it works on some Fords and GMs

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

How about sticking a oxy/accyteline torch in the carb? turn on the gas and oxygen, with out lighting the torch. Did that once on a car that had been sitting for a few years, and only had 50 lbs compression, in the winter. It started, but the gas that got past the rings, into the crankcase, exploded also. Blew the oil fill cap, and dipstick out of the engine, and about 2 quarts of oil out the fill. Guess where I was standing when the oil came out?

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Umm--several feet away where you could watch the event unfold?

LMAO Charrlie...almost brought a tear to my eye.

Ever seat a large (CAT) tire to the rim w/ starting fluid? When done right, it works well. When you use too much.....well, lets just say a 4' dia split-rim ring and the nearby trees had an argument--the rim ring won

Prodarwin--have you read the choke adjustment procedure(s) article on this site?

-S/6

Hey, that sounds like fun. Better than cow tipping!

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

and yes, yes I have. Another rebel use for ether. You can carry it around to fast fill and seat the bead on a tire that has run off the bead. When no one's looking, of course.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.