My 70 Torino (429)is giving me" fits"when it comes to the duraspark 2 ignition. One minute it works great, the next nothing. We wired it using the "Mustang Steve" wiring diagram. http://www.mustangsteve.com/conversion.html I tried wiring it the traditional way and had no success. Anyway, she fired right up using the Mustang Steve diagram. Unfortunately the car started creeping backwards even though it was in park, so I shut her down. Fixed the internal c6 linkage and put the tranny back in. I never touched the module, distributor,wiring or ignition switch. Well, I go to start the car and it hangs up in the start position on the ignition switch. I checked all the wiring (maybe squirrels rewired it while I was under the car). Then I changed the module to another one I had lying around. I turned on the ignition switch and it was in the "run" position. I twisted the key and it went into start. But when I left off the switch, it stayed in start. Needless to say, it failed to start the engine. So, out came that module, and in went module #3.Module #3 produced a spark, but too weak to fire a plug. Well, at module #4 I finally got a key position in "run" and "start" with a return position in "run" (like you're supposed to) but no running engine. When I checked the spark at the plug I initially got a weak spark (the first fire of the plug). What was weird was each subsequent fire was weaker until at about 5 revolutions of the rotor there is no spark. Sooooo, I took all 4 modules to the local auto parts store, where we hooked them up to their machine. According to them, all 4 modules are fine (huh?) How can all 4 modules be okay when each one produced a different result when trying to start. Obviously, I have an electrical gremlin here someplace, and I'm probably staring right at it. Anybody got any ideas? I've tested ohms, volts , modules ,replaced the coil,and even tried a second distributor. I also hotwired the coil directly from the battery with no luck. I'm running an Accel coil with no external ballast. I'm not a drinker but I'm about to start
honestly, i think your problem is in the switching circuit, not the modules. my experience with DSII's is go or no go, not intermittent. i had a '70 a couple of years ago, but it was still a points car. my '66 falcon 302 has DSII on it.
pretend he didn't say '70 torino. or that i said '66 falcon. we were actually talking about a '55 fairlane with a 429 and dodgy ignition issues....
Nope, screw that noise, lets keep this about trad rods. His first post is about his torino=pass. BTW, check your electrical grounds.
My '64 Fairlane is not an off topic car and being that I am considering using a Duraspark II distributor I'd welcome ANY tech on the subject. Off topic but related; has anyone adapted the Ford distributor to the GM HEI four pin module like the Mopar guys are doing with their magpulse distributor?
I worked with duraspark II when they were on all the Fords.Nothing but trouble!!!! they had a lot of recalls, and tsb`s. We made them fail just by laying a droplight on top of the module for about 10 mins, and the engine would shut off. In my opinion one of the most unreliable ignition systems ever made except for the later models without the stand alone module.Now the modules, reluctors and the pick ups, are all made in china or some other third world country.I`d stick a pertronics II (made in America) in it and forget about it
I believe the OP of this thread is seeking answers about troubleshooting the Ford Duraspark II ignition system, not about using a conventional point distributor with Hall effect retrofit electronics, and certainly not about the socio-economic repercussions of not buying American.
Duraspark sucks, we had nothing but trouble with it. Timing would retard at high rpm. Sucks on a race car. Switch to a MSD box, no problems.
phord - Does your car still have the neutral safety switch? Is it in good shape and working? Did you hook up the "white wire" that retards the spark in start? If so, is it on the right solenoid post? Just some spots to look...... The "Mustang Steve" diagram shows elimination of the resistor wire - you did that as shown? The red input wire to the Duraspark has to have full battery voltage.
Your coil could be bad, or the pick-up coil in the distributor could be bad (a bad pick-up coil will act up the same way as a bad ignition module). The white wire should go to the "S" terminal on the starter soliniod provides 12 volts while cranking. The red wire should have a constant 12 volts going to it with ignition switch in the run position. The coil should have a resistor of some sort going to the + side of the coil to keep it from getting too hot while continusly running, also run a wire from the "I" terminal of the starter soliniod to the + side of the coil (bypassing the resistor) so it has a hotter spark for the initial start-up.
Key's on the column on those cars sound like it has a worn lockset or needs lubrication and/or a new lockset. more mechanical than electrical if it is hanging in start. VERY common in old Fords.
Ok, on the starter hangin up, your battery needs to be fully charged. That has been my experience on that part. As for the intermittent spark, the low charge of the battery will also effect this as well as the coil either not getting the proper voltage (too much or not enough). The coil itself could be breaking down and not producing the correct amount of voltage out. Check to see if your coil is a resistor type or if you have a resistor in the power wire coming to it (check the wire to see if you have battery voltage with the key on). If the parts store tester tells you the module are good then this is where I would start. Hopefully this will help with your trouble shooting...
pleeeeeeeeeeeease Ford had lawsuits involving this system killing the engine and leaving your ford in the middle of an intersection or in the middle of a freeway.A ford engineer dropped by our shop to show us the insides of a china module in the mid 70`s complete garbage! What I was trying to explain was,why use a junk system with multible problems when new.and to add insult to injury, all you have to work with now is inferior parts!
That happened to the guy next door, car died in an intersection. The on coming cement truck couldn't stop, and his wife was killed.
Also has happened to many cars with (unserviced) points, Mopar ign boxes and GM HEI's too - literally thousands of US vehicles have died at inopportune moments in busy intersections over the years. My dad's Cutlass cooked an HEI in a helluva spot and he was lucky. The fortunate thing is that as the systems and parts have been improved - it has happened less and less.
Today I gave up and got a stock distributor. Fired up the first time. Thanks to all that tried to help. Sorry to shinysideup for invading his territory. I though car guys were car guys. I guess I was WRONG.
shinysideup has a 1970 Maverick listed as one of his cars, he's probably jealous of you having a 1970 Torino. Your other distributor had a bad pick-up coil in it.
I think some research is needed.. Ford made a new dura spark each year for many years. The resistance factors with the coil and the ballast etc were changed every year. Thats why there is a dura spark I-II and III etc. Modules have a color coded connector piece at module edge. Ya got to have the correct factors for all modules to function with a complete system. I would suggest using the distributor you have ( probably a three wire magnetic unit with pick up coil) and a GM HEI module. The GM controller will work great with fords output. More than glad to help ya any way i can.......
I was hoping you'd chime in here GMC BUBBA. Sounds like the OP got his fixed so my earlier question about adapting a HEI module to the Ford distributor won't be hijacking. Any tips or maybe a simple wiring diagram?
Here's a diagram on how to wire a gm hei module to a Ford duraspark distributor, but why would you want to down grade your ignition system with the gm hei module?
Its not a downgrade by any means. Out of all the electronic control modules the HEI is the king. The HEI incorperates a full time current limiting circuit making the coil ramp up in 3.6 ms and 5.5 amps. The module also has a dwell control allowing a 15 degree dwell at idle and 30 at high rpm. This keeps the coil (.5 ohms for high energy) cool at slow speeds. Typical rpm is 6,000 to 8,000 rpm depending on the module.
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