Hey guys--I've got an '82 Tercel SR5, 1.5L 4 cylinder stick, and it has no spark. It's been sitting awhile but ran when it was parked. It has fuel and has keyed hot to the coil.

How do you test the ignitor and coil? This funny little car should be no match for TxGreaseMonkey!

Thanks!

kitch428

See if the dist is turning. Could have snapped the t-belt from sitting.

thunderstockrac

Thanks for the reply! I probably need to give some more background on the car. The reason it was parked ~8 months ago because it had a blown head gasket. I finally got around to fixing it just recently. The timing belt had been replaced not that long ago and the marks are aligned. And I didn't pull the distributor when I pulled the head. I know you're probably thinking 'he probably left something unplugged' lol but everything's back the way it was and I've triple checked and made sure everything's plugged in.

What do you think? Thanks in advance!

kitch428

Background is good. Usually works in cases like this. lol Well at this point, but maybe I can find an old book at work and we'll do some distributor checks along with the coil.
My resources here only go back to '90. You have a digital multimeter?

thunderstockrac

Thank you for your help so far! I do have a digital multimeter.

TxGreaseMonkey

. Test Fuses. Test all under hood and under dash fuses with a test light or multimeter:

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...tml#post252145

. Tachometer Test. Disconnect tachometer wire (if equipped). A shorted tachometer can prevent the vehicle from starting. Try starting the car again. If it starts, the problem is with the tachometer.

. Power to Distributor Test. Turn ignition OFF. Disconnect the connector from the distributor. Turn the ignition switch ON. Measure voltage between the (+) terminal and body ground. There should be 12+ volts. If not, repair open in the wire between the connector and ignition switch.

. Replace Ignitor and Coil. If the car is a "keeper," I would go ahead and replace the ignitor and coil, since these components are at the heart of your ignition system. From experience, on many different cars, I recommend replacing them every 120,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first. I have found that bench testing these components is not reliable, even with a Well's machine.

kitch428

Need to know what motor you have. It's either a 3A or a 3A-C.
Be sure to check all underhood fuses and relays like TX mentioned.
The ignition relay should be under the hood in the fuse and relay junction block.
For now, just turn the key on and pull out the ignition relay. Then re install it gently and listen for it to click. If it doesn't, mark it, then swap it with another next to it that looks the same.

thunderstockrac

Thank you for all the input! It's a 3A-C. I hadn't checked the relay--I'll let you know what I find out!

thunderstockrac

I figured it out--it's the igniter! I finally found a manual for one of these and tested the signal generator in the distributor and the coil and they checked out. The method for testing the ignitor seemed pretty crazy lol--using a 1.5 volt battery for less than 5 seconds--so I found a way to retrofit a GM coil and module--and now it has spark!! Now I just gotta get it to run better lol. If anybody needs any info on how to wire one of these up with the GM stuff let me know. Thanks again!

kitch428

Yes, I have the manual here also. Looks very used! However, you figured it out. Good.
You'll get it going. Keep us posted