I need help finding no start problem

[crazyhorse]

I will try to explain as best as I can.
This happened today & has happened after driving it about 1 month earlier.
I don't drive it very much.
I come home , park it in the garage, wait 5 minutes , it starts as usual, as soon as I bump the starter.
I wait 5 minutes , it starts as soon as I bump the starter.
I wait 20 minutes, it will NOT start. Battery is very strong & spins it fast but the engine does not hit at all ,acts as if I have removed the coil wire.
I know it is getting gas .
When the ignition switch is turned on , the instrument hands all work as they should.
After approx. 22 - 24 hours, I went back and it starts as soon as I bump the starter.
This truck has always started very quick and runs pretty near perfect, uses no oil, has good compression, no knocks.

I know this is long but I want to give all the information I can think of that might help solve this problem.
It will be probably 2 weeks or more before I have a chance to try to solve this problem.
I am hoping y'all can tell me some trouble shooting tips that will find this problem in short order.



I have a 72 Ranger XLT short bed.

I have added this approx. 20 + years ago, c6 transmission, 1969 Mercury 429 engine now with 57000 + miles.
MSD 6AL ignition box, MSD Blaster coil, MSD Pro Billet distributer with small rotary cap, Black Magic electric fan with shroud, voltage regulator, alternator , starter, water pump, fuel pump, solenoid, ignition switch,
spark plugs, plug wires, coil wire, Edelbrock carburetor, Edelbrock intake, headers & 3'' dual exhaust.
I am probably forgetting a few things , but this is what I can think of at this time.
This truck sits in the garage and is driven approx. 2000 + miles a year.
It has always started very quick.
Motor turns 1/2 half round seems like and it fires up.

I hope I have explained this.
To sum it up after driving it and parking it in the garage , it will start within a few minutes , but after it sits for approx. 20-30 minutes it will not start at all.
Good strong battery turning starter good.

Thanks for all the help/advice/ideas in advance.

[1972hiboy]

will it fire up if you hold the foot feed to the floor? when this is happening you have checked for spark and fuel? if those are a green light it may just be common seat soak. do you have a spacer between the carb and the intake manifold? If not try installing a phenolic 1-2inch spacer and see if that helps. it should help insulate the carb from the heat of the intake.

[crazyhorse]

Mr Hiboy, Thanks for the reply.
It is as if the coil wire was removed.
Will not offer/sound or even act like it is going to start.
I do have a spacer between the carb. & intake.
\Until about a month ago this truck would start very quickly anytime.

I think it is in the fire.
It will be approx.2 weeks before I can have time to look at it.

Again thank you sir for taking your time to try to help.
I appreciate it.

[68RGR]

You know, it might be that your coil is failing.

It could be that it doesn't get hot enough for the problem to occur until it sits longer than 5 minutes after driving it. So long as you are driving/moving it might stay cool enough to work properly. Then, when you shut the engine off, the coil has time to absorb more of the heat from the engine.

That may not be the cause of your problem but I have seen coils work when cold/cool and not work when hot.

Why not try having a fan ready the next time you drive it? If it sits for 20 minutes and starts with the fan on it, the problem could certainly be heat related - Coil or not.

[crazyhorse]

Mr 68RGR, thanks , I will check to see if I have a used coil as soon as I have a little time.

[crazyhorse]

Well I spent a little time with Old Red this PM.

Replaced the coil, still no start.

I did find I have fire from switched pink/or red wire coming from the firewall to the MSD ignition box.
I also have fire on the red wire from battery to the MSD ignition box.
I have no fire at the + wire at the MSD Blaster coil.

Will spend more time with it later when I have a little more time.
Does this sound like a bad MSD 6AL ignition box?

Ok all you gurus , give me advice please.

[crazyhorse]

Well this is what I have done so far.

1 replaced coil.
2 replaced the MSD 6AL ignition box with a new MSD 6A ignition box wired up per instructions.
3 I have fire to the switched 12 volt small red wire.
4 removed the distributer cap & watched rotary button rotate as starter was engaged .
5 made sure carburetor was getting gas.

Results were the same , will not start.

I am getting no fire to the plugs.

O k you Fordification gurus , what nest ?

[Mancar1]

If you have no voltage at coil with ign on. Then it may well be your ign switch. I had that problem on the 68 and it was the Ign. switch.
Hope u get it figured out, and keep on Trucking.

[crazyhorse]

If you have no voltage at coil with ign on. Then it may well be your ign switch. I had that problem on the 68 and it was the Ign. switch.
Hope u get it figured out, and keep on Trucking.

Mr Mancar, thanks for your reply.

I have fire on the ignition wire .

I have the old distributer & coil that I removed from the motor years ago to install the MSD.
I am considering installing that back in the motor to see if it starts.

I will find the problem, just got to find time to work on it.

[cep62]

Just a thought if you have spark,at the proper time to the plugs
Maybe all the trying to start it fouled the plugs or in the worse case washed the oil from the cylinder walls.
So there's no compression.
If thats the case ,a couple of squirts of motor into the spark plug holes will restore compression.

Edit.
I reread your post you have "fire at the coil " does that mean there's power to the + side ,
or is there spark from the coil wire?
You can bypass the MSD to rule out a bad box.

[crazyhorse]

Mr Cep, thanks for asking.

[quote="crazyhorse"]Well this is what I have done so far.

1 replaced coil.
2 replaced the MSD 6AL ignition box with a new MSD 6A ignition box wired up per instructions.
3 I have fire to the switched 12 volt small red wire.
4 removed the distributer cap & watched rotary button rotate as starter was engaged .
5 made sure carburetor was getting gas.

Results were the same , will not start.

I am getting no fire to the plugs.






Yesterday, I took a small piece of sandpaper and sanded inside the distributer cap studs, blew out with air afterwards, while plugging in the coil wire , I saw a spark, ( I had left the switch on).
I finished hooking everything back up.
Turned switch and it started right up, ran just like new .
After letting it run for a good while , cutting it off, starting it up several times, I decided to hook up the MSD 6AL that was on it at the beginning. .
Got the original MSD 6AL hooked back up, fired right up, ran it a while , cut it off, started it back up several times , everything just fine.
So I close the hood with a smile on my face , Old Red is fixed running fine again.

This PM I finish cutting the grass , put the lawn mower up, when I passed Old Red in the garage , I thought I would just start it again.
Well guess what , it will not hit a lick.
Starter turns it fine.
It is just like before, will not hit a lick, just as if the coil wire has been removed.
I am puzzled .

It cranked just fine yesterday. All I did was turn the switch off , and to night it don't hit a lick.

[68RGR]

OK, there seems to be two possibilities:

First, put the parts back on that were in place when it started the first day. If it starts consistently, you might have solved the problem.

Second, ignoring the parts swap you did after getting it to start the first day, it appears that the two common items to the "start one day and not the next" issue are the distributor cap and the ignition switch.

I think I would replace the cap and ALWAYS monitor the voltage on the lead from the ignition switch to the coil whenever I was trying to find the problem. No voltage obviously equals no spark. Knowing what is going on when it fails to start is the key to solving the problem. You must find the missing piece!

[tqwrench]

I know it's been mentioned before...ignition switch. Mine is on it's way out. Take a jolt or tap the key and all my gauges go away. Much can be discerned using a voltmeter and assistant. Catch it during the concern and monitor voltage to the hot side of the coil.

Another test is to use a test lamp and watch the negative side of the coil with the alligator clamp of the lamp referenced to hot (B+) and see if the sucker flashes during crank. Coil needs grounded to charge and ungrounded to fire. This will demonstrate the primary side of the ignition is working or not. Divide the system in 2, confirm it's a problem on the primary side or find out if it's a secondary problem. If it's primary, next you need to find out if there's power and ground to the controller, then find out if it's getting RPM signal.

[Mancar1]

When I was having a similar problem my truck would start, and sometimes it would not unless I jiggled the ign switch. A new switch fixed things.
If me at this point I would put a new rotor and cap on the dizzy. If the ign. switch is a oldie it is cheap and easy to replace. Hope u get it figured out soon.

[crazyhorse]

Well I ordered a new magnetic pickup for the MSD distributor , installed it and problem solved.

Old Red is purring like a kitten.

Thanks to all for the information/help/advice/suggestions.