musicman8287

So I recently replaced clutch cable, oil pan dipstick tube, and installed new Ford Racing 9mm blue plug wires and motorcraft spark plugs. Car cranks fine and gets gas in carb, but I cannot get a spark. Tried plug test, coil test, even used a different coil off my buddy's running '83 F100 300ci L6. Won't spark.

Any thoughts? I get juice from red wire to BAT terminal on coil, when ignition switch is in 'run' position.

There's two wires going from Ign module (Duraspark) near coil to inside of car... red and white, (along with orange black and purple going to distributor) and research has taught me they go to ignition switch. If I knocked one of them loose, as I was running clutch cable to the quadrant during cable replacement, is there one that would allow crank but no spark?

Car was running perfect before I did the clutch cable, dipstick tube and plugs/plug wires. Based on this, what could I have knocked loose? I am certain I knocked a wire loose or broke it at a clip, as it's a 30 year old car.

Or, maybe I fried something, like Duraspark or Distributor?

I have a nice multimeter to use, so any figures/numbers to test for, please inform me.

Anyways, any help and links are greatly appreciated!

EDIT: Dumb question... could a clutch cable be responsible for no spark, if not fully engaging the clutch? I figure it shouldn't matter in neutral, but not sure. Thanks.

dawson1112

Check all the plugs to the box.

Best I can do is give you the diagram for the duraspark II

dawson1112

OH and the clutch has nothing to do with spark . Only cranking

musicman8287

Thanks a bunch! That diagram is just what I needed.

DRAGUL

When you put the spark plug wires back on did you wire it for a 302 Ho motor ? Been a lot of years since I did this on the 83 I had, but I am pretty sure there is a difference in the firing order from a normal 302 and a HO 302.

musicman8287

Yes sir, and previous owner marked the distributor cap with paint pen as well.

musicman8287

So I used dawson1112's diagram, as well as this helpful link:
Autozone Duraspark Troubleshoot, and it looks like the culprit is the distributor. Not sure what the piece is called, but it's that thing inside, under cap, that has the 3 wires feed into it, black for ground, then orange and purple, all of which come from the Duraspark, via harness. I could not get any kind of resistance reading when I tested it. Autozone manual says at least 70k ohms should be present, if I ground to distributor body and test orange or purple. I got nothing whatsoever. So either there's no continuity or I'm not grounding it correctly?

Also, I have continuity from the clip that disconnects from Duraspark, that feeds the distributor, to the distributor clip that's about 4" of wire or so off the distributor body, so I am pretty sure that section of harness is good. This is the long section of harness.

Could there be something I'm missing? Perhaps a previous owner hack wire job somewhere else on the car?

Thanks.

musicman8287

...and now I've broken the stock clutch quadrant. AAUGH!