wow need help

to30 fully rebuilt, everything.
Problem no spark, all new distributor, two new coil, one bad, all new wires, plugs, rechecked all gaps, points, condenser, timing perfect, have voltage at points and coil. Replaced all wires to coil, switch, even bypassed switch, power to distributor ok, points will spark, rotor new and making contact, cap new, new spark plug wires and plugs. Problem no spark at plugs.
Problem no spark at plugs. I am dumb or what, having built racing engines over 1000 horsepower.
I am dreaming at night, wake up and recheck everything in the morning. What am I missing??????????????

This post was edited by etshobby on 10/14/2022 at 02:37 pm.

If you have power at distributor I would start with checking coil wire and do you have the right cap and rotor.

everything is brand new, yes power is at points, power is at coil new also, all wires are all new. rotor new, points new all gapped perfectly. Nothing old, new wires are tested ok and were replaced. Even a second coil was bought. I know it has to be something stupid, but I don't know what. Second set of new spark plug wires arrived today will install tomorrow.

Contact thru points or is coating on them
insulating the circuit?

I'd check spark from coil. If good then cap/rotor/plug wires.

No spark from coil back to coil and/or points. Is coil correct voltage for current electrics? Try a known good coil.

Roger has your correct answer. I also suspect your brand new points are glazed over. The wife's nail file does a great job to break that
glaze. Points file if your at the auto parts store, if they still carry one and the grocery store for a nail file might be easier to find.

He originally posted "points will spark". If sparking is seen between the contacts, they are likely working. Surface contamination usually insulates and will prevent sparking, in my experience.

I would try de-glazing the new points with a folded-up dollar bill, piece of brown paper bag or other uncoated paper before putting a file to new points.

What are you using for a gap when the rubbing block of the points is on a cam lobe high point? How did you time it to know it is perfect?

Are you getting spark from the coil wire if you pull it out of the distributor and hold the end near a ground point? If you are, try your old rotor button, the new one might be defective. Also try using your old condenser if it ran before.

Put the old condenser back in. Many are bad out of the box.

Hey, I am an IH guy wondered over here because I
directed a new poster over here that was wanting to ID
the year of his Fergie. Anyway, you can have the best
1000hp engine in the pack but if she does not start
you are sunk. Simple, get a test light or volt meter
when the points are closed there should be no power
on the distributor wire. The points are grounding the
coil to build the magnetic field in the coil. Then when
they open the spark occurs. The ground circuit ..points
.. open so now the distributor wire will have voltage.
So this is an important test to tell you if all your filing
and points cleaning did any good. Of course if you
would have said you checked that the coil has spark
out of it. That would eliminate points being the
problem for the most part. I do agree that the
condenser may simply be bad right out of the box. If all
else fails I am attaching an ignition troubleshooting
check put together by another poster on here. I do not
think it covers timing a distributor, all I will say about
that is remember a 4 cycle engine has two TDCs one
on the compression stroke and one on the exhaust
stroke. You have to be timed on compression to run
whether it has 30hp or a 1000hp
JohnT ignition troubleshooting guide

Regarding condensers: I have had one bad right out of the box. Another failed after 1 hour of use. Both from the land of not quite right.

Spark at points, not at plugs, usually rotor or cap problem. You sure distributor isn't 180 out?

Make sure the carbon rod and spring in the top inside of the distributor cap are there and working freely . Sometimes you need to stretch the little spring a bit to ensure the rod contacts the top of the rotor .
Rotors can be bad out of the box as well , I have had one that had no continuity between the arm and top contact at all .

Sooo, any luck?