Need a little more help on my 80 dodge

37 chief · Oct 18, 2023

This 80 Dodge pickup was running when my brother drove it in about 8 or 10 years ago. Even with a bad trans. It will not start. I have no spark, I will just check the points. I removed the distributor cap. EEK, no points. Ever since the 50' I have never worked on a vehicle with electronic ignition. I'm lost. My brother has a pile of old manuals. Maybe I can find something tomorrow. For those who have had the opportunity to work on old Mopar electronics with no points. Where would you start trouble shooting. I notice there is a new electronic module on the fire wall. Do these things usually go bad? Thanks. Stan

MF#1 · Oct 18, 2023

Didn't they have an old school resister mounted on the firewall also? I had a '79 way back when, 318 auto, but never had any problems with it not starting. If I remember correctly it was the porcelain type like Dodges of old. In the meantime I would suggest looking for mice damage on the wires going to/from the EEK, it only takes one bad wire to kill the spark. Also check all of the starting circuit fuses and/or relays. A manual of that era should have a troubleshooting guide to chase gremlins. I hope it works out for you.

rustred · Oct 18, 2023

that thing on the fire wall is most likely the resistor for the coil. on my old dodge i had to replace the pickup coil in the distributor as it give up and would just stop for no reason. but in your case u say it was running. have u confermed no spark? it might be no fuel.

4play · Oct 18, 2023

I used to have a couple mopars around that vintage, always kept a spare ballast resistor because you never know when they pop. I'm pretty sure the ballast resistor and ignition module are beside each other under the hood hinge on the driver's inner fender. Those ignition modules were fairly reliable but could be suspect too. Either of those parts could be swapped with any other donor mopar product.

ss55 · Oct 18, 2023

Those old Chrysler electronic ignitions need a minimum battery voltage to produce a spark. If the voltage is too low, somewhere around 10 or 9 volts during cranking, the stater will still crank over the engine but the ignition won't produce a spark. Try a different battery or use jumper cables to connect a second battery and see if it starts.

Pete76NYPa · Oct 19, 2023

these guys have probably nailed your issue, always had a couple spare resistors in the glove box back in the day with the MOPARs...

Harold Hubbard · Oct 19, 2023

I have a 77 M882, military version of the W200 Power Wagon. I had repeated and on-going issues with the electronic ignition. The guys at steelsoldiers.com sent me to Skip White Performance, where I purchased a complete distribut or for under a hundred bucks. It completely replaces the stock ignition, all you do is hook it up to twelve volts and a coil, and your troubles are over, at least for the Dodge ignition.

4wdtom · Oct 19, 2023

If the resistor is bad the engine will start while the starter in is operation as the starter shorts the resistor to provide full voltage for starting. When you release the key from the start position the resistor if bad will not allow power to the coil/distributor. So while cranking you would have spark even with a bad resistor.

Stephen Newell · Oct 19, 2023

I would start with the distributor cap and rotor and go from there. They can go out in a heartbeat.

Best advise I could give is take the truck to a junk yard. I have an 86 and from day one was back in the shop over and over until I gave up on it at 70,000 miles. It was costing me more to work on it than the truck was worth.

Hemmjo · Oct 19, 2023

The 70's Chrysler electronic ignition was one of the best for that time. The weak link was the old school ballast resist in the system.

Geo-TH,In · Oct 19, 2023

If I recall the ballast resistor was 2 ballast resistors in one.
I carried a spare ballast in the glove box.

caterpillar guy · Oct 19, 2023

You guys need to read the whole post. He said his brother drove it in about 8or 10years ago. SO the resistor didn't just go bad. I would suspect something completely differnt like has the tank rusted out and gas is gone or maybe it needs a new fuel pump setting that long. Lots of things to check other than worry about an I doubt issue like the resistor. And yes all those things could be bad in that length of time though I would look at other areas. Check it like an old tractor that has set for that long. Maybe spray some ether down the throat and see if it will start and run on ether if so then it is a fuel delivery issue. If no start then probably an electrical problem. Sort of sorts them pretty fast that way.

olddavid · Oct 19, 2023

(quoted from post at 05:23:36 10/19/23) If I recall the ballast resistor was 2 ballast resistors in one.
I carried a spare ballast in the glove box.

That's what they had up to '77 at least. If you have a spare resistor just unplug the old one on the firewall (leave it mounted) and plug in the new one and let it dangle. If you have spark that was it. The modules weren't super reliable either.

olddavid · Oct 19, 2023

(quoted from post at 05:56:56 10/19/23) You guys need to read the whole post. He said his brother drove it in about 8or 10years ago. SO the resistor didn't just go bad. I would suspect something completely differnt like has the tank rusted out and gas is gone or maybe it needs a new fuel pump setting that long. Lots of things to check other than worry about an I doubt issue like the resistor. And yes all those things could be bad in that length of time though I would look at other areas. Check it like an old tractor that has set for that long. Maybe spray some ether down the throat and see if it will start and run on ether if so then it is a fuel delivery issue. If no start then probably an electrical problem. Sort of sorts them pretty fast that way.

He said there was no spark and those resistors did go bad just like that. You drove it somewhere and when you went to start it wouldn't. Always carried a spare.

This post was edited by olddavid on 10/19/2023 at 06:50 am.

jimg.allentown · Oct 19, 2023

Why are you running off in fuel delivery?
Stan CLEARLY SAID that he had NO SPARK. How does that become a fuel delivery issue?

All of the sprays in the world will not start a gas engine with no spark.

Destroked 450 · Oct 19, 2023

I just worked on a buddies 76 Dodge that was giving him fits
You can use a ohm meter to check the ballast resistor, coil and pickup in the distributor , his turned out to be a bad ignition box that he replaced with a wrong ignition box
2 common failing parts on the older Chrysler electronic ignition were the ballast resistor and the ignition box
During the 70s and early 80s they used 3 different styles of ignition, single and dual ballast resistors, single and dual distributor pickups and 4 or 5 pin ignition boxes
Make sure you get the correct parts

David from Kansas · Oct 19, 2023

We had a M882 in out unit and I remember it had a habit of just quitting for no reason at all, even while driving down the road. But most times you could just turn the ignition off, wait a few minutes and it would crank up like nothing had happened. We were told it was some electronic box that would cause that. I think it finally got replaced. About all I can remember.

caterpillar guy · Oct 20, 2023

Yup he did and I was just pointing out that with setting for 8-10 years there could be a lot more possibilities than just the resistor.We drove pretty excusively Chrysler vehicles till the mid 80's when dad could buy used land yachts from his cousin cheaper than he could buy other cars on lots. So he then started driving the big Buick 225's Yes we had a couple resistors go bad in about 25 years of Chrysler vehicles and that was it. Those Buicks were not all that grst to me just a lot of transmission work and ignition problems with distributor caps. Got so we could change out the Transmissions in about 2-2.5 hours from pulling the old one and driving away with the new one in. My brother would start on one end and I would work the other end. Would push the tail up to get the cros memeber out and let it down on my chest then slide it out put the nwe on on my chest and slide it up there so he could start a couple bolts then with the 2 bottom ones in would push up and get the cross member in and was down hill from there.

Geo-TH,In · Oct 20, 2023

Stan,
Just a thought. If you can't fix the spark,
could you replace the electronic distributor with the old one with points and condenser?

I'm guessing Dodge just modified the old distributor with an electronic one. They most likely didn't change anything inside the engine.

Somewhat like YT people do with replacing points with electronic ignition.

olddavid · Oct 20, 2023

(quoted from post at 04:15:50 10/20/23) Stan,
Just a thought. If you can't fix the spark,
could you replace the electronic distributor with the old one with points and condenser?

I'm guessing Dodge just modified the old distributor with an electronic one. They most likely didn't change anything inside the engine.

Somewhat like YT people do with replacing points with electronic ignition.

It is possible. I had a '85 Chrysler 5th Avenue 318 which had the more advanced computer controlled spark setup and feedback carburetor. I got tired of fighting it and didn't have a lot of money so I put a regular carburetor on it and an older electronic ignition module and distributor (some parts I had on hand) on it but the hood temperatures were so high it kept taking the module out. I then put in a point distributor and the car ran fine after that. If the truck has a regular carburetor all that would need to be changed is the distributor, some wiring and yes, a different ignition resistor.

This post was edited by olddavid on 10/20/2023 at 05:25 am.

Need a little more help on my 80 dodge

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