Installed a point-less Accel distributor (solid sate module controlled) for the sbc283 in the wagon....No spark as best as I can tell. I tried to install the new distributor exactly as the old points one came out - and the cap has lots of room to rotate so I should be able to get the timing set, and have checked plug wire terminals and routing a number of times....Number1 on the cap is essentially straight forward - maybe slightly toward passenger. I am working solo, so its hard to crank the engine and be under the hood, but I hooked up the timing light just to see if I am getting any spark - and No flash. Here is a pic of the set-up:
The green wire from firewall is from the ignition switch (it went to the resistor before - no resistor with this set-up according to directions) and goes to coil (+). There was no start-up resistor bypass from starter directly to the coil before - so I know that would not have been ideal, so maybe the issue is here. The red wire goes from coil (+) to the B terminal on the accel module (per instructions). The green wire goes from coil (-) to C terminal on module. The other module terminals go to the the module pick-up under the cap - they have different size terminals and thus cannot get mixed up. Otherwise, everything else is related to the high V wires - I've tried to ensure they fit the cap terminals properly....I am not 100% certain I have the distributor installed correctly in terms on gear tooth - so I will go through and manually turn the engine until I am at TDC on compression stroke for #1 and check rotor position - but it ain't going to matter if I don't have spark. Is there some way I can use a multi-meter to check if I am getting current from the coil to the distributor, and then getting it out of the cap?
EDIT - think the missing resistor bypass wire from starter soleniod may the issue....from the ol intraweb of knowledge....
The original 12 volt override wire from the starter solenoid “R” terminal to the ignition coil must be retained and must be doubled up with the new 12 volt ignition feed before the wires are plugged into the HEI power terminal. The reason this is necessary is that the ignition switch is mutually exclusive in the crank and run positions. This means that there is no power on the “RUN” circuit when the ignition switch is in the “CRANK” mode. Subsequently, without the lead wire from the starter solenoid “R” terminal, the car won’t start.
But....my ingition switch is has been replaced with something (arghhh...I really am wishing I bought one that was more original)....maybe it one like this....how do I know what type of ignition switch I have.....
An alternative solution involves changing the ignition switch to one that supplies 12 volts on the “RUN” circuit when the ignition is in “CRANK” mode. With this type of ignition switch, a 12 volt override wire from the starter is not necessary. Subsequently, if your starter had an “R” terminal and you changed the ignition switch as described here, the original 12 volt override wire could be eliminated.
Thinking of adding the 12V wire from R to coil+ to see if that helps....would it hurt to have it there if not needed?