Re: trouble shootting guide
Assuming you have no spark at all, let's start with the primary side of the ignition. Pull the coil wire from the distributor cap and hold it 1/4" or so above the hole you just pulled it out of. Of course, check the wire and receptacle for corrosion. Crank the engine. If you have no spark, check the points to make sure they are gapped properly and not pitted. That done, crank the engine, you should see a small spark at the points when they make contact. If not check to make sure you have 12v at the + side of the coil with the key on. If you have juice, the coil is probably bad. If you do not have juice at the coil, you have a wiring issue somewhere. I just had to replace my starter solenoid for this very reason - it was only supplying 5v to the coil while cranking.
Now, if you manage to get the coil wire to spark and it still doesn't do anything, we need to go over the secondary ignition. This would include the rotor, cap, wires and plugs. You can do the same trick with a plug wire, but something should happen at this point. Still nothing? Is the rotor seated properly and spinning. It will probably have a keyway. You may need to replace the rotor. Inspect the inside of the cap. Is it damp? Are their any cracks? Either of these two items would effect not getting spark to all cylinders, but again, something should happen - backfiring. At this point though, you might consider a full tune-up.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck
