So, I think I posted else where about the ignition wiring harness connectors for my stupid 68. I have replacement connectors for the harness side, but am now not in a position to spend the time to fix the harness. I’m getting ready to swap the engine out,l (again) and thought, that if I put B+ 12 volts to the + side of the coil, and shorted the solenoid, the car should start and run long enough to move it around the yard and get into position for the next labor operation. Car was a crank, no start. It has a duraspark distributor with an MSD box. I got pulled away for a minute and forgot to disconnect the coil, and it blew up. So, hurray for me. But the question remains, what would cause this no start?
The MSD receives it’s power through the heavy gauge Black and Red wires. The light gauge Red wire is the 12v signal to turn the ignition box on.
Other than the ignition wiring behind the ignition switch, everything was working perfectly. The MSD is wired properly. The car was still a crank, no start, like it had no spark. I haven’t pulled the distributor apart yet to see by chance if the duraspark module broke, again. I thought B+ directly to the coil + would have started the car and run, long enough to move it 50 yards…
Applying 12V to the Coil (+) lead will do nothing on an MSD box. The MSD powers the coil, not the other way around. You have to apply 12V to the light gage red wire for the box to work.
You are right- I’ve got family in from out of town, and we have been very busy, having a good time. I fired up the Cougar last night, she popped right off and sounded great. I also have a 71 Mustang, that I bought in Idaho in around 2011? That is also a crank no start, and that too, has been kicking my ass. There is a broken wire somewhere in the harness, so it won’t run. I tired to hot wire it, (Duraspark ignition, no MSD) and I had to give up. There is a combination of things going on with it, and we had to give up, and push it on the trailer. I’m extremely annoyed, and disappointed by that!
Awesome! What did you do to fix the Cougar! I would avoid the temptation to temporarily jump battery voltage to the coil. You can do that with points, but with electronic ignition, you risk causing more damage than anything you might gain. Take time to find and fix the problem - easier said than done I’m sure.
Hemi Killer nailed it- I had to trigger the MSD- The next big hassle with the 68, is going to be to replace the 58 Ranchero diff assembly, with a correct Cougar one, loaded with detroit locker, and 3.89 rear gear. After, I get the right size bolts to mount the pressure plate to the flywheel ande heli coil 2 of the bolt holes that wouldn’t take the 68 factory manual torque spec…It’s always, always something!
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