The GM HEI Ignition has been in use since 1974 and it’s simple to use design make it easy to put into just about anything. These distributors are fairly simple with one a few parts that can cause a problem. This 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo has a Crank, No Start situation going on and has lost spark. I first verified that there was no spark by pulling the number 1 plug wire, putting in a spark plug and having a helper crank the engine while grounded out the plug. There was no spark.
I’m pretty sure I know where the problem is, and I still went through a few steps to make sure that it was really where I thought it was. Pulling the ignition coil and testing the primary and secondary windings told me the coil was not the culprit. The primary windings should be between 0-1 ohm and the secondary windings should be between 3000 and 30000 ohms. This coil was fine.
If the coil tests good, there are only 2 parts left to really look at. The ignition module and the magnetic pickup. To me, if the coil tests good, the module is the problem. The magnetic pickup is not usually a problem and requires a bit more work to replace. I swap a new ignition module that I got from Autozone fairly certain that this is the issue. Making sure to use the supplied heat paste on the bottom of the module, it went back in like it was supposed to and I reassembled the distributor cap, rotor and coil.
Once it was reassembled,I hit the key and the car fired right up like it was supposed to and ran smooth. The unfortunate truth is that I replaced this module about a year ago and now I’m doing it again. My mechanic friends all tell me that the quality of electrical components in the last few years isn’t very good. If I do this again, It’ll get a MSD module.
Here’s some links to stuff I like to use! These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Here’s a link to the test leads I use.
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