Ignition System
- Turn ignition on. Connect negative lead of a voltmeter to ground and positive lead (in turn) to terminals "a" and "b". One reading should be battery voltage, the other one-half that voltage. See Figure. If so, go to step 8).
- If there was no voltage at either terminal in step 1), check wiring harness, connector, ignition switch and fuse between battery and resistor. Check for broken wires, poor connections, and battery condition.
- If there was voltage at only one of the terminals in step 1), turn ignition on. Disconnect lead wire from terminal having no voltage. Check resistor terminal for voltage. If none, replace resistor. If voltage now exists, check wiring harness between resistor and positive terminal of ignition coil for short circuit. Repair or replace as necessary.
- If there was voltage at both terminals, but one was not about one-half battery voltage, turn ignition on. Connect voltmeter negative lead to ground and positive lead to ignition coil negative terminal. Reading should be battery voltage.
- If not, turn ignition on. Connect voltmeter negative lead to ground and positive lead to ignition coil positive terminal. Reading should be battery voltage. If not, replace ignition coil. If battery voltage is shown, check wiring harness between resistor and ignition coil positive terminal. Check for broken wires, poor connections and repair as necessary.
- If voltage at ignition coil negative terminal in step 4), was battery voltage, turn ignition off. Using an ohmmeter set in the x1 range, measure resistance between ignitor side and ground. Resistance should be less than 0.5 ohm. If resistance is more than 0.5 ohm, check ground wire for proper contact at regulator bracket. If resistance was less than 0.5 ohm, turn ignition off.NOTE: Do not use battery voltage (12 volts) for next test step or ignitor may be damaged.
- Disconnect 2-pin connector. Disconnect high tension wire at distributor and hold it about 1/4" (6 mm) from engine block. Turn ignition on. Check if spark jumps when a small voltage (1-6 volts) is applied intermittently on terminals No. 1 and 2 on ignitor side of 2-pin connector. See Fig 1. If spark jumps gap, there is no problem with the ignition system. If no spark occurs, replace ignitor.
- If in step 1), the voltage at one resistor terminal was one-half that of the other, turn ignition on. See Figure. Connect negative lead of voltmeter to a known good ground and positive lead to ignition coil negative terminal. If reading is not below 0.5 volt, check wiring harness for shorts, check loose connections and repair as necessary. If no problem is found, perform steps 6) and 7).
- If in step 8) reading was below 0.5 volts, turn ignition off and disconnect 2-pin connector. Using an ohmmeter set to the x100 range, connect leads to terminals No. 1 and 2 on distributor side of 2-pin connector. Reading should be 130-190 ohms (140-180 ohms on Subaru).
- If resistance reading is incorrect, replace pick-up coil assembly. If correct, turn ignition off and check pick-up coil air gap. If air gap is not 0.008 - 0.016" (0.2 - 0.4 mm), adjust as necessary. If air gap is correct, perform steps 6) and 7).