1985 C10 Distributor Problem

Mar 06, 2007 5 Replies

I have a 1985 Chevy C10 305 V8 4BBL with a HEI distributor that has no spark. I have checked and replaced the ignition coil, pick-up coil, control module, cap, rotor, and even the RF capacitor and wiring harness but with no avail. The only unit that tested bad was the control module that I had tested at AutoZone. Once I put a new one in the engine fired and ran like a champ even with one spark plug out to perfom the spark test. Once I got everything button up, I took it for a spin around the block. Ran great until I was shouting distance from the house. That's when it cut out and would not fire again. The way it cut off leads me to believe it is an electrical problem. I have retested everything at least three times (even the control module at AutoZone again) and everything checks out good. I have unplugged the Oil pressure light switch just in case it was going bad and causing the problem as a safety. I have 12 volts at the BAT terminal of the distributor when the ignition switch is on but it still will not fire. Are there any other safety switches that I can check? I have read through other posts on the HEI distributors but they did not seem to fit my problem. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.



Did you misplace the ground strap in the distributor cap?

i'd double check the control modules connector terminals/wiring - metering each while moving the connector a bit

Thanks for your suggestions. I finally narrowed it down to ESC. Took me a while because I was using the wiring diagram for a 1985 Chevy C10. After comparing my truck to wiring diagrams for a 1983 Chevy C10, I had a match. So basically I have a 1985 Chevy that was made in the factory from the spare parts left over from 1983. After I determined that it was the ESC, I found the bypass information by searching this group. Jumped the black and green wire on the control module, removed the ESC and wiring, and cranked her up. The old girl is now purring like a kitten. Thanks again.

Not firing changed distributor and still no fire

Not didtributor problem. Check coil and fuse - are you getting power to the coil???

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