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how to test ignitor?


zstreet86

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i have an 83 280zxt and am having ignition problems. before the car would start run fine, then when it warms up it would die out and i would be unable to restart the car again till it "cooled down". right now the car isnt starting period so my theory is that whatever was shorting out might have now gone out completely. ive searched around and i think my culprit could be the ignitor. i currently cant find my haynes manual so i dont know if it says how to test this component out or not, so do any of you know how to test the ignitor? thanks in advance!

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I'd bet it is your igniter. That sounds like the classic symptoms. I'm not sure how you test it, I think I heard someone mention you could run a hotwire right from the battery to the coil to bypass and at least see if the car starts. They will do exactly what you described start dieing out when warmed up, need to cool down before restarting, then eventually you can crank and crank and it won't spark. Oh on the Turbo cars it's attached to the coil bracket, not the side of the dizzy like the N/A

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It can also be the Optical sensor circuit in the distrubutor - as in my case, I put in a new ignitor w/no luck - engine would still cut out on me.

 

I am converting to MegaSquirt w/12-1 (not EDIS) crankshaft sensor.

 

I will be using 12 neo magnets on the back of my crank dampner.

 

I am so sick of the stock ignition system stranding me that I am willing to pay XXX$ to convert to MS and get more driveability and take it beyond stock levels at the same time.

 

I'll get better mileage out of it too....

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Now may be time to break out a volt/ohm meter,

 

Because of parts you have repalced, and the nomenclature you present I recommend you go back to the basics, very basics.

 

dude ive tried and tested (with an ohm meter) everything i could think of and everything in haynes manual and fsm. i know it has to be simple but i'm running out of ideas. thanks

 

its weird cuz i dont have spark from the coil. tomorrow im going to try and double check the ignitor again. this car is getting the better of me, if its not one thing its another... but i refuse to give up on it. i will restore her to her former glory. i have carpet, dashcap etc waiting for this stupid ignition problem to be solved. sorry i went off on a rant :)

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I did a write up a long time ago on the ignitor trouble shooting. It's easy enough to test with a 9v battery. The ignitor is just a tranistor. When you apply 9 volts to the base (computer input) it completes a short, essentialy it is just a switch that activates with a computer signal input.

 

This is part is critical, the ignitor coil completes the circuit connection through the ignitor housing, so it must be mounted to the body or it has no ground path.

 

Testing the trigger signal from the computer is a little more involved without a quick responding meter or digital o-scope, but somewhere in the archives I posted images with a digital o-scope.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

have you checked for power from the ignition? sorry i know thats basic but a similiar problem with my 81 ZX baffled me for weeks till i located a loose connection at the key. i felt stupid , but now back on track.

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Have you checked the coil for power with a test light on the "+" terminal? If there is still no spark and there are no injector pulses, its like the ECU isnt getting a signal that the engine is cranking. I don't think 280ZX's have a crank angle sensor anywhere else other than in the distributor. Check the magnetic plate under the "teeth" in the pickup area under the rotor button. There is a coil of wire there that might be "open". Just a guess...it's hard when you're not there!

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