Electronic Ignition

[Jim M.]

I recently installed an electronic ignition and ever since I've installed it I've had problems with the starting of the car.
I have a 65 327/350 and after driving four about a half an hour and shutting down the car, it will not start after about half hour.
When I turn the key there is nothing. I hear no click nor does the motor turn over.
I will try and start the car a few hours later and it starts.
I'm not sure if this is related to the installation of the electronic ignition or not. I'm not sure what to look for.

Thanks

[Bob Simard]

Electronic Ignition

Sounds like either a bad starter solenoid or bad ignition switch. With just a bad ignition, the motor should turn over until the battery dies. There is always an outside chance you have a flakey battery cable connection.

[Mike M.]

Re: Electronic Ignition

agree with bob but additional area to check is the ignition harness plug that inserts in the foreward facing aspect of the fuse box. its located on the engine side of the firewall just below the left female hood latch. pull plug from fuse panel, clean the 8 or so metalic pins on both the plug and the fuse panel, lubricate with silicone dielectric grease(3-M or delco can supply) then reinstall plug. good luck, mike

[Jack H.]

Also...

starter sits in a hostile enviroment (below rams horn exhaust manifolds) and can be prone to heat soak. If this is the case you can determine easily by CAREFULLY taking a garden hose and wetting/cooling the starter case without hitting/cracking the exhaust mani once the 'problem' has taken root.

If she instantly jumps back to life cranking away after a short forced cooling of the starter, the odds are reasonably good the starter was rebuilt with a 'generic' solenoid return spring and under heat soak, there's too much spring tension to overcome for the solenoid to engage the starter.

If this is the case, there's two alternatives: (1) get a correct solenoid return spring from GM for your starter application, (2) in a pinch, remove the existing solenoid return spring and cut 1.25 winds off it then re-install (this was the subject of an older GM service bulletin).