Fried ignition

[Billman]

I just changed over to a Skip White HEI on my sons 83 wagon about a week ago. Got it all running good (better than before) I drove my wife to work today with it and then picked her back up, about an hour worth of driving with no problems. My son drove it to work 40 miles no problem again. He came out of work, started the car and went to leave and it died. No power to anything. I grabbed the truck and dollie and go get him. He's melted a fusible link. Okay, I tow it home and start messin with it and hook up a fuse inline and instantly pop that fuse. I go research the den and find out the intake manifold heater is connected through the oil pressure sender so I disconnect them and turn the key with a new fuse in and cranks over and starts but keeps the starter engaged. So next I grabbed a spare working solenoid and put it in and get the same thing I had to disconnect the power to the coil to kill the engine and then had to disconnect the battery to disengage the starter(engine is stuck in start mode with the key off) I will go disconnect all the plugs from the ICM and try again then quit for the night. Any suggestions would definitely be appreciated

[eaglefreek]

If you are using the HEI the ICM should already be disconnected.

[Amc1320]

I have a skip white dizzy

Don't need icm or fuseabel link, hook the hot wire for dist straight to 12v (key on) post on selenoid , no othe wires needed

The HEI has to get 12 volts to work properly, the old hot wire that went to your coil is only like 8 don't use it

[Billman]

Thats what I have , a new wire from the ign terminal directly to the distributor. My assumption is the component on top of the steering column after looking at the starting diagram in the Eaglepedia. The whole start sequence seems to be shorted out. I do have the dizzy disconnected from the icm and the coil but did not remove any of the wires or the brain box yet. Nothing appears pinched or damaged.

[Amc1320]

Oh ok, sorry I missunderstood

Hmmm this is a tougher one then, starter hanging with key off sure sounds like selenoid though, but you said you replaced that already

[Billman]

OK I got it! It was exactly what I thought it was, something stupid When I installed the HEI I obviously disconnected the coil and distributor but that wasn't enough. Once I disconnected the other plugs the problem went away. Still don't understand why because from what I can see there isn't anything for the primary start circuit in there. Hopefully the problem doesn't return. Now when it warms up I have to gut the wires that are no longer being used in a manner that allows them to be gone back to if needed.(like that would happen)

[vangremlin]

Once I disconnected the other plugs the problem went away.

Which other plugs did you disconnect?  I just did this conversion also, and its working fine, but I haven't really gone back into to clean things up.

And glad to hear its working now!!

[eaglefreek]

You might of had power feeding backwards somehow and feeding the solenoid power when it wasn't suppose to.

[Billman]

 

Once I disconnected the other plugs the problem went away.

Which other plugs did you disconnect?  I just did this conversion also, and its working fine, but I haven't really gone back into to clean things up.

And glad to hear its working now!!

Not sure what else is run off the ICM there are two other plugs that I disconnected and pulled the whole box out