1979 Z,just installed 454 {1973 w/ 4spd}and was running for breakend when engine stopped dead, no spark, this is My first exp. with HEI distributer, removed cap, cleaned and reinstalled, no spark. This dist. cam from orignal 350. At times cap needed cleaning then, this time..nothing. Please help Me.

 

buy a new one and go from there. or take it apart and fix it. You need to get to the problem. If your not firmiliar with distributers, buy a new one or have a friend help ya. Good luck

 

it's one of three things ...ignition coil, ignition module, or the pickup coil. Sick

 

If you are running an engine with potent horsepower, you probably want to follow Matt's advise. New distributors are not that expensive. The standard HEI has some limitations. If you decide to fix what you have there are a few things to look at. First, look for the obvious like a burned rotor ot distributor cap, sometimes the cap will burn through where the contact for the rotor comes through. Pickup coil is next, if I remember right an ohm meter should between 750 and 1500k. Move the wires while the meter is connected, HEI is known for the pickup wires breaking from the movement of the vacuum advance. Coil can be checked with an ohm meter also, the specs can be gotten from a Chiltons. Lastly, if nothing else checks out bad make friends with someone that owns a tester for the module, it is the only way to check it except for a simple substitution with a known good unit. If you switch the module make certain to put thermal transfer compound on the bottom of it before installing, heat will kill them fast.

 

Check for power to the coil, check the button under the coil that contacts the rotor.

 

with the experience i have had with the hei distributor.the ones that i have run never gave us a problem and we run them at 6800rpm's all night.when it loses power and dosen't fire a lick its usaully the ignition module.replace that and bet it fires right up.when they shut down without popping or spitting and sputtering its going to be the ignition module.they are either good or bad,no in between

 

I've had that happen to me, the motor just shuts off. Each time it was the pickup coil. I'd go with MSD, I'm happy with the HEI upgrade kit I installed in my truck. I got one for the 327 going in my Z28.

 

I think you need to go for the obvious first and check to make sure there is power to the coil.

Did you use the original wire for the pickup? Is there a chance you could have burned it on the headers and now it's in two pieces?

HEIs are the easiest Distributors in the world to work with and Modules almost, repeat almost, never go bad so there are usually two (maybe three) "typical" options....

Power to the Distributor is gone.
Bad coil
Loose connection inside the cap somewhere.(i.e. the three leads, including the ground)
Broken tab on the rotor
Guts in millions of pieces inside the cap

O.K. that;s more than three. OOOOpps.

RM