Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

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Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby The Upcoming Classic » Mon Sep 07, 2015 6:28 pm

I bought a 1982 Chrysler LeBaron off of craigslist about a 3 weeks now and recently I've started having ignition issues. It had no spark. It would run off and on, it ran fine on highway but it stopped all together yesterday so yesterday I replaced the coil and it started right up, ran just fine. That night I go to put the top up and when I do this, I usually start it because my battery isn't good. It starts up and warms up, I back it up a little because its supposed to get windy and I don't want a tree limb ripping through my top. I dies on me and it wont start back up. If it's not the coil, what else could be wrong that's not letting it get spark. It gets plenty of fuel... I used to run just fine. Started right up when I needed it to. Always ran. Any suggestions? :cry: I'm starting to question my purchase... :?
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby Kwagon2 » Tue Sep 08, 2015 12:43 am

First off, Congratulations on your purchase! What you have is an ideal situation in which to obtain a remedy , If it would have remained an Intermittent problem it would be more frustrating. The 2.6 Mitusbishi uses an ignition module (called an IC igniter)in the distributor and it switches primary current (coil primary) in response to a timing signal from a magnetic pickup also in the distributor. You can do a few checks , With the ignition switch "on" measure the voltage at the negative coil terminal the voltage should be the same as battery voltage if its 3 volts or less the IC igniter is defectve. Check the positive side of the coil voltage should be at least 12 volts or battery voltage if not you have switch or wiring issues. You can check the coil by using a jumper from the negative side of the coil to a good engine or chassis ground , make momentary contact while holding the coil secondary wire about 1/4" from ground you should get a spark. If you don't , disconnect the distributor wires only from the coil primary connection (small studs ) and try again. If the coil has volts etc. you should get a spark. You also mentioned you have a bad battery keep in mind if the battery voltage drops to 9 volts or lower when cranking the engine will not start. The IC igniter in the distributor is relatively easy to replace.
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby The Upcoming Classic » Sat Nov 21, 2015 4:21 am

Never mind. Took it up to a mechanic an apparently He could see what was wrong so he just replaced the entire Distributor Assembly. $300 later, Runs! now having more problems. Took it to another larger city to go shopping. Went 70 mph all the way there, 70 all the way back. Little noisy. Anyway, bounced the whole way there and back. Thought it was a tire that lost a wheel weight and needed to be balanced. Mechanic lifted it up, started looking around. Bend rear right rim, (will replace with full size spare, takes up too much trunk space, instead putting compact in cover on trunk wall.) Not the least of my problems. Something is wrong with my driver side inner tie rod. has slight wobble, (could worsen already unbalanced ride and/or completely break off) Both drive shafts are throwing out grease at the rubber boot. Says if moisture leaks in, can cause significant damage. Boots not torn, just previous owner decided that Zip Ties would be a good way to clamp it on to the shafts... :x Mechanic says it would cost the same in labor to repack with grease than to replace whole shafts. After all that, a final alignment to set things straight, then apparently I will have a smooth ride. :roll: $500 :o Seriously need to consider doing things myself. At lease after that I don't have much Left to fix other than the exhaust from headers back, cruise control, tune up, A/C drain and recharge with new coolant, remove gap between top seals and window, and change one incandescent low beam to Halogen. OH THE JOYS OF OWNING A 32 YEAR OLD CAR! :idea: Seriously considering creating a separate conversation, just a blog of my car stories and see what you can relate to. Would you read? :?:
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby Kwagon2 » Mon Nov 23, 2015 1:48 pm

Sure I'd read it...I've got a number of fifty/sixty year old cars my daily driver is 38 years old! These eighties cars....worked on them when they were new!! Zip ties on the axle boots...that's rich!
Naturally I'm a proponent of doing one's own work if one is so inclined....the axles are more of a pain in the butt to do rather than complicated and labour intensive...not practical for a shop environment. But if you do your own work they are cheap to do. I still have the actual Chrysler factory boot clamp pliers!
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed... AGAIN

Postby The Upcoming Classic » Fri Jan 22, 2016 2:46 am

:| Its gotten cold recently and I know when it's cold, cars tend to act up. Long story short, it won't start again. It runs when it's maybe above 40°F (or around 4°C), but when it gets cold, like in mornings or in winter days with snow and stuff, it wont start. It's kind of frustrating now because I just got my license about a week ago and all of a sudden mother nature decides to throw us a curveball and now it's cold. It was like 50°F over christmas and now we are getting the cold... just great. :roll: :x Once again, No spark. This time I'm wondering if its the coil. The warranty has long expired on that like 3 months ago, but I don't think there was anything wrong with the original one. Thinking about putting it back on to see if that's it. I don't have a voltage tester so I can't test to see if it is the coil, distributor or what. I just know it's very annoying. :x I read somewhere that these Mitsubishi 2.6 engines are kind of a coin toss. You could either get one that would run forever or one that forever has problems. The forever having problems seems to have been my way of life forever so sure, why wouldn't I somehow buy a car that perpetually has problems.
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby Kwagon2 » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:32 pm

First off the Mitsu is not a "bad" engine and all these so called "rumours" originate from individuals who have no clue. You've had the distributor replaced so that takes care of the ignitor problem you had and I would doubt that its the coil as generally thats the most durable part of the ignition system.I'd have a look inside the distributor cap for moisture buildup. +4C is not cold
Thats a warm spell up here! The engine should have no problem lighting at that temp...remember Chrysler cold tested these cars (all mfrs do it). MY neighbour's '75 Cadillac Eldorado used to do that ...run great during the Fall and right down into the real cold stuff (-30C etc.) It would flame out during a slight ambient temp warm up to about where you are...what I found was moisture condensing in the Distributor cap, I cleaned out the whole distrbutor housing etc. and re-assembled it and away it went no problem after that....
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Nevermind

Postby The Upcoming Classic » Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:08 pm

I started working on my car. This was around 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 27, 2016. I had decided I didn't want to have to pay my mechanic to do work and instead attempt working on it myself. I was looking around at my cables thinking maybe the one cable wasn't working right or maybe the coil wasn't connected (that kind of looking around the engine hoping you find something obvious but you have absolutely no clue what you're doing kind of looking), and I noticed something. When I got over to the distributor, it wiggled. THE CAP WAS LOOSE! "YES!" I shouted to myself, hoping that this would be the thing that was holding me up, hoping this was my chance I was able to show I knew my stuff! I looked at the screws holding the cap on. They're bolts, and screws. PERFECT! I got out my trusty screwdriver and began screwing at the screws. (That sounds odd but whatever). The screw on the right was the easiest to get out, even though it's under the radiator hose and in between the distributor and the carburetor. The other was a challenge. The screw was "Tight" but not exactly holding the distributor tight. Eventually I had to borrow a mini-socket set from my father just to get the one screw loose. I took the cap off and ran a piece of paper towel on the inside of the cap and on the rotor. The paper towel wasn't wet but oh well. I put the cap back in place and went to bed. The next day I attempted to start it. Nothing. I got my mother out there and she tried to start it while I held a spark plug cable to a negative anchor. SPARK! I got my starting fluid, took off the top of the carburetor where the air goes in and sprayed in some starting fluid. After about 2 minutes of cranking and the intermittent turn over, it finally started. You'd better believe I drove that thing THE WHOLE DAY. I ran all my errands I never knew I needed to run. That night I was reluctant to shut it off. It ran when it was warm but when it got cold, it didn't want to start. The real test came on Friday. The first day I would ever drive my car to school. The Morning was cold. Below freezing is when it doesn't like to be alive. The wind was blowing. Snow had fallen. I got in, my breath fogging up the window in front of me as I worried I would be stuck. Frozen. Cranked once, Nothing. Cranked twice, nothing. "No don't do this, Come on. It's not gonna do it." Third attempt. Crank, Crank, Crrraaraaaraarvruuoommm.. . ... . .. . . ..... . .. . . .. The periods represent how it was running. It Started! I screamed and ran inside faster than I ever thought I could run before. It ran when it had never before. My work on that thing had only just begun, but it's one step further than I was before. As I went to leave I turned on my headlights. LET THERE BE LIghuuhhh..... My headlight flashed and then went out. Turns out that one "funky" sealed beam that wasn't a halogen on the drivrers side decided that it wanted to throw a fit. "GREAT!" I texted my mom what happened and I went to school. One small step for me, One giant leap to get done. And that was the day I drove my car to school.
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby Kwagon2 » Sat Jan 30, 2016 2:11 pm

Hi
Good for you!! You got 'er going and a headlight is no big deal...Just be carefull with that starting fluid(ether)...I have a few stories about that stuff but mostly with diesels...
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby The Upcoming Classic » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:10 pm

So a lot has been going on recently. Here's the scoop. Headlight was replaced and both were adjusted to help me see and not blind the person coming the other way. I filled up with gas and accidentally left my gas cap on my trunk. Drove 2 miles home and then realized my mistake, went back and couldn't find it so I just put a piece of duct tape over it. Realizing how bad of mileage I get, I bought a new one. Took my car out to some random place out into the country and they replaced the inner tie rod. Got it aligned at another place. I took apart the inside of my dashboard and found out how to replace the bulbs. Ordered some LED bulbs, and just left it open. This june I'm going on a 250 mile road trip to pennsylvania to get my car reviewed by a YouTube channel called AutoMoments and they name dropped my lebaron on their latest episode.
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Re: Ignition Troubles !!!Important!!! - Help Needed

Postby aussiewoody » Fri Jun 23, 2017 11:18 am

Haven't been on this page for some months - but sure enjoyed your story.

BTW, how is your LeBaron gong now????
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