79 Bird starting issues.

[Shadowkeeper_70]

Greetings all! After 20 long years, I finally got myself another bird. It's a 79 with the 302 and 111,000 miles.
At first it needed a starter and solenoid and it ran. Not perfect, but I figured a tune up and some TLC to the carb was all it needed. Here's where it gets, shall we say, interesting...
During the plugs and wires replacement, it turned out someone had it wired for Chrysler firing order and apparently jockied the distributor around till it ran. Upon inspection, I decided today to get a new distributor and start from scratch. Installed and wired it the typical 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 firing order and it won't start.
Another site says the order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-9
is the correct sequence. I didn't think something like this would ever escape my mind, but I've been around newer vehicles far too long lol.
So...I looked around and so far I have been unable to locate the firing order that Ford stamped onto the intake due to grime and things in the way. What is the actual correct firing order for a 79 302?

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[DEVIL DOG 62]

Greetings all! After 20 long years, I finally got myself another bird. It's a 79 with the 302 and 111,000 miles.
At first it needed a starter and solenoid and it ran. Not perfect, but I figured a tune up and some TLC to the carb was all it needed. Here's where it gets, shall we say, interesting...
During the plugs and wires replacement, it turned out someone had it wired for Chrysler firing order and apparently jockied the distributor around till it ran. Upon inspection, I decided today to get a new distributor and start from scratch. Installed and wired it the typical 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 firing order and it won't start.
Another site says the order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-9
is the correct sequence. I didn't think something like this would ever escape my mind, but I've been around newer vehicles far too long lol.
So...I looked around and so far I have been unable to locate the firing order that Ford stamped onto the intake due to grime and things in the way. What is the actual correct firing order for a 79 302?

15426378 is the correct firing order

 

[ak7an]

Just make sure it is a non HO 5.0 or a 351 W. These have the 1,3,7,2,6,5,4,8 firing order. I guess you could try and see if it fires. You say some had it set up for a Chrysler firing order? Not sure how that would work either.
Good luck
Ed

 

[ak7an]

Just make sure it is a non HO 5.0 or a 351 W. These have the 1,3,7,2,6,5,4,8 firing order. I guess you could try and see if it fires. You say some had it set up for a Chrysler firing order? Not sure how that would work either.
Good luck
Ed

Let me clarify the above statement. I reread it and it seems a little confusing. 5.0 HO and 351 Windsor engines have a different firing order than the other ford small blocks. They have the 1,3,7,2,6,5,4,8, the other small blocks ie 302, 289, 260, have the 1,5,4,2,6,3,7,8 firing order. So determine what engine you actually have and go from their.
Good luck

 

[Shadowkeeper_70]

Update:
Bird STILL won't start. I replaced the ignition switch, ECM, coil, distributor, plugs, wires, starter, and solenoid.
There's no fire at the plugs. I put a spark tester into the new coil and when you first bump the key, there's 1 quick spark and then nothing until you let off the key when there's 1 much weaker spark. Getting 12.5V to the coil. Did I just get a bad coil or am I missing something???

 

[DEVIL DOG 62]

Take off a spark plug wire, put a screwdriver in the end of it make sure its touching the metal inside the wire. AKA A fat phillips screwdriver is best. Put it about 1/8th or closer to a bolt or something that's a ground on your engine. Have someone turn over the engine while you see if there's spark jumping between the screwdriver and the bolt. That'll tell you if you're getting juice or spark out of your coil. If it doesn't arc no juice coming out of the coil

 

[Shadowkeeper_70]

Take off a spark plug wire, put a screwdriver in the end of it make sure its touching the metal inside the wire. AKA A fat phillips screwdriver is best. Put it about 1/8th or closer to a bolt or something that's a ground on your engine. Have someone turn over the engine while you see if there's spark jumping between the screwdriver and the bolt. That'll tell you if you're getting juice or spark out of your coil. If it doesn't arc no juice coming out of the coil

I've been through all that, no spark. That's when I checked for power at the coil.

 

[DEVIL DOG 62]

Check and make sure it doesn't have a ballast resister. It should and it's part of the ignition spark system. It usually has one wire going to the coil. If it has one replace it also. Sometimes it's mounted on the firewall towards the back of the engine. Make sure to put the wires back on correctly

 

[Shadowkeeper_70]

No ballast on mine.

 

[Shadowkeeper70]

Got locked out somehow and the reset password was a dead link, so... made a new account.

Checked power at coil. Test light solid on with key on, but no flicker when cranking. Swapped out the new distributor for another AND swapped the new ECM for another one. Still no dice. Getting highly frustrated.

 

[Shadowkeeper70]

Still no luck getting the bird to start...
It's a 79 302 non-HO
Initially, it needed a starter and solenoid to get her going, but it lacked power. I figured a tune-up and tuning the carb would probably take care of it. I was wrong...so very wrong lol.
It wasn't wired for a 302 firing order and turned out to be about 6 teeth out on timing. I'm guessing that the former owner messed with it enough to get it running and probably burned up the starter in the process and gave up.
I've replaced:
Starter
Solenoid
Timing chain
Plugs
Wires
Coil
Cap and rotor (3 times)
2 new distributors
2 new brain boxes (ECM)
Ignition switch module on column
and it still won't fire.
I pull tested the wiring and checked/cleaned the connectors, but all seem fine.
It's got 12.5V at the coil, but only 1 quick spark when you turn the key and a weaker spark when you let off the key. That's when I figured it was the ignition switch on the column, but it wasn't.
I put a test light on the positive for the coil and it has a solid light and it does flicker when cranking at the negative post, so the trigger circuit is working apparently. I took the coil back to autozone last night and had them test it. First they said it was good, then said it tested weak. I'm leaving in a few minutes to pick up the new one and hope that's it.
Being a 79 there's no ballast resistor, so I'm really puzzled by what I am missing somewhere.
I've heard that the Duraspark system replaced the ballast resistor with a resistor wire and that it's best to just wire in a ballast resistor rather than replace the resistor wire. Anyone know exactly how to do that? If I'm getting pulsing(flickering) at the coil, but nothing out the coil to distributor, is that resistor wire even suspect?
Sorry for the long read, but this is the first time in my life I've failed to get one of these old fords going again and I'm baffled. 😵

 

[Maunchi]

Had a similar problem and found out my ignition switch was going. Would get power to coil in the "on" position but none in the "start" position. Motor would crank away but not start. Put the key in the on position and jump the selenoid

 

[Shadowkeeper70]

UPDATE: SHE'S ALIVE!!!
Turned out the new coil was weak AND the shear key in the rotor was broken off.
Put new coil on and replaced the rotor bug and she runs now! WOOHOO! 🙂

 

[DEVIL DOG 62]

That's AWESOME. Happy Wrenching