pcmhacking.net

Go back to the stock injectors and fit some new plugs

'quipt4it wrote:If you don't know where the ignition is firing and it's in the wrong place, the rotor phasing will likely be out, unless you're Mr. Lucky lol
Pull the distributor cap off and have a look underneath. Check for signs of carbon tracking and pitting.
They will cause uneven running, backfiring etc.
This is a good guide on a 'how to':
http://www.kalmaker.com.au/page54.html

That link is really handy, thanks for that. I don't think I have been able to get it running long enough to show signs of that sort of thing under the cap as would stall out after a min or so but sure was uneven and back firing, particularly if opening the throttle up, would be a regular bang bang bang sound out of headers.

ok so one strange thing i discovered today is that the square plug to the distributor with the three pins, on the pin that is supposed to receive power, only gets 11.7 volts...this might be close enough to 12 for it to work but using the test light its extremely dim like its not getting much current/amps? i think? not sure....maybe it is suppose to be like this but I am not sure as there is nothing on the web about the power the 304 dizzy is suppose to receive, does any one know the answer to this? does it get a 12V but low amp feed, or is my wiring to it stuffed? the test light is working normally when testing other 12v sources.

This is a good test for the ignition system: Do you know the story of the engine.

'quipt4it wrote:This is a good test for the ignition system:

testing1-2.jpg

Do you know the story of the engine.

thanks will do this test today while I wait for the dizzy to arrive which is being delayed by covid.

yes I do, The engine is a stock 304 out of a vs statesman which I drove 2 hours home after purchase back in 2017. Nothing wrong apart from maybe an idle which would occasionally be a little rough at the lights on the trip home. parked in the backyard for about a year while i got my shit together for doing the engine conversion on the vl. Over this time she got a little harder to start in that would take a few cranks before firing and then Suddenly one day when attempting to move it to mow it was a no-start no matter how many cranks it got.

I had no idea about VS commodores at this stage and so an old mate advises me to short out the 2 wires on the coms port to put it into diagnostic mode and count the flashes. Little did I know this works for the VR and series 1 VS and not for the latter model VS II which uses OBD2. Fast forward half a year later and while I send off the PCM to get the VATS removed off the memcal, I get a reply back "errr did you know the PCM had evidence of a fire on the circut board" sure enough when I get it back, big burnt out area on the board which i must have created when shorting out the coms port. I was a bit of an idiot back then

the pcms I bought as replacements were a VS II out of a statesman as well as a series 1 VR using a VS II memcal which I have been told also works.

a random pic of the trouble maker

I think they went to OBD2 in the VT with the Gen 3 engine. I'm sure all the older 304's are ALDL.

Charlescrown wrote:I think they went to OBD2 in the VT with the Gen 3 engine. I'm sure all the older 304's are ALDL.

Sorry VS is ALDL but with OBD2 plug or something crazy like that...my point was the the VR had the system before this/before scan tools, and I think my mate was referring to the 6's with ecotecs anyway.

upto step 6 now and seems to suggest faulty hall affect sensor although I couldn't test the integrity of the wires for an open like its says to do, but if the new dizzy doesn't change anything I will be chasing those wires for an open somewhere.

...so turns out the root of the problems was a bad plug going to distributor not making contact. fixing this and then sorting out timing next