Barn Find IROC-Z

[Komet]

Clickbait title. The barn is my shop and I put the car there three months ago. But! It does have:
-Inauthentic "barn dust" which was actually just a 200 mile road trip in the pouring rain
-Oxidized everything from being stored outside for two years
-Non-running condition
-Bonus electrical issues

So I sort of barn-found myself. Or at least barn-finding myself needing to get my car running again.

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Yeah I fender cover care about this one. Anyway, I've got no spark at the plugs, and no spark coming out of the coil. I consulted the holy tome:

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Failing Step 2 and Step 3. Unless I'm really not hitting the contacts in there, and it feels like I am, my lightning can has become a lightning can't.

Now I have to roll the dice on the 'what coil is good' game, and/or just buy new Davis Unified Ignition everything and not tell the wife. Will update irregularly as I make progress.

 

[DonYukon]

Sorry to be off topic but since I got click baited .... Lmao that was a good one and still technically a barn find to us.

 

[termite]

Unless I'm really not hitting the contacts in there

Slide a paperclip or piece of shim stock down into the contact?
Or short lead with two alligator clips, one on the probe, one on paperclip/shim into contact.

 

[Supercharged111]

Just get a stock AC Delco coil. It's what I race with on the Camaro. Bone stock everything, I promise I beat that car harder than you will this one.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

Shame about the click-bait title, but looks to be a nice car.

X2 on the stock coil. If you have one in your parts stash, try that or temporarily pluck one from another vehicle to test.

 

[Komet]

Jammed some wires into the coil and tested it again, it's not the problem. I don't know what it is yet, but I think I know what it is.

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Digicals.

I didn't find this car in a barn. I found it outside in the woods, where it sat for 11 years until the corrosion got to it and the feller didn't know how to bring it back anymore.

I should also mention I've got no blinkers, and no instrument cluster. When I give the fusebox the right kung-fu grip, I can briefly get the gauges to power and I can hear the subtle whir of the ecm power on. But it doesn't last. So I'm pretty sure the problem I sidestepped three years ago by just letting the fusebox hang and do its thing isn't working out for me anymore.

So I did the right thing and absolutely drenched the fusebox with QD Electrical Cleaner after removing the battery.

Hey it worked last time.

 

[Komet]

Well, the electrical cleaner wasn't a magic bullet BUT I don't think I'm that far off the mark. I went through and re-cleaned all the grounds I know of. It's only been 3 years since I did that last, they weren't particularly bad and I didn't gain any functionality by doing it. I hit the books.

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Checked CKT 439, got 1v, might have had a bad ground to the probe. PNK/BLK also goes to GAGES fuse, I probed around the sockets and did get 12.12v on one side. While reinserting the fuse, I got the fasten belts light with chime and the tach twitched.

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A little more fidgeting and with the fuse a little sideways and a tweaky tweak, I got the tach to reset, voltmeter came on, SES light came on solid, Security light came and went as it does, temp gauge maxes out while cranking as it does. I jumpered the ALDL port, got code 12 (expected) and the ecm fan came on (expected).

Still not getting spark but I got somewhere today.

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Had to fight 17 spider clans to get those lift blocks evicted. Fusible links look ok. The smooth concrete makes everything so easy it's like cheating. I don't even have sap and twigs in my hair.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Well, the electrical cleaner wasn't a magic bullet BUT I don't think I'm that far off the mark. I went through and re-cleaned all the grounds I know of. It's only been 3 years since I did that last, they weren't particularly bad and I didn't gain any functionality by doing it. I hit the books.

You must be registered for see images attach

Checked CKT 439, got 1v, might have had a bad ground to the probe. PNK/BLK also goes to GAGES fuse, I probed around the sockets and did get 12.12v on one side. While reinserting the fuse, I got the fasten belts light with chime and the tach twitched.

You must be registered for see images attach

A little more fidgeting and with the fuse a little sideways and a tweaky tweak, I got the tach to reset, voltmeter came on, SES light came on solid, Security light came and went as it does, temp gauge maxes out while cranking as it does. I jumpered the ALDL port, got code 12 (expected) and the ecm fan came on (expected).

Still not getting spark but I got somewhere today.

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Had to fight 17 spider clans to get those lift blocks evicted. Fusible links look ok. The smooth concrete makes everything so easy it's like cheating. I don't even have sap and twigs in my hair.

Yes I like working on concrete floors...so much nicer than gravel driveways!