Pretty much every points distributor in the world looks like this:

The flat head screw in the back ground behind that wire is how the adjustment is done. 

The little arm thing goes up and down on the 4 sided cam.

 

An electronic distributor looks something like this which has no adjustable parts, this is a 5k dizzy i think which if you do have an electronic one it will be one of them.

it uses a magnetic pickup, with no user adjustability. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 20179 yr by ke70dave

Thanks for being super patient ke70dave, yeah i remember testing the points with the old distributor and had weak spark through them. Yeah the 5k dizzy looks similar to what ive got, except instead of a plug on the side i have 2 wires coming out the side and only have one dizzy vacuum barb. With the electronic distributor i can't adjust the points gap at all?

There is an "air gap" between the 4 spikes sitting on the shaft and the metal face of the electronic pickup. That is able to be changed slightly, I think there is a dimension for it.  However that will only affect the crispness of the signal the electronic setup gets, not the ignition timing, and once set it never needs adjusting.

So you have no points to touch, no condensor to worry about, and no need of the ballast resistor.  Your worries are much bigger, because when the electronics fail you throw the dizzy away...  as far as I know!

You can buy the distributors complete from the USA, but I've never seen the two electronic packs for sale separately.  Someone must be still making them.

"They" say you have to use special (newer) low-impedance coils with them or you will burn the transistors out. 

Check that you have power going in and power coming out, and apart from that there is nothing to do to them.

So my next question is, what do i check for if I'm not getting 12v to the coil or module? Fuses in the box? Or is something cooked along the way from the terminal to the coil itself?

I just want my spark back haha

How are you checking 12V at the coil?

You should be putting one end of your multi meter on the + side of the coil, and the other end onto anything metal bolted to the body, preferably the negative side of battery.

Do NOT put it on the negative side of the coil. You wont get anything if you do. 

Ok now I feel retarded, gimmie two seconds and i'll check voltage again haha
 

ok with the multimeter set to DCV-20 (assuming thats correct) no voltage between the +ve side and anything/everything metal

alrighty, then no powers.

Ignition fuse and ignition relay woudl be my first port of call. You should hear something click in the fuse box when you turn the key to ignition. 

 

 

One step closer

I replaced one of the fuses the other day (was labelled main in the engine fuse box) or are you talking fuse box next to the ignition barrel under the dash? 

Will test for a click when I get home from work tonight

Pretty sure its the one in the engine bay, been a few years though. Hopefully someone else chimes in. 

for now can u just try jumping a wire from your battery positive terminal, across to your coil positive, then crank it over for us.
This will just confirm that u have a wiring/fuse problem.
hah and if it runs, don't just say SWEET, and leave that wire there haha

Just any old wire? cause I have some 10amp stuff from wiring up the gauges, also have left over wires hangin around from the old dizzy setup (they may be important I dunno)
 
But yeah if that wire starts it i'm sure as hell leaving it hahaha (only joking haha)

 

Edited June 1, 20179 yr by Radical_Jesus

Ok update number roman numeral

Ran a wire from positive terminal to positive coil, cranked but no spark by the looks of things, can't really tell if there is a click or not in the fuse box

Next step anyone?

Where abouts do you live? someone may be able to help you out.

 

I'm north of adelaide, out Smithfield way 5114 if anyone knows anyone haha