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  #1  
Old 07-08-2005, 01:00 PM
cudacarl cudacarl is offline
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Default Strange Starting Problem

I have a '73 340 cuda. This Problem exhisted before the ignition upgrades. I had cuda66273 recurve my distributer and i went from a orange box to a chrome box also an accel super stock coil and a 70 amp alt. I thought i fixed this problem when i changed the ignition switch in the column but its doing it every once in a while. What happens is when starting i get no spark in the start position. When I go from Run To Off the engine bumps. This only happens every once in a while. It used to only happen when the car was hot and off for 30 - 60 minutes. When getting gas and off for a short while it never does it. Last week was the first time it did it ice cold. I haven't replaced the Ballast Resistor yet but i may just do it because it's about 16 years old. I've been over all grounds and wiring a least 3 times over including bulk head connectors. Any Ideas?
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Old 07-08-2005, 01:27 PM
Duane Upshaw Duane Upshaw is offline
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Lightbulb Try a different ignition Switch

The problem could be the ballast ressitor as you say and bad ignition
boxes can sometimes really throw you a curve when they run intermittently.
But in your case having already changed the box I would change the switch.
It may not be consitently making good contact in the start position.The
ballast resistor is bypassed during cranking if the system is wired correctly.
So it should start immediately when cranking and stop when the switch is
released to the run position only if the ballast resitor was bad.You sound like
you are reporting the opposite of this which I would think is either the box
or the switch.Good luck.

Duane Upshaw
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  #3  
Old 07-08-2005, 10:50 PM
jelsr jelsr is offline
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If the resistor is the double unit, pitch it and rewire for a single unit. The doubles were a pain in the neck. Actually I had to lower my opinion.
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  #4  
Old 07-09-2005, 02:32 AM
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viper11 viper11 is offline
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hello
i had the same problem 2 months ago
turned out too be a faulty chrome box (something on the starter side)
had the same symptoms though
when hot would start as i released the key then started to do it when it was cold then eventually would hardly start at all
a good test is when it acts up turn the key to 'run' and jump the firewall solenoid... if it fires then you can eliminate certain culprits
post back with your findings
jason
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Old 07-09-2005, 03:11 AM
Walkercolt Walkercolt is offline
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Ummm, the "chrome box" is not really intended for street use(I know, I know, but it's not!) The "orange box" is the hot "street" set-up. Changing to the orange box will probably solve your problems. This could be a case of all the production tolerances working against you, and the chome box not working well on the street. Another chrome box MIGHT fix the problem or make it even worse. Can you follow my thinking here? You're using a part beyond it's intended purpose, so if you have difficulties, you're pretty much on-your-own as to diagnosing it. My 2 cent hunch is the chrome box is operating too hot(for 1 of 1001 reasons) and "shutting down" 'til it cools off. Dr. Jacobs in his ignition book had a solution for this....I'll see if I can find it and if I can I'll post it. It was a change in ballast resistor, but I can't remember the precise details right now. I'd sure try a new ballast resistor first...whadda they run? $3 ?? Found what I was thinking of! Dr. Jacobs says try a MSR HD(metal housing) ballast resistor with the chrome box. He still doesn't reccommend the chrome box for a daily driver, however. Are you positive you got the right wires installed in the right place on you ignition switch? No way they could be reversed??
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Old 07-09-2005, 09:30 AM
cudacarl cudacarl is offline
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I had this problem before the chrome box and before changing the switch and before the recurve of the distributer. It was happening when hot all of the time until i changed the ignition switch a year ago. I wanted to paint the column anyway. It was fine for a year till it happened this last time. I put in the chrome box because cuda66273 said the orange box has losses at higher rpms and that the chrome box would work fine. I've seen other people use it in daily drivers without a problem. I just thought i had this thing beat after the new switch. I'm starting to wonder about the bulk head connector because i saw that pin 22 is ignition start and pin 23 is ignition run. Next time i'm going to check for voltage down there. The switch has a wire leads on it to a connector so i'm sure it's right. I've driven it quit a bit this last year and this past week was the first time it did it. I hate intermittent problems they're just such a pain in the ass to pinpoint. I wish it would just break. I can always get it start so i'm not to worried unless it gets more frequent like last time - Thanks for the input.
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