My first post, I've read your forum with interest a few times while on a current project truck..

I have an '82 D-150 with an SCC and California emisssions system, just rebuilt the /225 engine and can't get it started. Not being too familiar with the SCC system ( mounted in the air cleaner) -- I replaced the most suspect items: dual pickup coils, ignition coil, starter relay, distributor cap and rotor before finally suspecting the SCC to be the problem. I've checked all related wires using a schematic, all have continuity. I have sufficent fuel too.

I sent the SCC in for a rebuild, yet still have the exact same problem. It has spark while cranking, but the engine just coughs as the ignition switch is released.

Is there a way to test the " run" side of the SCC brain or am I fighting a loosing battle with thsi SCC? Any other suggestions? I read a couple of mentions of installing a standard ignition system.

This truck is in great shape, but I need to fix and sell it, and it has to pass CA emissions. Advice from experienced slanters welcomed!

thanks, lf

My mechanic begged to replace the lean burn on my truck ('83). I have to say, it has made things a tad easier to deal with. What I do vaguely remember about the lean burn was possibly getting the two magnetic pickups confused. And while there is no contact with the fins of the reluctor, it occured to me that they might not have the same radius or thickness.
Since you said you rebuilt the engine, have you checked to be certain the distributor is aligned properly? I've had mine 180* off and it sounded like crap when I could get it to run.

And why would you want to sell it?

How do you get a slant distrubutor 180 off? They don't have a slot they have gears.

Yeah...which means you can get it ~20° off, ~40° off, ~60° off, ~80° off, ~100° off, ~120° off, ~140° off, ~160° off, ~180° off, ~200° off, ~220° off, ~240° off, ~260° off, ~280° off, ~300° off, ~320° off, ~340° off or just right. Offhand I don't remember how many teeth are on the distributor drive pinion...however many there are, that many minus one is how many incorrect installations can be made.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Um, I was going to say that the rotor button would only go on one way. If you alighn it with the #1 post and the #1 cylinder on the wronge stoke at TDC, it will be off.

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The Old Goat '83 D150 225-2

AKA Ice Titan

Simple - Disturb the engine with the distributor out. rotate engine to TDC, don't check WHICH TDC, and align the rotor with #1. 50/50 chance of getting it wrong. Easily preventable, but it happens to lots of folks. DAMHIK

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

Yep. When I replaced my distributor after accidentally breaking several teeth off the distributor, I installed it way off. Had the engine spit a foot-long jet of flame out the carb air horn, too.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Ice, thanks for the suggestion about the mixed signals to the two coils. Im not sure how it coud do this, but worth investigating. About the distributor timing, Dan's right, it has no slot, so theres a tooth by tooth choice and I have tried them all. I since have reestablished TDC and aligned the distributor again.

Thanks for the comments, open to new thoughts..

You said you replaced the distributor start and run pickups, did you-check their air-gaps? I do not have the spec near me, but setting them to .008" (as close as you can get both of them to that) should eliminate the air gap as a problem.

IIRC the engine will still run with a bad run pickup (runs off the start pickup in limp mode) but will not start or run with a bad start pickup.

True. This needs to be done with a nonmagnetic feeler gauge—a brass or plastic one. A regular steel one won't do. If you haven't got a brass one, you can use a business card to get it in the close ballpark of 0.008".
It gets hard to start with a faulty start pickup, but if the reluctor just happens to pass the run pickup after you've released the key, it'll sometimes catch and run.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Per my '83 FSM...

Start Pick-up
1 Align one reluctor tooth with pick up coil tooth.
2 Loosen pick up coil hold down screw.
3 Insert .006" non-magnetic feeler gauge between reluctor tooth and pick up coil tooth.
4 Adjust air gap so that contact is made between reluctor tooth, feeler gauge and pickup coil.
5 Tighten hold down screw.
6 Remove feeler gauge. No Force should be required in removing feeler gauge.
7 Check air gap with .008" feeler guage. A .008" feeler gauge should not fit into air gap. Do not force feeler gauge into gap.


Run Pick-up
1 Align one reluctor tooth with pick up coil tooth.
2 Loosen pick up coil hold down screw.
3 Insert .012" non-magnetic feeler gauge between reluctor tooth and pick up coil tooth.
4 Adjust air gap so that contact is made between reluctor tooth, feeler gauge and pickup coil.
5 Tighten hold down screw.
6 Remove feeler gauge. No Force should be required in removing feeler gauge.
7 Check air gap with .014" feeler guage. A .014" feeler gauge should not fit into air gap. Do not force feeler gauge into gap.

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The Old Goat '83 D150 225-2

AKA Ice Titan

Is it not acting like it wants to start at all, or does it act like it starts when cranking, and then dies when you move the key to the "run" position?

This sounds strangely familiar like a run-in I had one time with a 78 Volare 225 with a bad ballast resistor......

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63 Valiant 200 Signet Convertible 170/
63 Dart, 225/
68 A100 Pick-up 225/
2006 Mitsu Raider Quad Cab (Dakota) Mopar 4.7L
1992 Dodge Stealth RT (My Mid-Lifer) 3.0L 24V

This sounds strangely familiar like a run-in I had one time with a 78 Volare 225 with a bad ballast resistor......

this model doesn't have a ballast resistor, it seems the earler schematics show them, but not the '82.

I had a very similar situation on my '82 D150: acted like it almost started, had spark as it was cranking, but it just wouldn't run. Turned out to be an ignition switch w/ an intermittently bad "run" position so it wouldn't get fire after you stopped cranking. It's been my expereince that you can have the gap on the pick-up coil grossly misadjusted and it will still atleast run (although badly).