Oddball ignition issue - thoughts appreciated

Newby here; lengthy thread (sorry) but so you all know what we've tried. Just hoping someone has a thought.

This is a Euro 308GTS, carb, single distributor. ELECTRONIC ignition, not points. There are 2 white trigger wires from the disty to 2 amplifiers (coils) and the 2 amps then run a pair of coil leads back into the center of the disty cap.

I've owned it for almost 40 years. Always ran like a Chevy - turn key, drive, no problems. Went into storage 15 years ago; replaced belts/valve clearances just before. Trying now to get it running well enough to tune carbs and ***STUMPED*** about ignition issue. Car DOES start but runs very poorly (better when warm but still bad.

Seems to be weak spark on rear bank. I have an in-line spark testing light -- front bank very good spark; rear bank very weak spark. So - started working backwards.

All for rear bank:
at disty weak spark.
At disty end of coil (amplifier) wire weak spark.
Had a random spare coil wire (unknown vehicle) - plugged it into coil - other end very good spark.
So, thought "OK, bad coil wire"

BUT

Next tried substituting the random spare coil wire instead of the OEM coil wire to see if then good spark on the rear bank.

Car would start to turn over THEN LOCK UP (not turn over). Putting the OEM coil wire back and it started/ran as before (not good but no sign of 'lock up').

What the heck would cause a "lock up" condition just because I'm using a coil wire that provides a strong spark???? Kind of stumped. More than kind of.
Again - front bank shows a strong spark.

Anyone have any thoughts??

 

Thanks, Tutte.

Have a charger trickling; will check in the morning

Thought your idea to swap amplifiers; see if problem moves to the front bank ..... a good one. Will give that a try also. Do you happen to know if the trigger wires plug in or are permanently wired to the amps?

 

OMG, Derek. Can't believe how flat out fortunate I am to have you seen my message! The lin k is EXACTLY the ignition configuration on my car, and the symptoms are exactly what I'm seeing. Don't know how to properly thank you! Quick question before I crawl under the car to check things (hopefully tomorrow): Can't quite see from above, but the trigger wire where it goes into the amplifier/coil ..... is it hard attached, or is it some sort of Molex plug-in connector I can pull off?

Again - owe you, Buddy!

 

Super. Also shows where the locking tab is (I have an unbroken history of breaking the tabs on connectors as I pull & yank on 'em)

ps: where would I find "photos of Derek's 308"?

 

Hey again, Derek. Got sidetracked by a carb. rebuild but back on the ignition problem now

Have not pulled the dist'y but with the cap off the VR for the rear cylinder bank looks suspect (see photo). Lots of crud around the 2 wires going into the dist'y body. Yet, resistance is not bad. Asking your opinion & Derek's before just pulling the dist'y.

If, indeed a bad VR - I'm in Texas; would prefer obviously to source domestically if possible. Did you go to Superperformance for yours? What about part number ... the VR is the one item Derek didn't show p/n's for.

 

Oops - forgot to attach the photo (attached here)
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Hey, Derek

Have the dist'y apart and looks bad for one of the VRs. Insulation gone where the wires enter the plastic stay. Wasn't corrorion I saw; it was the strands of bare wires. Two questions, if you don't mind:

ISuperperformance has these (about $78), but shipping is probably thru the ceiling (SP doesn't say what it will be). Is there a US supplier?

SETTING THE GAP: I'm guessing the "reluctor" is the 4-star "gear" that comes out with the bottom plate, sitting atop the advance mechanism. If that's true, the only way I can see to sue a feeler guage is remove the circlip on the bottom of the shaft & drive out the advance mech & reluctor, then remove the advnace mech, put the shaft with reluctor into the top and have at it. Do you know if this is correct? I have an old OEM Workshop Manual but never looked at the dist'y section ... the manual is for a GT4 and the disty it covers is one with points. So, no info on the car I wactually have.

 

OK, Derek, I'm not always this dumb but I need to ask a simply question about HOW you were measuring VR gap

At first I thought you had to remove the bottom plate (and complete advance mechanism), stick the shaft with reluctor back in the top plate, and thus be able to get a feeler gauge in. But the bottom bearing seems pressed onto the shaft. Can't be this complicated.

Then I realized that with the dist'y housing set aside there would be no need to remove anything - just set the whole shaft assemble back into the top plate; easy access for a feeler gauge. BUT - there seems to just be too much "slop" in the shaft this way, and the reluctor moves enough to actually contact the VRs. So this can't be right either.

How did you do this?
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