Car ran great no more than 1 month ago, then all this intermittent starting happened one day, on a trip to get some tacos..
I replaced dizzy cap and a spark plug wire because the spring in it had gone bad making it pop up.

Has spark, timing belt obviously is still on based on the fact ive been driving it (when it starts)
Prior to replacing plug wire. car has intermittent starts, aswell as a misfire condition, (because of the janky wire)

Code 12 is all that flashes. I also have some videos on my youtube channel of it attempting to start.

Ive read that a failed pickup coil will cause a no - start. Will it also be able to start intermittently? Or once it fails is it just done.

Just trying to make sense of this. Car ran great the other day when A potential buyer wanted to check it out, then today when i wanted to move it, no dice. the next morning, started right up. Its very odd.

 

Code 12 can cause the starting issue.

Does the distributor have a built-in ign coil (for spark plugs) or a remote coil?

 

It has a built in ignition coil I believe.

And the code only is on upon the failed start the first time. Once it runs for a few seconds code shuts off. This is what my research confirms also. Just wondering what is causing this intermittent hesitant start?
Car used to crank up instantly every time. Then all this intermittent starting, I cranked the car so much I blew out the starter. After replacing starter it turns again, but still intermittently.

 

Code 12 can cause the starting issue.

The distributor has several sensor pickup coils. The coils ohm resistance can change with age making starting difficult or impossible.

If you have an ohmmeter, check the resistance of these coils.

 

How should I go about doing that? If i take off the distributor from the motor I would have to re-time it right? or at least note the position of the rotor? And all I can find is info about testing the ignition coil. Not pickup coils. I might just get an ebay distributor and hope for the best.. Or would it be cheaper to just replace the coils? This is a california car also so im not sure if the info about the rotor gap is the same or not.

If you could dumb it down for me I'd appreciate it alot.

 

Does the distributor cap have 5 wires or 4?

You may not be able to find replacement pickup coils.

You can test the pickup coils without removing the distributor from the engine.

Do you have an ohm meter?

 

5 Wires.
Yes I do. My trusty harbor freight one. I usually just use it for volts though. Pretty nooby to ohm reading.

 

If the distributor cap has 5 wires, the distributor has an external ign coil. This means the engine should be a California emissions built car which has its own type of distributor.

Find the distributor and unplug the wiring harness to the distributor. One of the wider sides of the plug on the distributor should have a locking tab to keep the harness plug installed. Look at the electrical terminals of the distributor plug from the side that the harness plugs into with the locking tab oriented upward.

From left to right the terminals are named G-, G2, G1, and NE.

The resistance between coils when the engine is cold is as follows:

G1 and NE = 125-200 ohm

G2 and G- = same

NE and G- = 155-200 ohm

Also check if when taking resistance reading that the reading changes with time. Meaning you connect the ohm meter and read the resistance, but the resistance reading is not steady but starts to increase or decrease.

 

So i want to be checking the readings from the distributor? or from the plug to the distributor. I just dont understand how I would be able to get a reading with it unplugged. Could you clarify a bit?

 

Take readings from the plug ON THE distributor. Orient that plug as described in the previous post to identify the individual terminals.

The distributor housing has the coils inside it.