New to me 87 B2000

Hi, New here and hope somebody can help me out.

I just got an 87 B2000 single cab long bed that I am really excited about. Got it yesterday and drives fine with no problems except that it was a little hard to start, like the battery was running low.

I got the battery checked, no problems there, so I replace the cap/rotor/plugs and wires.

Now it won;t start, like there is no spark. It turns over fine and I can smell gas if I pump the pedal, but nothing.

I checked the firing order, 1342, which matches up with the numbers on the cap. Although I don't think that matched up with how I got them off the old cap.

What I did first was: I changed one plug/wire at a time to match the old ones. The truck actually cranked up but ran really rough and only holding the gas down. I figured to myself that I somehow messed up the order, looked up the order online and that's where it's at now with no starting. Also, tried the old cap and no luck.

Any help is greatly appreciated and hopefully I explained it well enough to help diagnose the problem. If I have to, I'll take it to a mechanic, but seeing as it was running fine before it must be something I overlooked or messed up...
And, I prefer to do things myself if I can and that way I also get the knowledge as well as a running truck.

Again, thanks everyone!

DID you check the coil ? its on the header panel near the radiator its about 6 -8 inches long with a single wire coming off the top going to the cap.... might be your problem ..

How do I check it? Would it go bad that quick?

pull the wire out at the distributor cap, stick a screwdriver in it and set it flat on top of the engine or fender....anything metal (somewhere you can see it from the drivers seat). when you turn the truck over you're looking for it to arc across the screwdriver. if there's a strong arc the coil is good, if weak arc or no arc the coil could be bad.

I looked at the coil but haven;t been able to check it. There are a couple extra wire coming of the pos and neg terminals. Off the pos is a yellow and off the neg is I think a green. Are these supposed to be there or something somebody added on?

Yes, there are other wires going to the pos and neg on the coil.

Coil seems to be fine but no spark at the plugs.... Any ideas? it was running before I switched out the stuff. arrgh!

Were you able to figure this out? If you have no spark, how do you know the coil is good? Have you bench tested it?

To bench test:

1. Remove all wires to the coil. You may want to mark the wires to ensure you put them back on correctly.

2. Get out a simple multi-meter.

3. Check the resistance between the positive terminal and the negative terminal (both side terminals). This should be around 0.3 to 5.0 ohms. This tests the primary coil. The actual range depends on the specific coil, but within this range should suffice.

4. Check the resistance between the center terminal (that goes to the distributor) and the negative terminal. This should be around 3,000 to 10,000 ohms. This tests the secondary coil. The actual range depends on the specific coil, but within this range should suffice.

If this test goes well, the coil should be good. If your coil is good but the plug wire chosen has no spark, you only have a limited amount of choices:

1. Coil wire: ensure that this is properly seated in both sides. My coil wire was difficult to snap onto the coil. May test continuity to ensure wire is good.

2. Distributor cap: look inside the distributor cap and make sure the electrodes aren't worn.

3. Rotor: ensure the tip isn't excessively worn. This should seat properly only one way but it is possible to screw in 180 degrees off. The notches on the under-side of the screws are different sizes that match with distributor's tabs.

4. Distributor: rarely does a distributor go out, but it is possible. Make sure it appears to turn properly and there is no play in the shaft, and it is securely bolted to the head.

5. Ignition module: I'm not familiar with these particular modules. Some older models can be tested at an auto parts store, so you may try that. Perhaps someone else can help out on this one.

6. Particular plug wire: check continuity, and ensure it's seated against the distributor properly.