Thread: 83 Cutlass dead ignition

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I was a pretty good mechanic thru the 70's and could diagnose and fix any points ignition system. I even developed an understanding of GM HEI distributors after a while, but vowed that I'd NEVER own a vehicle that was fueled and timed by a computer!
It's now 25 years later and all my personal vehicles are (sadly)1994 and newer.
It looks as if I'm going to have to develop an understanding of how the newer stuff works and update my diagnostic skills!
About three years ago, I bought an 83 Olds Cutlass as a high school car for my son while I finished building his 62 chevy shortbed. The plan was to keep it running till I was ready to start dismantling it to donate all to my willys wagon streetrod project. It's got a 5 litre olds.
About six months ago, it started running REALLY lousy and (I thought) flooding, and so I replaced the solenoid-assisted carb with a reconditioned Holley.
Everything that I didn't recognize as a functional piece was jettisoned and plugged off, if necessary.
Now I find that there is no spark! The distributor has no vacuum advance or centrifugal advance and the Haynes (worthless) book only generally explains that the ECM controls the timing electronically. I'm baffled by this revelation because there is only two wires attached to the distributor... the "hot" (pink, keyswitch) wire and the tach wire. What is the coveyance of ECM control to the distributor? Is it the tach wire? Since I've already done a partial "rip and tear", I'm wondering if I can merely replace this distributor with a pre-1981 HEI and ignore the ECM "happily ever after"!
If anybody has a clue, I could sure use some advice!

Drop in a non-ECM dist. from a '70's engine and your troubles are over.

Turns out that I was wrong about the wires... there was a plug in the back for the four wires controlled by the ECM. I replaced with a late-70's HEI and have also replaced the cap, rotor and coil. I installed on TDC, hooked the three wire plug into the cap. Hooked the pink power wire and.... NOTHING!
These distributors are supposed to be self-contained and need only the 12 volt power wire to the cap. My feeling is that I've correctly installed a new cap, rotor, coil and distributor and supplied 12 volt and should expect spark!
Am I missing something? Does the idled ECM transmit some kind of ghost killer signal in some trans-indental way? I've reached the bottom of my diagnostic tool bag... HELP!

Many Many years ago I joined this great company called Rolm Corp. IBM bought them and destroyed a great company. At Rolm we we taught on how to repair complex telecommunication computerized systems and if any one did not follow the following steps they were fired.

Step 1
Check your power and ground to the device. If you did not do this you were fired, Note without proper power and ground you were chasing your butt

Question to you did you check that the dist. was getting the proper power and ground. Ckeck this 1st then we will go to the next step.

Okay,... Yes I made sure that the distributor base makes metal to metal contact with the engine block. I made sure that the ground lug and wire were installed and connected in the top of the cap. I made sure that the three-wire plug cant be reversed and I made sure that full voltage is transmitted to the dist while cranking. With a hot lead and good ground, this type of distributor SHOULD be otherwise self contained and produce spark. The distributor IS rotating, so should produce fire. I considered timing jump but that would result in misplaced firing... In a quandry!

Okay, I listened to my inner voice and got an entire different distributor (from a different parts store because the tard at Napa refused to believe it was defective). It didn't run right away, but at least this distributor sparks. This car needs 12 degrees of initial timing to even run, so as i turned the dist forward it was more eager. Timed it at 20 with a light. I appear to have some type of flooding problem going on, but I will solve it.
Thanks for all of the input