Ignition Box = No Spark

[chree]

The short version is I installed a new Holley Annihilator ignition box with custom harness for the LT1 and the car won't start.


Low mile '94 LT1, stock with headers, in a '86 Volvo 740 Wagon with Dr. K wiring harness
Installing an ignition to help MPG hopefully
Yes, I should have bought MSD, but $75 < $237; also I've used a similar Holley box for years on my El Camino
Simple installation, two plugs (puts the ignition box wiring between the coil and the factory harness) red power & black ground
I also installed a new coil that came with the Holley box, it is supposed to be a capacative discharge specific coil
The car runs when I switch the harness back to stock
The car runs better with the new coil, maybe it will fry my ignition module?

Holley's instructions say if no spark:


Check connection to coil (ok)
Defective Coil (no since the car runs fine with it wired in stock mode)
Coil ground defective or poor (isn't the coil on an LT1 grounded through the housing?)
Poor spark plug grounds (again, car runs fine in stock mode)
Low voltage during cranking (?)
Defective ignition box

Any help appreciated.

[chree]

Would you believe the female pigtail that plugged into the factory coil pigtail was wired backwards? This was a new harness made by Holley specifically for LT1 applications. I traced where each wire went by testing for resistance with my multimeter.

The ignition-on power wire: red on the box, red coming out of the harness, should connect to the pink on the OE harness.
The trigger wire: white on the box (separate from the weatherpack connector), black coming out of the harness, should connect to the white trigger wire on the OE harness.

I had to cut the harness cover off and cut/solder/shrink wrap the correct connections. The car fires right up and I noticed improved throttle tip-in and the engine seems smoother.

I will say Woody at Holley tech was helpful to confirm the "tap the white wire to ground" test would work on the Holley box.

The scientific method works!