Not getting fire!! Won't start. PLEASE HELP FAST!!

crotex said:
Ok, Here is where I stand now. I have gotten the Model A running by wiring the coil directly to the points and the coil directly to the post on the starter. I had it put in correct timing and charged the battery for about an hour and it fires up and runs. BUT, Now I have a new problem. I can get it running by choking it but then it is hard to keep it running when I open the choke. I finally got it to run and idle for about 2 hours but then when I try to drive it it just constantly dies out and is harder and harder to get started. I ended up just pushing it back into the yard for the night.
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Sounds to me like you have possibly 2 problems. One you quite possibly have a bad ammeter. To check this re-wire the system to stock and wrap a wire around the brass nuts on the terminal box. This will bypass the ammeter and the engine should start if this is the problem.

Once you figure this out you need to move on to the running. Sounds like fuel starvation. I would disconnect the fuel line and make sure you have a good stream of fuel to the carb for as long as it takes to fill a quart jar without any fluctuation. If the fuel is intermittent or stops, use a compressor to blow back into the tank from the carb end. If the flow is good, remove the carb and clean it out. It may have rust sediment in the bowl.

These are my only suggestions without seeing the car.
 
If you have a good strong spark to the points, the only things between them and the plugs is the rotor, the distributor cap and the distributor body. I'd change those and double check the timing and gaps.
 
To address the running issue, try doing a compression test to see if you maybe have a stuck valve. I had a stuck valve one time and it would start, idle, but would stumble and not run well under any kind of driving situation. If the car had sat for a little while perhaps one stuck open.
 
Confusion in TERMS.

It's been mentioned a few times during this thread about getting "good spark at the points". Actually I hope they meant getting good spark to the rotor, because one job of the condeser is to keep arcing down to a minimum at the points.
 
Hey Tom W. sorry to get off the main subject, but a friend was having a problem with his distributor and when we had the rotor off we watched the points open and close the spark would get real bright sometimes and dim other times. Would this mean the condenser is going bad? The points are the modern type with the condenser on the top plate. The motor was running rough and the #3 spark plug was not firing. We changed the distributor to another and the engine runs great. Dose a condenser go bad slowly or just quit?
 
Ed,
The condenser can fail slowly, or all at once. I don't ever recall having one fail in any car I've ever driven. Of course it was pretty standard to change plugs, points, and condenser every 10,000 miles. I quit doing that a long time ago, and now only replace bad parts.
 
Mitch//pa said:
maybe it has a clogged cat
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Or gullet.
A feller here recently bought an amazing original T-motor sprint car with GEMSA head and all kinds of authentic old goodies on it. Supposedly he got it cheap from some young guys who were "mechanics" at a repair shop - they could get it to idle but nothing else.

Once the red mechanic's rag was pulled out of the intake manifold, it ran great. I suppose he will tell the sellers about it someday.
 
Jeff/Illinois said:
I do that now too, Tom.

Probably a lot of good condensers laying around on workbenches all over the U.S.-------

Can they be checked at a place like Radio Shack or something to see if they are 'good'? Seems like I read the procedure once on how to sort out good ones can't recall off hand what it was.
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I would just install them on your Model A and see how it runs. It only takes a minute or two to change the condeser following this proceedure:

1. Have the new condenser laying next to the distributor.
2. From the passenger side, remove the ground screw first.
3. From the driver's side, remove the terminal screw and keep light pressure on the screw while you slip out the old condenser and slip in the new one.
4. Tighten the terminal screw.
5. Tighten the ground screw.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I would just install them on your Model A and see how it runs. It only takes a minute or two to change the condeser following this proceedure:

1. Have the new condenser laying next to the distributor.
2. From the passenger side, remove the ground screw first.
3. From the driver's side, remove the terminal screw and keep light pressure on the screw while you slip out the old condenser and slip in the new one.
4. Tighten the terminal screw.
5. Tighten the ground screw.
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boy i just fought with one the other day the screw wouldnt start straight in the condensor i ended up pulling the plates out and then was able to get it started.
 
I had the center contact on the rotor cap disintegrate. I shut it down one night and it wouldn't start the next morning. No fire to the plugs. Took forever to figure it out. New cap did the trick. Good luck.
 
It only takes a minute or two to change the condeser following this proceedure:

1. Have the new condenser laying next to the distributor.
2. From the passenger side, remove the ground screw first.
3. From the driver's side, remove the terminal screw and keep light pressure on the screw while you slip out the old condenser and slip in the new one.
4. Tighten the terminal screw.
5. Tighten the ground screw.

Tom Wesenberg, thanks for great tip in #3. I can not tell you how many times I have dropped the terminal screw and had difficulty getting a new one started. I can not wait to try your procedure. Thanks for another bit of great advice.
 
Frank Nemo said:
It only takes a minute or two to change the condeser following this proceedure:

1. Have the new condenser laying next to the distributor.
2. From the passenger side, remove the ground screw first.
3. From the driver's side, remove the terminal screw and keep light pressure on the screw while you slip out the old condenser and slip in the new one.
4. Tighten the terminal screw.
5. Tighten the ground screw.

Tom Wesenberg, thanks for great tip in #3. I can not tell you how many times I have dropped the terminal screw and had difficulty getting a new one started. I can not wait to try your procedure. Thanks for another bit of great advice.
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You're welcome, Frank. I figured that out real quick when I was testing a bunch by running them. Of course I have a couple screw starters, but never when I need one, so this works great.
 
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