1951 Flathead won't fire

J

jtminor

Senior Member
Drove my 51 Flathead V8 all weekend, went to start this morning, won't fire, just sold it buyer will be picking up in next few days.... help..
 
I think you will get allot of help with this issue, but I don't think she want to leave. They do have personalities.

Start with the basics, fuel, spark etc.
 
If you have a tester, see if the coil is getting juice to it. It will be the small wire that Does Not go to the side of the distributor. If it has power then go to next step....Pull the middle wire off the distributor cap. It comes from the coil. With ignition on, have someone crank the starter button while you hold the wire you pulled out about 1/4" or less from something metal on the block like a bolt. You might want to hold it with some insulated pliers jic it jolts you a bit. 6 or 12v won't harm you though. The spark should jump across that 1/8-1/4" gap and be sorta bright and blue. Better yet, search youtube for 'testing ignition or testing for spark. This will help. I realize I will be typing with one finger all afternoon at my rate. Best of luck, Gary
 
If you have an extra spark plug, unhook the wire from a handy plug on the engine and attach it to the spare. Now lay the spare so the base is touching a metal engine part and have someone try to start the engine while you watch the plug for sparks.



Terry
 
Similar to Gary . open and close the points with a screwdriver with the distributor end of the HT lead 1/4 " from a head bolt
 
Do you have a voltmeter? Take some voltage measurements. Do you have voltage to the coil? Check for loose connections...
 
After another inspection I found that the coil was split across the top, this may be my issue.... not sure what would cause that to happen, since I drove it yesterday
 
Could you have left the ignition on? That makes the coil get really hot. Typically the battery would have been drained if that occured. If you find you have power to the coil, but nothing past that, a new coil is in order. If you have good spark at the coil wire or a plug, then it's not the coil. I hate it when stuff like this happens at just the wrong time.

Edit: look what happens when you leave your laptop on with a half-typed post and finish it 3 hours later and send it. Hope this thing doesn't have a coil in it....
 
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