Jacksonlll
Well-known member
The probability of a new condense being bad is higher that an old one going bad. Don't get fooled by a bad new one. Drove me crazy years ago.
'30 AA Will Not Start - Ideas Appreciated!!
- Thread starter 30AAFord
- Start date
BoysToys1928A
Member
Okay I am going to tread out into very deep water so dont shoot me right away, I know you guys have forgot more then I know !!! But I went through this same thing and as a dumb beginner does I tried things that can't work... So I took the picture from Tom and set the timing to fire the exact opposite then what it should (instead of pointing at number one tab on the distributor I turned it to point at number 4) and it fired right up... some one suggested that either I really didn't have the timing set up right or that the timing gear was made wrong which some people on here have said they have seen. If I were you I would spin that rotor toward each point on the distributor and turn over the engine to see if it does something... Okay you can fire at will at me if you want.
Sorry for the delay in answering (I was hauling another AA project home this weekend). UPDATE: The AA started and she is running great. Everyone who mentioned a potential issue with the timing gear was correct.
On Friday, I reset the timing again (5th time now) and lined the rotor up exactly with #1 contact point in the distributor as pictured in Tom Wesenberg's photo. No start - just the same symptoms as I had before. I then began adjusting where the rotor fell in relation to the contact point. Nothing. I did all of this with the timing pin in the dimple on the timing gear (absolutely certain, no question, confirmed by another Model A guy who came over to help) and confirmed TDC looking through the plug hole.
My friend then said "It's almost like she's on exhaust stroke, but the pin is seating in the dimple. For the hell of it, let's set it 180 opposite." So we did and she fired on first push of the starter button. In fact, with a minor carb adjustment, she ran beautifully!!
Some background on the vehicle: she's a '30 AA that had been used for 50+ years as a log skidder in upstate NY. When I got her back in May, she had been sitting idle for at least 10 years. Her oil pan had been removed by the previous owner as "an anti-theft measure" (had to dig around to find it). In any case, when looking over the lower end of the engine before buttoning it back up, I noted that she had an aluminum timing gear. I have no idea when that timing gear was produced, installed or who made it - I only know the dimple was 180 off.
On Friday, I reset the timing again (5th time now) and lined the rotor up exactly with #1 contact point in the distributor as pictured in Tom Wesenberg's photo. No start - just the same symptoms as I had before. I then began adjusting where the rotor fell in relation to the contact point. Nothing. I did all of this with the timing pin in the dimple on the timing gear (absolutely certain, no question, confirmed by another Model A guy who came over to help) and confirmed TDC looking through the plug hole.
My friend then said "It's almost like she's on exhaust stroke, but the pin is seating in the dimple. For the hell of it, let's set it 180 opposite." So we did and she fired on first push of the starter button. In fact, with a minor carb adjustment, she ran beautifully!!
Some background on the vehicle: she's a '30 AA that had been used for 50+ years as a log skidder in upstate NY. When I got her back in May, she had been sitting idle for at least 10 years. Her oil pan had been removed by the previous owner as "an anti-theft measure" (had to dig around to find it). In any case, when looking over the lower end of the engine before buttoning it back up, I noted that she had an aluminum timing gear. I have no idea when that timing gear was produced, installed or who made it - I only know the dimple was 180 off.
Ray in La Mesa
Well-known member
Had the same problem on a buddies '30 coupe 40 years ag, timing dimple was 180 out. it's a challenge to discover that!
SeaSlugs
Well-known member
oooh what do I win for guessing the timing dimple was in the wrong spot back on post #20?
glad you got it fixed!
Big hammer
Well-known member
Another anti-thief device installed by previous owner!