Clean them plugs!

rivcokid

rivcokid

Senior Member
Hi all - this is an after-the-fact bit of advice that doesn't appear in the books. I got in my 1931 Fordor a few days ago and it would turn over but then die. After a bit, it simply would not turn over. It cranked and cranked and cranked but no dice. I did all the stuff mentioned in the books - checked for fuel, fuel flow, and carb. I then checked the battery, ammeter, coil, points etc - everything was fine. Spark at all - but still no turn over. I retimed it too. Finally, someone mentioned the plugs might be fouled. I pulled them and brushed them off, thinking the small amount of crud on them would not make a difference, but since I'd tried everything else, why not. Put the plugs back in and she started up first time! So, while you're chasing various issues, take your wire brush to the plugs too!
 
Very good advice. Last spring our club was on a tour with another club and one of the other members could not get his car started. They tried everything (condenser, carb, coil, checked timing gear, compression). Finally a club member drove home, picked up his car trailer (round trip was 75 miles) and loaded the defective car on the trailer and drove 65 miles in the opposite direction from his house to deliver the car to its home garage. A tremendous effort!! We later learned that the plugs were fouled and a new set corrected the problem. I guess the lesson here is "check the easy things first" Ed
 
Unless the cause of the fouled spark plugs is found and corrected, history will repeat itself! May be the cause is poor driving technique with the GAV, or the cause is an air filter????
 
Ed,


I use No. 5 NGK Iridium spark plugs. They have a wide spread heat value and ignite even when the insulator is sooty.

Useful is also MMO, which has a high cleaning effect.
 
When using a wire brush the center ceramic can abrade steel off the wires creating a spark path that can prevent the spark from jumping the gap
 
Bob Bidonde said:
Unless the cause of the fouled spark plugs is found and corrected, history will repeat itself! May be the cause is poor driving technique with the GAV, or the cause is an air filter????
Click to expand...

The GAV is only at 1/8 to 1/4 turn out. I asked in a separate post about carbon because I get carbon deposits on my garage floor. The only response I got was, essentially, "that happens." The funny thing is, it doesn't happen with my roadster, just the fordor. So, in essence, I'm back to square one - but at least I can start and drive it now. I'd love to find the reason for the excessive carbon, but don't know my way around the car well enough to do it without (probably) causing some damage!
 
In the good old days every mechanic had a spark plug cleaning machine (sand blast).
I like the old plugs that can be plulled apart best, especially if the engine is worn.
 
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