First ride....died...help...FIXED!

sconnors

sconnors

Well-known member
So I took the Model A for the first time yesterday after a long winter's nap. Prior to going out I changed the coil because the car had a 12v coil on it. The car ran great for about ten miles and started to sputter and lose power like it was running out of gas. It surged a few times and then finally died by the side of the road.

Towed it home and checked to make sure I'm getting plenty of gas to the carburetor, then I thought of the coil and sure enough one of the studs was broken in two (cheap product from China lesson learned) so I changed the coil out and put the 12v back in and she wouldn't start.

So I pulled the plugs and they were wet. So i dried them with a torch and a heat gun, cleaned them off and let the car sit over night. Went out again this morning, put the plugs back in and she cranks but won't start? I've ordered a new 6v coil and a new set of plugs but was hoping someone here might be able to shed some light.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks
Scott

Well I got a new coil in the mail, put her in and boom she started right up! Thanks again for everyone's help! You guys are the best!
 
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Re: First ride....died...help

Mike, that's two fried condensers in a row. Time to buy the high temp condenser from A&L.:D
 
Re: First ride....died...help

The quality of long storage gasoline without a stabilizer could be the problem ! It was with me! Now I never store over the winter without a can of SeaFoam!
Wayne
 
Re: First ride....died...help

take the gas cap off and remove the fuel line at the carb to see what the flow is-----maybe blow air back through the line to the tank to clear any rust plugging the line if blocked.
 
Re: First ride....died...help

Replaced the plugs, condenser, and cleaned the points. Also, pulled the plug at the bottom of the carb and I have gas coming out. Fuel line is unrestricted. Don't have anyone to crank it over so I can see if I'm getting spark, but the old girl still won't start. Guess I'll wait for the new coil and hope that does it. Any other ideas?
 
Re: First ride....died...help

if you have the starter mounted fuse see if it is blown;;;;l
with the key on open and close the points it should spark out the coil wire
as mentioned make sure the dist is turning

these cks are easy to do by yourself

you can crank the car by pushing in the rod at the starter by hand
 
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Re: First ride....died...help

sconnors said:
Replaced the plugs, condenser, and cleaned the points. Also, pulled the plug at the bottom of the carb and I have gas coming out. Fuel line is unrestricted. Don't have anyone to crank it over so I can see if I'm getting spark, but the old girl still won't start. Guess I'll wait for the new coil and hope that does it. Any other ideas?
Click to expand...

Do you have 'original' distributor ? If so, check to see that wire is not grounding and/or loose. Do you have original 'pop out' switch/cable, if so, check to seel that cable is NOT screwed in TOO far into dist and causing a problem. Good news is that it ran and that you report good gas supply. Now you need spark and that system is not that complicated. Make sure each/every connection is clean / tight and that distributor is grounded good to block.
 
Re: First ride....died...help

I have this nifty little gadget that goes in line between the coil wire and the distributor. You can adjust the gap in it and it shows spark and how much. It is a visual thing that you can probably see from inside the car - if the hood is off. They have it at Snyder's here is a link

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/3759

The only other thing that happened to me that was similar was basically the same symptoms - after everything else gas, spark etc was checked and it turned out to be a chewed up timing gear. Starter cranked and there was spark, but when that timing gear goes out she won't fire. Saves the engine from being damaged, I guess. I am sure you know this, but it not a metal gear. It is a fiber material. Pretty amazing to me for Henry to have this in the system....
 
Re: First ride....died...help

You can check for spark by turning the engine over with the hand crank until the points are open. Then short the points out, each time you short them you should get a spark out of the coil. Another way is to place a piece of plastic between the points to hold them open, and then short them out and check for spark.
 
Re: First ride....died...help

jmeckel said:
You can check for spark by turning the engine over with the hand crank until the points are open. Then short the points out, each time you short them you should get a spark out of the coil. Another way is to place a piece of plastic between the points to hold them open, and then short them out and check for spark.
Click to expand...

Jon,

The spark occurs when the points open. When the magnetic field collapses the high voltage is created, not when the magnetic field is created (points close).

Marc
 
Re: First ride....died...help

To be more clear place a quick tempory short across the points, I normally just use the tip of a screw driver. And yes I understand the electfical theory, I am just trying to help him trouble shoot his motor, not going into electrical theory.
 
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