Left my Ignition on Like a Dummy....

Mitch... It is possible for a battery to be charged but not produce cranking amperage. To test for this, simply hook up your meter to the battery and see if the voltage drops WAY down when trying to crank. You want to do this with a battery that is at 80% or better. If it drops way down, you get to buy a new one. :(
Terry
 
With modern valve regulated AGM batteries folks have thrown away their hydrometers and are reliant on smart chargers to maintain their batteries. A battery should still charge up to 2.1-volts per cell for a total of 6.3- volts on a 3-cell battery whether it's a regular wet cell, AGM, or gel cell. With no high rate discharge tester, the capacity can only be checked by drawing current with a big load. If the connection to the starter is known to be good, this is the best way to perform a high rate discharge test. Turn on the headlights and see if they function at all. If they do the engage the starter and see if the lights dim completely out or only a little. If the starter won't turn at all after a modest charge then there is likely an open cell or cells in the battery and it is shot.

A person needs a stand by old time style battery charger with an amp meter to charge a dead battery. Smart chargers aren't always as smart as we would like them to be. My old Schauer charger will charge the battery with whatever amperage the battery wants up to 6-amps. If I connect it up and it won't take a charge then something is likely damaged inside. If it starts at 6-amps and gradually reduces down to 2-amps then I can tell that is it just needing a long recharge. I would then leave it on for a long period of time and monitor the battery for heat build up. If the battery gets real hot them something is damaged inside.

Since I don't use sealed batteries, I check the specific gravity of the cells initially and during charging. If any cell or cells don't respond to charging then the specific gravity will remain low in the bad cell while the others come up to 1.255 or better. If all of them don't come up to 1.255 or very close to that after extended charging then there is likely a problem that can't be fixed.
 
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Thanks everyone for all the knowledge and tips, Im hoping I can get out there tonight and do some disagnostics. Lots of good info here, Im sure Ill have it back on the road and running after trying all these ideas. Whether its a new battery or coil or all the other suggestions. Thanks guys
 
Maybe I am misreading your original post, but I think you state that the engine wouldn't turn over. You wrote: " ...so I tried to start it and nothing happens. I hit the starter and nothing, it doesnt crank, it doesnt make any noise." That would mean a battery, ground, starter or starter switch problem. You wouldn't have even reached the point where the ignition system would come into play. So, all the helpful suggestions about coil, condenser, points, wiring, fuses, etc., are premature. You need to get the engine to turn over before you worry about any of those parts.

"Turn over" versus "Won't start" - The reason I make this distinction is because so often we see people coming to this website for help because they write that their engine won't turn over. So, 20 posts later with suggestions offered about weak batteries, poor grounding, bad starter switches, stuck Bendix drives and worn out starters, it turns out that by "doesn't turn over", the poster had meant the engine wouldn't start. The crankshaft was turning; the engine WAS turning over. It just wouldn't start due to fuel or electrical system failures. That's an entirely different animal, requiring entirely different diagnostic work. So much wasted time and effort caused by a simple misuse of terminology.

Have you taken the advice given so far about why the engine won't "turn over"? Go from there and once you do get it to turn over, the engine may just start. If not, THEN go back and follow the suggestions offered about electrical and fuel issues.

Marshall
 
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Marshall V. Daut said:
Maybe I am misreading your original post, but I think you state that the engine wouldn't turn over. You wrote: " ...so I tried to start it and nothing happens. I hit the starter and nothing, it doesnt crank, it doesnt make any noise." That would mean a battery, ground, starter or starter switch problem. You wouldn't have even reached the point where the ignition system would come into play. So, all the helpful suggestions about coil, condenser, points, wiring, fuses, etc., are premature. You need to get the engine to turn over before you worry about any of those parts.

"Turn over" versus "Won't start" - The reason I make this distinction is because so often we see people coming to this website for help because they write that their engine won't turn over. So, 20 posts later with suggestions offered about weak batteries, poor grounding, bad starter switches, stuck Bendix drives and worn out starters, it turns out that by "doesn't turn over", the poster had meant the engine wouldn't start. The crankshaft was turning; the engine WAS turning over. It just wouldn't start due to fuel or electrical system failures. That's an entirely different animal, requiring entirely different diagnostic work. So much wasted time and effort caused by a simple misuse of terminology.

Have you taken the advice given so far about why the engine won't "turn over"? Go from there and once you do get it to turn over, the engine may just start. If not, THEN go back and follow the suggestions offered about electrical and fuel issues.

Marshall
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I agree with Marshall. A lot of good responses but many are way ahead of the issue. The OP needs to get the engine spinning before he worrys about the ignition.
 
Marshall V. Daut said:
Maybe I am misreading your original post, but I think you state that the engine wouldn't turn over. You wrote: " ...so I tried to start it and nothing happens. I hit the starter and nothing, it doesnt crank, it doesnt make any noise." That would mean a battery, ground, starter or starter switch problem. You wouldn't have even reached the point where the ignition system would come into play. So, all the helpful suggestions about coil, condenser, points, wiring, fuses, etc., are premature. You need to get the engine to turn over before you worry about any of those parts.

"Turn over" versus "Won't start" - The reason I make this distinction is because so often we see people coming to this website for help because they write that their engine won't turn over. So, 20 posts later with suggestions offered about weak batteries, poor grounding, bad starter switches, stuck Bendix drives and worn out starters, it turns out that by "doesn't turn over", the poster had meant the engine wouldn't start. The crankshaft was turning; the engine WAS turning over. It just wouldn't start due to fuel or electrical system failures. That's an entirely different animal, requiring entirely different diagnostic work. So much wasted time and effort caused by a simple misuse of terminology.

Have you taken the advice given so far about why the engine won't "turn over"? Go from there and once you do get it to turn over, the engine may just start. If not, THEN go back and follow the suggestions offered about electrical and fuel issues.

Marshall
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The Master Cylinder said:
I agree with Marshall. A lot of good responses but many are way ahead of the issue. The OP needs to get the engine spinning before he worrys about the ignition.
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Yes your correct Marshall, the engine won’t turn over at all. My battery after a few days on the charger won’t fully charge. It’s out of the car now, I’ll take it to get checked tomorrow. If it’s no good I’ll get another and try to start it tomorrow after work. If then the engine turns over but will not fire, I will then go ahead with the other suggestions about points, condenser and the coil maybe being my issue.
Thanks guys!
 
Yup. A new battery just might solve all your problems. Even if it doesn't, you can scratch that off the list of suspect parts and move on to more likely culprits.
Marshall
 
So I got my battery tested, no good. I got a new one, installed it and it fired right up. It runs much better now since I re timed it, but it isn’t 100% yet. The idle adjustment screw is turned in quite far and with the hand throttle all the way up it wants to stall. I drove around the block with the hand throttle down 2 notches. But it was fun as hell cruising around the block again!
So I need to deal with that. And when I pulled it back into the garage the headlights went out.. another issue I need to sort out I guess. But I’ll have to do that tomorrow because the NFL’s back on!
 
Hurray! You're almost out of the woods now!
There are only three carburetor adjustments possible, and all three affect the idle. For years I have been reading in Model A discussion forums that the GAV is not part of the idle curcuit. Perhaps not on paper or on schematics, but in real life it sure as heck DOES affect the idling characteristics! The other two considerations are the air mixture screw on the front of the carb (assuming you have a Zenith) and the idle speed screw. You need to work between all three in order to get a nice idle and eliminate stalling.
Marshall
 
Thanks Marshall for all the info! I’m glad it’s running and now just fine tuning. Before my large list of repairs started, I had my GAV set a little less then a half turn opened and it seemed like the car liked that the best. I’m at that same spot now, but I have messed with the air and idle screws since I’ve had everything apart.
I don’t have a Zenith, I have a marvel schebler carb. Which could use a rebuild.. the only place I’ve seen online with a rebuild kit is renners corner and they don’t ship to Canada. I was at a swap meet last weekend looking for a Zenith core I could rebuild because I have access to those rebuild kits, but I wasn’t so lucky.. I might order one off eBay but I’d be gambling
 
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