Mine won't start either

Are either of youse with the same problem using the "modern" upper plate setup? I have seen these fail with similar symptoms to those you describe; on the last two the tang that goes from the points to the plate below was either shorted to the upper plate or failed to make or made intermittent contact with the lower plate.

In one case the problem developed in a car that had run fine for hundreds of miles while in the other the problem developed after the owner changed points (inexplicably) after running fine for hundreds of miles.
 
Could there be a possibility of a bad ground connection to the frame or maybe on the battery posts?
 
RonC,
I think we're all becoming experts. What I'm finding is because these cars are so simple one can check all there is to check pretty quickly and when those checks don't pan out we invent more things to look for. One fellow said it correctly. Gas, air and spark and the thing will run. You have to have some real faith in the engine rebuilder that stuff was put back together properly. Logic would tell us that if it ran one day it will run tomorrow except for the odd variable or recurring fault. Got my car started finally this afternoon after talking with a farmer who wondered if I was keeping the throttle open all the way while cranking. I wasn't because the book says not to. I did and after a few turns she lit. For most of us its been 25 years since we have driven a carbureted engine. How quickly we forget the nuances of this engine and that engine. Now, this probably means I have a fuel/air issue that I will be attacking but the thing runs and runs beautifully. Doesn't idle like I would like but that narrows the "checking" down considerably. I'm learning that chasing "windmills" is an easy thing to do when at first you don't succeed.
 
Rich in Tucson,
Mine has the modern set up and I have wondered about the wire from the lower plate as well. However, the electrical checks indicate all is well in that department so I'm hoping the fuel/air thing is the real culprit. Who out there can comment on air leakage around the throttle plate shaft. Mine seems very tight but I do see some fuel migration on the carburetor body in that area. Seems to go away as the engine warms up---- heat expansion?
 
RonC,
Another thought for you. As my car had been sitting for some time I rebuilt the caburetor. Pretty simple really but a couple of the parts didn't look exactly the same as the ones I was replacing, so I used some new and some not. The float valve was one that I initially used and it seemed to align the float as required. Once on the car it became clear it needed more washers or something as it allowed the fuel level to rise above the top of the jets. Fuel just poured out the car. Went back to the old valve and all was well. The mixture needle was also a bit different. I used it anyway and never got the car started. Today I switched back to the old one and the car started. Was this the reason? I don't know and frankly don't care but it serves to caution us to remember what and where things were done. Fixing stuff may not always be really fixing stuff. I fully expect my car not to start tomorrow either but at least I know where I've been with it.

Rich

Rich
 
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