Reviving Dormant Model A

mike - thanks for that list. Starting to think I might be better off with the original plan of just having it taken somewhere and have a professional work on it. problem is it is one of four cars in a three car garage so we don't have a lot of maneuvering room to work on it; and the other three don't run either :-( I was hoping to get it to run so we could back it out and then have it taken somewhere to have a thorough going over.

re the oil. the oil that came out was dirty but nowhere near that syrupy or thick. That said I'm sure you are right and the inside of the oil pan is a lot worse than I think it is. unf I just don't have the room to lift the car and even getting under to remove drain plug was an adventure.
 
I did not see cleaning the points mentioned.....the contact area of the points can corrode over time...

A light scuffing with a medium-fine emory cloth should do the trick...
 
youngmodela said:
re the oil. the oil that came out was dirty but nowhere near that syrupy or thick. That said I'm sure you are right and the inside of the oil pan is a lot worse than I think it is. unf I just don't have the room to lift the car and even getting under to remove drain plug was an adventure.
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It's your car and you must do with it as you like - but it will take you an hour at best to pull it out and drop the pan, but only seconds to bugger up what might be a perfectly serviceable motor if you run it up without doing it.

You might be lucky and have no gunk in the pan, but every single last motor I've ever taken apart has been well silted up.

But, again, it's your cow as the old joke goes :).

Cheers

Juggs
 
Gas spark and air and the motor should at least pop. Your getting gas dripping. Spark issue. You have power to the point arm. Make sure when they close you have continuity across the contacts? If so when the points open is that continuity broken? With the key on and points open run a screw driver across the point contacts. You should have sparking at the contacts? Do you know how to check the point gap? A tight .020 will be fine. Don't touch or replace anything until you determine if the spark is getting to the plugs first.
 
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Mine sat for 30 yrs on blocks in a controlled environment. After replacement of all fluids and cleaning gas lines, no start. I squirted just a bit of gas in each cylinder and replaced spark plugs. Engine tried to start which told me it was fuel delivery. Ended up dismantling the gummed-up carb and cleaning jets as well as a new gasket set. Engine then started and runs great now.
 
Gumout carb cleaner is your friend. Get a big aerosol can of it and spray the crap out of the inside of that carb. If you get a pop than you know it's fuel delivery. At this point it could still be both electrical or fuel but you need to eliminate the fuel delivery one first in my opinion.
 
Did you get the choke rod to seat closed? For a while there were some repro choke rods that the knob would turn, but the rod itself did not turn. Make sure the rod itself is turning until closed, the open back up 1/4 turn.
 
Mike, we need the Reader's Digest version of starting the engine.
By the time one reads all that they could have rebuilt the engine. :D

I read where many people start by replacing the spark plugs, and there is nothing wrong with having new plugs and saving the used ones for spares to keep under the rear seat. I've never seen plugs go bad from setting for years, and I usually don't even remove them to check them when I bring an engine out of hibernation.

Glad you got it running.
I was ready to mention that the distributor might not have a good ground to the engine due to rust in the mounting area. This ground can be bypassed by using a jumper wire from the condenser ground strap to a head nut.
 
I must be blind, but I don't see where the OP says he got it running...

If it is running, awesome!
 
cpf240 said:
I must be blind, but I don't see where the OP says he got it running...

If it is running, awesome!
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You're right. Reply #28 threw me, as I thought it was the OP.

Don't take the car to "some professional", as they will be clueless unless they own a Model A. They may make it worse and charge you for doing so. :eek:
 
I could not get my car tom start after fitting a new cylinder head. We checked the electrical and fuel systems but no luck. My neighbour is an agricultural engineer and has a starter booster back that has a 6v setting. We attached that to the battery and the engine fired up straight away. After warming up the engine and changing the oil it has started perfectly every time since then.
 

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