Trouble shooting help - '46 Deluxe

Ken/Alabama has a good point about the ign. sw.. I had to do the one for my '46, as I was getting intermittent ignition problems. If your has not been apart, you will need to drill or grind away the "crimps" (look closely at the bolting flange) at the mounting holes to split the case. Take note of the position to the sliding piece (see arrow on pic) when you reassemble, because the slot in it has to align with the pin on the switch lever. After you have it cleaned, put a short piece of tape from the back plate to each side of the case to hold the sw. together until it is bolted in place. Put a bit of Vaseline on the sw. contacts before assembling.
Make sure the lever pin is in the sw. plate before tightening the bolts, or you will damage the switch.
 

Attachments

  • Ignition Switch (2).jpg
    Ignition Switch (2).jpg
    43.9 KB · Views: 143
  • Ignition Switch (3).jpg
    Ignition Switch (3).jpg
    53.4 KB · Views: 144
  • Ignition Switch (4).jpg
    Ignition Switch (4).jpg
    40 KB · Views: 146
51woodie said:
Ken/Alabama has a good point about the ign. sw.. I had to do the one for my '46, as I was getting intermittent ignition problems. If your has not been apart, you will need to drill or grind away the "crimps" (look closely at the bolting flange) at the mounting holes to split the case. Take note of the position to the sliding piece (see arrow on pic) when you reassemble, because the slot in it has to align with the pin on the switch lever. After you have it cleaned, put a short piece of tape from the back plate to each side of the case to hold the sw. together until it is bolted in place. Put a bit of Vaseline on the sw. contacts before assembling.
Make sure the lever pin is in the sw. plate before tightening the bolts, or you will damage the switch.
Click to expand...
566613


566614


566615
 
Switches can be bad. My car came to me with a full 1.0 volt drop thru the switch.

But then why does his car start OK when cold?
 
Quick test . When cranking with switch in on position, put a little pressure pushing in on the switch. If it starts you found the answer . Easier than getting under the dash .
 
all solutions, IMO, must include address the "cold start success" vs "warm start failure" issue.

i would be thinking a short might be manifesting itself somewhere in the ignition system when wire resistances inevitably increase along with engine and engine bay temps.
 
So, what happened...

Thanks to all who commented and contributed to my initial post. The benefit of experience is multiplied when shared.

After installing a freshly rebuilt coil from Skip's House of Magic, things seem to be all better. The weather here as been on the cool side, but restarts have returned to being nearly immediate. In addition, the cold start seems a bit more energenic (not at all a subjective assessment).

The 'why did that happen' element of this business with moving the ignition switch while cranking is going to get tucked away in the Dunno File - along with other mysteries of the universe. Such ponderings require mental lubrication best left for smarter folk.

The '46 will get a complete workout during the weeks ahead and should be up to the task.

Thanks again, Barners.
 
Thanks for letting us know the end of the story. The classic failing coil; works OK when cool, starts failing when warm.

Original post said: "swapped out the coil for a NOS version on hand (no change)." Often NOS parts are actually used/bad parts removed from a car decades ago.
 
Fair enough on the NOS.

When the Little Dearborn shop in Minnesota was selling out, I bought several lots. Included in the randomly organized parts grab-bags were supposedly NOS items. In the case of Little Dearborn, NOS was shorhand for No Organized System as broken, used, and rusty were unused, but accurate, descriptions.
 
today i discovered why my car (1941 Ford Super Deluxe) would start only when cold. if it had been running for about 5-10 minutes or more and then shutdown, it would not start again until it cooled down a bit, and depending on a number of factors, that might take the better part of two hours.

anyway, the problem was a failing or failed condenser. neighborhood NAPA had one in stock for my diver's helmet distributor and coil!
 
FortyNiner said:
So, what happened...

Thanks to all who commented and contributed to my initial post. The benefit of experience is multiplied when shared.

After installing a freshly rebuilt coil from Skip's House of Magic, things seem to be all better. The weather here as been on the cool side, but restarts have returned to being nearly immediate. In addition, the cold start seems a bit more energenic (not at all a subjective assessment).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update. Too many here don't

I'm interested in what the primary coil resistances are for thee one you removed and the new one too. You can do this by measuring across the two terminal posts.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
For better or worse, the misbehaving coil was one already sent off to Skip and has been rebuilt. So, no can check the before condition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top