iowa51

Problem solved!! Dodgeb4ya and Ulu was right a few posts back. Replaced coil (from my dad's '52 also with a Pertronix), put my spare starter on, cleaned and checked and re-checked connections. After hot wiring the car by going straight from the battery to the coil, should have been one of the 1st things I did, and it fired right up decided to check the actual wiring. Obviously a splice where the Pertronix wire hooked up with the car wiring. Another splice (covered with wrapped electrical tape so it was hidden) into the cloth covered wire from the original wiring, then another splice (again hidden by wrapped tape) from the cloth covered wiring up to the horn relay. Unwrapped all the tape, removed the spliced wires, and retaped for the wires that go to the generator. Pertronix wire was long enough to hook right to the horn relay. Has started every time I have tried. Maybe when changing the oil I bumped this wire and made an already poor connection worse. What putting the battery charger on it did to make it start I still do not know.

I always had trouble in math... First they told me pies are square, everybody knows pies are round. Then a few years later the algebra teacher was telling me to find the ex. How would I know where the ex is at? He was the one that was married to her.

The engine has never had a hard starting problem until recently. The car had sat for a few weeks and a shot of starting fluid is standard for me if it doesn't start on the first few cranks to save wear and tear on the starter. Even when dealing with the running hot problem earlier this year it would start with no problem. Cleaned all the connections/battery posts/grounds. Starting to think maybe it is the starter. Not getting the 2nd or 3rd spin to let the car to run on it's own before the starter kicks out. Have a spare starter that I am taking in to have checked and try that. Also taking the battery to another store where they do a load test(?) instead of just hooking up a hand held tester. When I get out to my dad's again I will get the timing light to double check timing even though the distributor was tight when I checked that.

After a multitude of other problems with my car after the engine replacement the 1 thing it did good was start fairly easy. 2 weekends ago decided to change the oil getting ready to put it away for the year. Cranked a few times, sprayed a little starting fluid in the air cleaner, cranked again and it fired right up. Idled about 15 minutes to warm the oil up and drained/replaced oil and replaced the filter. Tried to start again and it would fire, starter kicks out, and it would "cough" like it would fire 2 more times but wouldn't keep running. Same thing a few more times. Put the batter charger on it for a few hours and it started right up. Drove it around to several stops and started fine each time. Tried last weekend to take it for a drive and same thing. Fires, starter kicks out, cough, cough from the engine. Battery charger on it for a 1/2 hour, unhooked charger, and it started right up. Took battery (just under 2 years old) to an auto parts store and they tested it and it was fully charged with no problems Tonight, same thing, fires, starter kicks out... put charger on it (charger showed battery fully charged) for 10 minutes and again it started/ran right away. Talked to an old timer and he thought the drive spring on the starter was weak and not keeping the starter engaged, but what would charging a fully charged battery have to do with that? Shouldn't that problem be every time I start it? Pertononix ignition, and switched out old Pertonix coil with a new Pertonix coil and double checked the coil hookup to rule that out. Ideas on this problem on why an oil change would cause hard starting unless I put a battery charger on a fully charged battery?

It is a fair weather car so this would be an easy solution to try.

I now have 3 thermometers in my garage, the analog temp gauge I just bought a few weeks ago, a digital wall thermometer and a digital probe type that looks like a cooking/meat thermometer. The wall thermometer and the probe type read the same at room temp. The analog and the probe type read the same when stuck in the radiator fill hole while the car is running. Other than getting a certified thermometer from work (which they wouldn't allow) I would think my thermometers are reading relatively accurate. 50/50 mix. Figured boiling point is about 225 deg with 4 lb cap. Would it be stuck open or closed to cause it to run hot? I know it isn't stuck (rusted) as I have moved it back and forth and wrapped the spring 350 deg around like the service manual said and in the same direction. Seems pretty tight. However tonight I marked the shaft with a marker and it never moved even when the car got up to operating temp so it could be staying open/closed. Brand new spring when the manifold was off. Another problem!!

Working on the car on and off the past month or so. New spark plugs/wires. Replaced the water pump. The one on the engine was kind of crusty looking so replaced it to rule that out. Took the radiator out and had it pressure tested (15 lbs?) and the shop owner did a flush test and said everything appeared to be OK without taking it completely apart. Reset the timing to 0 deg TDC. It was a few degrees off. Starts better now. Between removing the radiator, water pump, and opening the pet cock on the block drained most of the antifreeze/coolant out and replaced with new. Filled it up to an inch or so of the top of the radiator. Ran the car at idle for 40 or so minutes in the garage with the hood closed (garage doors open) and the dash gauge was at the 7/8 mark when I shut it off. A digital thermometer held against the brass fitting where the sensor goes showed 175 deg. Bought a analog temperature gauge at Advanced Auto and again ran the car for 40 minutes in the garage and it was reading 200 deg. Digital thermometer on the fitting again read 175 deg. Both times nothing came out of the radiator overflow tube. Is this an OK temp? If so, why is my dash temperature gauge reading so hot? Is there an adjustment? Like I said before with the old engine the gauge (same gauge) rarely went past the 3/4 in any type of driving conditions.

True... Next step is to get the timing light and check that. Then take it out for a slow drive and check the analog temp gauge, I mounted it in the engine bay as I didn't want to risk wrecking the tubing for the dash gauge pulling it through the firewall so won't be able to monitor the temp at higher speeds.

Took some temperature readings after idling for about 20 minutes. Thermometer in coolant in open radiator cap area 185 deg. Aftermarket temp gauge 180 deg. Thermometer stuck through lower row of fins in radiator 150 deg. Thermometer laying on metal of the water pump lower radiator hose connection 162 deg. Thermometer held against metal of thermostat housing were upper radiator hose connects 182 deg. As Dartgame said, maybe a bad water pump?

It was a "complete" rebuild what ever that means. I know there is difference between 1950 and earlier and 1951 later as far as a a bypass, is this what you are talking about? I'm not concerned about radiator/fan as with the previous engine running hot was not an issue and these were not changed. After the parade and back on the highway it dropped down to about the 3/4 mark.

Oil pressure is close to zero when idling this long but pops right up when I "blip" the accelerator. I put 10w-30 in for the first oil change because it was a "new" engine, probably switch to straight 30w for the next oil change. Maybe a little extra cranking to start when hot but nothing that would indicate vapor lock or other fuel problems.

I have a digital read thermometer that I will compare the aftermarket gauge with the radiator cap off. I have access to a timing light (Sears brand about 40 years old) but it has only been used for 12v systems do you think it will work with 6v? What number (advance/retard) should I be looking for?

For the 40+ years I have owned my '51 Plymouth never had an issue with overheating/running hot. Temp gauge usually never went pass midway and even on the hottest 4th of July parades never went past the 3/4 mark. Last year installed a engine from a running '52 Belvedere that was rebuilt before putting into my car. First parade of this year (short parade and about 80 deg. out) the temp gauge goes to to 3/4 and near the end it was closer to 7/8th of the way to "H". Just idling for an extended time it would go over the 3/4 mark. Temp gauge was the same for both engines. This weekend replaced the thermostat (160 deg.), new 4 lb. radiator cap, and added a aftermarket temp gauge with numbers. After idling in my garage for 30 minutes the temp gauge was up to 200 degrees. Is this the normal temp? Would the rebuilt engine run warmer than a worn out engine that it replaced? With the 4 lb cap at what temp should I be getting worried?

Jacked the car up a few days ago and looked underneath. Sifter rods/linkages are loose so they can move but not sloppy. Service manual says to adjust rod because it is too long, to long compared to what? Do I turn it in or out? Didn't adjust anything yet. The last few days either shifted the car with it off or running and moving the car back and forth a few feet in the garage going between 1st, 2nd and reverse. No problems going into reverse. Today went to a car show about 10 miles away. Backed out of my detached garage, parked in front of the attached garage, backed out of the driveway when I left and no problems with reverse. Got to the car show and it would not go into reverse to back in my car. Drove to another spot that I could drive through the spot to park. Drove home and parked in the attached garage driveway, put some stuff away and tried to back up and wouldn't go into reverse. Basically it will go into reverse when the car is cold but not when hot, I can't think of anything with the transmission linkage that would be affected by the heat. Ideas what the heat would change when trying to shift? Again, no clashing of gears and putting the clutch in/out doesn't help and transmission is full of oil.

...then it won't. 1951 Cranbrook, had the engine rebuilt and the car came back to me from the shop last fall. 90% of the time it will shift into reverse with no problem and then it won't go, no grinding, just won't slide into place. I can feel a small indent with the gearshift lever where it should go but it won't move. Running it through 1st, 2nd,3rd with the clutch in doesn't help most of the time, then it will go into reverse when I'm about ready to give up. Next time I drive it no problems, then drive it again and won't go into reverse once or twice, of course that happens when I really need reverse. Something is just a little out of adjustment, ideas on what and where to adjust? If it make any difference it seems to happen more after I have drove the car for awhile when things are warmed up.

I will throw this out as a possible cause even though it usually causes hard starting. Did you hook the wires up correctly on the coil when you replaced it? With the positive ground I hooked mine up backwards and it ran, but had starting/performance issues until I switched the wires to the correct sides.

Over a week later and it hasn't dripped since tightening it. I run an ethanol blend gas in my car and have replace anything rubber and related to the fuel system in the last 10 years or so, except the rubber gasket on the gas tank drain plug, Never thought to replace it but I am sure the ethanol has stated to eat that away too. Need to remember to run the tank way down next year and get it replaced.

Just got back from the garage, 1/2 drive extension fit perfectly. Snugged it up a bit and cleaned the area, no leaks at the moment. Check it again tomorrow and hoping the leak has stopped.

It isn't a recessed square like you see on some rear end differentials. It is a recessed star.

Put the '51 convertible away for the winter yesterday after filling the tank with gas. Today noticed a strong gas smell in my detached garage and saw a wet spot under the gas tank and a drip of gas hanging from the drain plug. The only thing I did was drive to the gas station and back and it wasn't leaking before and the car is parked in the same spot. Crawled under and took a closer look, the plug looks like it takes an oversized Torx or star bit to tighten. I didn't think they had Torx bits back in the early 50s so is there a certain size wrench/bit that I need to use? Hoping it just needs tightening or else I will need to drain a full tank of gas.

My brother-in-law's brother-in-law is lives in a foreign country (His sister moved there) and was visiting here a few years back. They stopped at my house to look at my cars and then we went out to may dad's and showed him all of his cars. One of my cars (a '66 Marlin) is out at my dad's I mentioned the the engine was "froze". My B-I-L's B-I-L asked how an engine could be frozen when it was quite warm out when we were there.

I am in the process rebuilding my engine for my '51 but before I pulled it I used straight 30w detergent with a bottle of STP Oil Treatment as it smoked a little. Probably use straight 30w after the rebuild.

Reminds me of what a teacher once said- "The worst conformists are the non-conformists". People with their pants so low and underwear so high just to be different, they all look the same. The drugged out emo/goth look (black everything) as they want to be outsiders, they all look the same. Tattoos up and down their arm as a statement to their individuality, They look like all the other people with tattoos up and down their arm.

X2 I have tubeless tires. Went to a tire store that sell tire for large trucks/semis. They had a metal stem with a base that was big enough to cover the oval hole on my rim.

I will throw this out as I had the same high speed miss issue that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Check the distrbuter cap and rotor. My looked all "sooted" up on the inside and replacement of both fixed the problem.