soth122003

I use a couple of plastic cups and about 4-5 mothballs in each cup for my RV. I just place them at a few different places in the RV and I have had no problems from mice, squirrels, roaches, spiders, ants, evil demons or what have you. Been going on six years now with that RV and This method works very well. Also the moth balls last about a good long while. Joe

Hey Joe, Since the radiator is out and the pulley is off do what I did. I duct taped a garden hose to the input for the water pump, Turn it on low to medium and let the water come out the thermostat housing area. That way you can run it for a couple of minutes with out overheating your engine. the flow of water will keep the engine cool enough for checking the knock. Joe

Hey Joe, I just looked at my Plymouth manual and the highest rated oil it recommends is a good 30 weight. The higher the number the thicker the weight, especially in colder weather. I use a straight 30 weight in mine and the only thing I notice is when the engine gets really warmed up the pressure is around 20 at idle, but goes back to 40 when I start moving. As far as the knocking sound, if you crank pulley is wobbling you might check for a scrape or wear mark around the timing chain cover. As suggested before pull the pulley and check the key. While this will suck, I think your wobble problem will only get worse and damage something that will require pulling the engine. Joe

Hey Franky, Welcome to the forum. I am 6'7" tall, almost 2 meters, and I have trouble at some parts of the engine under the hood. The nearest I can figure is the mechanic of the forties and fifties was part orangutan. Any who, you find lots of sage advice here. Joe

Hey Shel, (Stands in front of a podium with nez-pierce spectacles on) Think of the thermostats as temp controlled relays. The 160 starts to open at 160 and is fully open at 175-180. The 180 start to open at 180 and fully opens at 195-200. The thermostats never really stay open at full open unless the car is going slow or in stop and go traffic or if the temp is above 100 degrees. As the cool water from the radiator enters the engine it will cause the thermostat to start to close and restrict the water flow through it, thus maintaining a steady temp in the engine. These old flatheads put out some heat, but with the big radiators the cooling area is double of the modern cars. Plus the fan is always turning to draw air through the radiator, unlike modern cars with a temp relay switch to turn the fan on and off as needed. I had a 180 in my P-15 and after I took the rad to the shop, they told me the flow rate is supposed to be about 20 gallons per minute. Mine was 0 when the started but they got up to about 10 GPM. They also said to soak the rad in dawn dish soap solution for a couple of days to help clean it out. I did and it worked. After all that fiasco my rad was working good. But because I had a 180 in there I was always nervous about the temp sitting at 195-200. I changed to a 160 and my temp has never got above 180. (I drive 30 miles to work and back 3 days a week) plus my manual calls for a 160 unless I am in a northern climate. I live in the panhandle of Fla. and it was 95 or hotter for the entire month of August and most of September as well. Any way, the thermostat, once eng temp is reached, will never fully close but will slowly close and open to maintain the desired temp by restricting the water flow through the engine. The climate also plays a big role in the cooling of the engine, hot and dry, hot and humid, cold and dry, cold and humid, rain, snow etc... affecting the cooling efficiency of the radiator. You made me type this all out just to see if some know-it-all would answer, didn't you? Any way hope this helps. Joe

The 12 volt timing light will work fine. just use a 12 volt battery or a jump pack for the battery source. Joe Lee

Well a final update. I got a hold of a analog multi-meter and the readings on the old VR were pretty much on the money. I also noticed that after the last adjustment I did the VR would read about 15-15 amps+ then slowly go back to about +1 and ride there. It took about 5-10 miles to get there but I am not complaining. The generator is generating, the VR is regulating, and the amp gage is working like a champ. I also set the timing after making a new pointer for the engine, and installed a 160 degree thermostat, and now I am running great and getting 18 MPG at just under 180 degrees on these hot humid Florida days. The last two problems I have are the gas gage not reading right. As far as the gas gage goes, it works but it is not reading right. probably a ground or wiring problem somewhere. And the exhaust manifold that has a hole and a crack at the #1 mount and a crack at the #6 mount. This leads to the Bonnie and Clyde syndrome. It sounds like a machine gun when I am accelerating down the road, and since the sound proofing in these old cars is really low, I can't hear any other problems that might be happening over the TAT, TAT, TATx1000, of the exhaust leak. If any one has an old exhaust manifold laying around, PM me and lets talk. I also posted in the "car parts wanted" section about this. Joe Lee

If you can get a hold of a Motors Manual, that will list the cars and the engine numbers for them. They are listed by type. Chrystler, Desoto, Dodge, Pontiac, Plymouth and so on. I gave the one I was borrowing back to my friend or I could tell you what car that number went to. Joe

Dodgeb4ya said: Why do hubcaps on some of the old plymouths "creak" loud when slowly going around a corner? Well buddy, I'm 54 years old and I creak loud when I get off the couch. (insert rimshot here) On that note, I noticed that my steel rings are slowly walking as well. I'll have to try and get some of those valve stem things too.

If you can do disc brakes, you can do drums. The only difference is the calipers vs. the wheel cylinders for the most part. The master cylinder and plumbing are pretty much the same. At the wheels, the pressure pushes a cylinder piston to push the pads on to the drums. With disc brakes pressure pushes a piston in the caliper to push the pads against the disc. If you don't have one yet, get a service manual. It will tell you all about how to service drum brakes. Easy Peasy. Joe

Sounds like the carb. The idle air mix screw. You might try lowering your idle while opening your air mix screw. Joe

When I first saw your pics, I was like, HOT DAMN!! What a lucky S.O.B. Then I saw the interior pics. Envy was a very strong emotion. Seriously though, Nice find and since it turns over you should have it running in a couple of days. Good luck and welcome to the forums. Joe

I was using a Motor's Repair manual for while on my P-15. When I was looking up the specs for Plymouth I believe the idle for all 40's Plymouths were 450-500 Rpms. Joe

If the needle is moving freely, the temp supplied to the gage from the sensor should set it right. Joe

Man you guys are twisted. Kinda like me. Every one says I'm sick and twisted, but that's not true. I have the heart of a little girl. In a jar... on my desk next to the computer.

Well I changed out the VR and tried to get some voltage readings off it. The digital multi meter I was using was flipping between 4-18 volts like a speed addict, so I couldn't get a decent reading at all. My amp gage was showing a slight negative draw with the key on and not started. When I started the car the gage went to zero. Revved the engine and the gage didn't move. Turned the lights on and the amp gauge went to -25. Revved the engine and no movement on the gage. I talked with my neighbor and he gave me an analog multi-meter. Using that I got steady readings from the genny, VR and the battery. The genny was putting out about 8v @ 3000 rpm's same as the arm and bat tabs on the VR. So I know that part of the system is working. Quick question for all you guys out there. Do you use a digital or analog meter when checking you electrical systems? And why use one and not the other? I tried looking for an answer on the threads but rally couldn't find one. That being said, I think the wiring to my amp meter may be old and grounding out. I am going to try some jumpers today and see if that makes any difference.

Well, took the P-15 out for about 70 miles today. The new VR came while I was out. The car ran good and I got it up to 70 mph today. It still feels like it is running just a little rough, not much though. The VR showed a constant 10-15 amps+ the entire time, but the engine did not miss or spit like before. I ran through some rain and with the lights on, the VR still showed about 5-10 amps+. The engine didn't seem to struggle with the extra load and when I went to idle at a stop the VR would go to zero with the lights off or 20 amps- with the lights on. Step on the gas and the amp gage went back to about 15 amps+. I think the VR is working, just not like it is supposed to. I'll take some voltage readings off it and compare them to the new VR when I install it later on today. That being said, I think the timing might be off just a touch, which make me feel that the car is not quite right at higher speeds. I'll check that this weekend. Joe

You might want to give Berbaughms a call. I called and they had the after market tanks as well as a couple original tanks for my P-15. The after markets were $250 and the originals were $275 I think. Any how I ordered an original and it was in pretty good shape when I got it. Had a little rust in it, but I took a length of chain and put it in the tank and swished the tank around for a while then flushed it with some old gas. No more rust spots in the tank. Also to note that the fuel senders for the after market and the original tanks are not interchangeable. Joe

Thanks for the info Jerry. I drove my car around for a couple miles today and after I got home I let it run above idle with the fast idle cable. Probably about 1000 rpm's, and the amp meter was reading about 20 amps+ when I started and after letting it run for about 20-30 minutes it was reading about 10-15 amps+. I don't know if it's because the genny brushes are wearing in or the battery is taking a slow charge, but the amp meter reading is coming down. I put a battery tester on it yesterday, and it was reading in the green, hit the toggle to simulate a load on the battery for 10 seconds and it moved just a bit but still stayed in the green, so I assume my battery was fully charged. I also checked the output of the genny armature it was putting out 7.4 volts. The battery terminal on the VR was also showing about 7.3-4 volts as well. Same with the arm tab on the VR, 7.4. But the battery itself was only showing about 6.5 on the meter. This was at about a 1000 rpm's. With all that said, I think the VR is pretty close to its supposed standard. I'll double check the readings again when I install the new VR on Friday. Joe

Hey Niel, You're right it was showing a slight charge maybe 1-2 amps positive, but when you revved the engine it would move up until pegged. I just got done with some minor adjustments and now with the engine revved it shows about 25-30 amps+. I think the current limiter is messed up. The circuit breaker works as advertised, but the current and voltage limiters may be out of whack. Not as bad as before I made the adjustments, but with out a bench test set I can't get it spot on. I think it is usable now if I use the headlights as a buffer, this will bring the amp gage down to about 5+. When I get the new VR on Friday, I will see if one of the local shops can set the old one to the proper specs. That way I can have a spare. Joe

shel_ny: You're right. The new one is plug and play, but I won't get it unitl Friday. I'll tinker with the old one and see if I can adjust it to work. It was working after I reinstalled the genny, but it showed a continuous high charge when the engine was reved. The amp meter was pegged positive. I took it out and adjusted the air gaps and now it shows no charge at all. Methinks I got something wrong and I'll recheck everything to be sure. Besides it can't hurt to have a spare VR and it was only $58.00 w/shipping. Joe

Greg G: you were right on the money there with the lights on. Shel_ny: Thanks for the info, While it helps a lot, I don't have the test equipment to do the adjustments. I ordered a new VR from amazon last night, but it wont be here until Friday. I am going to try and set the VR with a simple multi meter, but at best guess it will be mostly trial and error. Between the shop manual and the pdf file shel_ny posted I might get it close. It must be a law somewhere that states your crap will always break on a week end when all the repair shops are closed. Add to that it's a holiday week end as well.

Just played with the VR. Now there is no amp reading on the gage except discharge. Time for a new VR, I guess. Joe

Alright, Update time!! Got the genny back and put it in yesterday evening. Started the car and she ran fine at idle. Amp gage reading about -5. Reved the engine to about 1500, no misses or spits and the amp gage reading +20. Increased the rpm's to about 2500, no misses or spits, amp gage pegged out. Took it for a test drive for about 2 miles today and the engine is doing fine, no misses or spits at high end rpm in any of the gears. The amp gage however, is showing pegged with the higher rpm's. At idle, it is about 0. But as soon as I step on the gas, the amp gage shows an increase until it pegs out. This is at a middle range rpm. The amp gage pegs at about 30-35 mph. And since I don't have an rpm gage, I can't give specific values. All that being said, the car is running great, but the amp gage is worrying me. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Joe

I have the same problem. Turns out my genny was not charging the battery. As the battery got lower on charge the engine would sputter and spit at high end rpm's in all gears. The genny is in the shop being rebuilt now and I will update if this has fixed the problem when I get it back and installed. Joe