Possible startup tomorrow

[Niel Hoback]

Backfiring thru the carb probably because its running way to lean. Try filling the carb bowl and see if it will start and run a minute or two. Blow out the line to the tank and check for air leaks at the connections? I wish I could be there with you.

[Joe Flanagan]

Niel, I will have to try those things next weekend. Unfortunately, I have to do stupid things like go to work, etc. etc. I removed the fuel pump and disassembled it and it is nice and clean. The lever operates well, all parts are intact. Didn't take the top off the carb since I could see gas going down the throat when I pulled on the throttle. I figured that meant there's gas in the bowl. Will check later.

Here's some pics from yesterday's proceedings:

[Don Coatney]

Looks a bit different than it did when I was last there.

[Joe Flanagan]

I guess all those hours have had some effect. Besides keeping me entertained, that is.

[Rodney Bullock]

You will get it Joe, it's probally in the ignition system buy the way who is that good looking cat in your garage. He is sinister:D

[Joe Flanagan]

Frankie, I think I might have a blockage before the pump. I tested it yesterday and the engine will crank several times with no fuel coming out, then there will be two squirts and then nothing for the next several cranks, two squirts, etc. When I had the engine running last summer, the pump shot fuel out at quick, regular intervals and it is definitely not doing that now.

I have a filter between the tank and the pump, which might be clogged. Gas tank was dipped at one of these chemical stripping places and the inside of it looked very clean when I inspected it. You never know, though, what might have remained in the tank and what might have gotten loose.

[Joe Flanagan]

You will get it Joe, it's probally in the ignition system buy the way who is that good looking cat in your garage. He is sinister:D

Rodney, I have a spark. Just ask my neighbor. He was holding on to the wire when I turned the engine.

That's me in the garage, by the way. The other juvenile delinquent, I don't know who he is.

[Don Coatney]

Rodney, I have a spark. Just ask my neighbor. He was holding on to the wire when I turned the engine.

Is that why he is grinning:D

[Joe Flanagan]

That picture was taken before I convinced him to hold the wire.

[Joe Flanagan]

Today I reconfirmed that I have a good strong spark. I pulled the top off the carb and discovered there is fuel in the bowl and the needle is clean and operating freely. But when I pull the throttle, no gas goes down the throat of the carb. What does this mean? Obstruction somewhere? The float height looks a little low to me. I believe the factory spec is 5/64, which is where I set it when I rebuilt the carb. I put a straight edge across the top of the carb and looked at the gap between it and the top of the float and it looks like more than it should be. Float is up and needle closed, by the way.

[Jerry Roberts]

If the fuel in the bowl looks only a " little " low , that isn't the problem . The accelerator pump has a leather part for the plunger , these can dry out and need to be soaked in oil . Also there is a port or chamber that often gets plugged up , the passage way goes from the bottom of the accelerator plunger to a port in the center of the throat (venturi) . There is an aluminum plug on the outside of the carborator that can be popped off to get access to the passageway .

[Rodney Bullock]

Joe, there is a plunger in that carb sometimes when the motor has not been run it gets dry. When gas is introduced to it the plunger will flop out or turn inside out in it's clylinder. When you have the top of the carb off move the plunger up and down it makes a sound that tells you it's working.

Your tank is built proof, if you question the pump just pull the line and turn over the motor gas should be all over the place. Hey have the guy next door hold the line near his head:rolleyes: hope he smokes if he don't he will.

[Don Coatney]

I The accelerator pump has a leather part for the plunger , these can dry out and need to be soaked in oil .

You nailed it. Soak the leather diaphram in oil overnight.

[Joe Flanagan]

Disassembled the carb this afternoon. The leather plunger is in good shape. It's wet with gasoline and seems to operate freely. I pulled out the aluminum plug that gives access to what I think is the main metering jet but I can't be sure. It's hard to tell how these passageways run. I don't see how the leather plunger would force gas into the throat of the carburetor since I can't see a connection between it and the two ports in the throat. I know that this is in fact what it does but the way it happens is not clear to me.

Anyway, everything looks clean in there. I blew out the passageways with compressed air and set the plunger in a little oil just to be safe. Tomorrow I'll clean the whole thing out with carb cleaner and reassemble. I'm thinking there's some blockage in the passageway that runs from the bottom of the bowl into the throat.

[Rodney Bullock]

There is a big scare around here concerning the rubber parts in our fuel systems. There is a special rubber the guy's that rebuild our fuel pumps, carb's and anything that comes into contact with ethenol. I have my generator in the shop and the guy thinks I need a carb because it has not been run in a year or two.

[Joe Flanagan]

When I rebuilt my fuel pump I got the kit from Antique Auto Parts Cellar. They say their rubber is made to withstand ethanol.

I cleaned out the carb and it looks like I had something blocking the main metering tube. I shot compressed air into the passageway and got no air coming out of the ports in the throat of the carb. Blew out all the passages, let it sit overnight, and the next morning, everything was clear. I cleaned it up well with carb cleaner and now I know that passageway is clear. Though the leather cup on the accelerator piston was wet with gasoline, it might have shrunk some from sitting for eight months. I followed advice and soaked it in oil and will reflare it as per the manual.

[Joe Flanagan]

I should change the name of this thread to "Possible Startup Sometime in the Possibly Foreseeable Future, Possibly."

If you're following Aero's thread, I'm having the same issues he is. I have a spark, I have fuel, but all I get is the occasional backfire through the carb. I went to check my timing a minute ago and discovered something interesting. I grabbed the fan and went to rotate the engine to line up the timing mark and hear a grinding, clicking noise. My first thought was that the starter was engaged with the flywheel. I dropped the starter, tried to turn the engine and that was the problem. Seems like the pinion gear on the starter is not retracting. I hooked it up to a pair of cables off the battery and it spins nicely but I can't tell if the bendix is acting right or not. The starter has new brushes and new bushings.

Anyway, what I had intended to do with the timing was see if the rotor was pointing at 7 o'clock when the timing marks were aligned. It was. And I also know that when those two are in synch, the marks on the crank and cam gears are also aligned. Could I be 180 out?

OK, so that's two questions. Humor me.

[BobT-47P15]

Joe, if you're 180 out, you can (at least for test purposes) change

the order of the spark plug wires in the cap.....to make them match

up. That's what the fellow who worked on the coupe motor did.

[aero3113]

Joe I wish we had our cars together right now, if you were 180 out the rotor would be pointing to the 1 O-clock position

[Joe Flanagan]

Just thought I'd mention that I have bypassed both the ignition switch and the starter solenoid. I believe the switch is malfunctioning and I have confirmed that the solenoid is not passing current beyond the battery terminal. I've got it set up so all I have to do is ground out the positive battery cable and the thing will crank.

[Jim Yergin]

Joe,

Have you static timed your engine? Have you double checked the order and placement of your spark plug wires? I had a similar problem on one of my start-ups, and it turned out to be timing. One time I was 180' off. Another time my wires were one place off on the cap.

I know you will get it. Good luck.

Jim Yergin

[Joe Flanagan]

Jim,

I checked the placement of the spark plug wires and they are correct. Once I get my starter figured out, I will try flipping the distributor 180 and see what happens.

[Joe Flanagan]

I was just testing my solenoid to see why it's not working. Attached to the inner fender well, it is inoperative. I removed it, grounded it against the positive battery post and touched the small terminal with the negative battery cable. The solenoid works. Works every time I try it like this. I figured maybe the problem was that I had painted the fender well with POR-15 and it didn't have a good ground. This was not a problem when I had the engine running last summer, by the way. So I took a grinder and removed the paint from where the solenoid mounts but it still does not work. The hood and fenders are off the car right now. I have the inner fender well on the drivers side temporarily attached to the car, since it carries the battery, the solenoid, etc. I have it loosely attached with a couple of bolts at the radiator support. Could this be the problem? That it's not attached firmly enough to the car and will not serve as a proper ground?

[greg g]

make sure you have good grounds from the inner fender to the frame. If everything is newly painted or undercoated, you need to make sure you have a good circuit. For the purposes of testing, groud the solenoid to the engine with a jmper wire. You may also have no ground between the starter and the engine because of new paint.

[Don Coatney]

My first thought was that the starter was engaged with the flywheel.

What disengages the starter gear from the flywheel is the flywheel spinning faster (IE engine fires) than the starter gear.

However it sounds to me like you are missing a bunch of ground connections and not getting to the point that the engine has the three things necessary to run. Did you use star washers during the reassembly of critical electrical ground points?