Car engines and misfire everyonce in awhile.

[greg g]

Why not just set up one of your spare dists, and drop it in to see if it makes a difference? You have now sugested that 99% of your carburetor problems are electrical, and need to go through the ignition system, again. Also check the wire that goes from the dist to the coil, and make sure the insulating block around the wire and terminal on the dist is in good condition.

[JIPJOBXX]

All new stuff in ignition and the spare distributors are from a different year and won't fit because of configuration of distributor housing. So now I have another question has anyone taken one of these old distributors apart? I have attached a photo of inside of distributor housing with the counter weights removed and it looks like the attachment piece that the springs attach to screws in on threaded shaft. I cannot find any information on this and was wondering if this is the key to removing the shaft that goes through the distributor housing.

[46busboys]

OK, to pinpoint if this is electrical or not and help pinpoint where it it coming from. Get yourself a timing light. hook it up. they usually will work on 6 volts. if not hook up to a spare 12 v battery. clamp on to each plug wire while pointing the light right into your face. do this to each plug wire, you should find the miss pretty quickly if it is electrical. the light will quit flashing in time to the miss. If it is not electrical ... pull each plug wire one at a time, see if the miss stops, this will pinpoint which cylinder it comes from. If not electrical I think I would consider a small valve leak. What do you mean by everything is new... points, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil.... then you talk about wires, rusty plugs and so on.... It is all new or it isn't. Do what I say above and you will find your problem.

[JIPJOBXX]

This is what I replaced

1. Points, breaker plate, breakers all internal wires in distributor, new rotor cap, new rotor.

2. New distributor wires, new coil , new lead wire to distributor, new plugs and boot covers. New plugs all burning good! Nice color on all of them!

3. Timed with timing light and vacuum gage

4. New rebuilt vacuum advance

5. Rebuilt carburetor

6. Checked all vacuum lines to distributor

7. New fuel pump

8. Rebuilt engine

9. Things I have not checked valve leakage

Rotor shaft to see if its over 008" out

recheck valve lifter clearance (But have done that in the past)

10. Take the car down and have it checked out on a diagnostic machine.

11. Given up!

[T120]

11. Given up!

Edited November 24, 2012 by Ralph D25cpe

[JIPJOBXX]

Just went outside a found my old trusty timing light which I have owned for over 55 years!!! Had to take it apart to clean up the lens but will fire up the old Dodge and give it another test! As you guys must know it just a thing that we men or women like to do is figure out things. Its in my DNA and have been playing around with cars for over 55 years. Thanks for all the help and I will win this battle!! It does start up better now with all the new stuff but still it would be nice just to get that engine to run smooth as a baby's butt. Think I will go out this morning an look for a shop that has the old testing equipment and let I hope a mechanic check out my time machine out.

[JIPJOBXX]

Think I will just take a brake from the Dodge and go out and enjoy the crowds shopping madly for that special gift. Maybe at my age I should ask Santa for a nice urn! never know when you might need one!

[Joe Flanagan]

Tupperware, Jon. It's cheaper.

[plyroadking]

All new stuff in ignition and the spare distributors are from a different year and won't fit because of configuration of distributor housing. So now I have another question has anyone taken one of these old distributors apart? I have attached a photo of inside of distributor housing with the counter weights removed and it looks like the attachment piece that the springs attach to screws in on threaded shaft. I cannot find any information on this and was wondering if this is the key to removing the shaft that goes through the distributor housing.

I had one farther apart than that, you have to drive out the pin in the shaft under the dist. Housing, once removed the collar slides down off the shaft. The shaft can then be slid through the dist. Housing. I would not suggest mixing and matching too much with shafts and internals. I tried using a 1940 201 distributer housing and internals with a 230 dist. Shaft, only reason I did it was me being too cheap to buy the vac advance for the 230 dist and had a near new one for the 201. Apparently something changed in those 15 years and now it over advances and she pings when I pull long grades.

[JIPJOBXX]

Finally the car is running really great! I did another recheck of the timing and the gas/air mixture needle valve with probably 95 percent success. It starts up better than it ever did but I have one more thing to check that that is to pull the plug wires out of that sheet metal guide thing on the side of the engine and see if there is a slight leak electricity in that area. I have not taken it out on the road yet but it should have more pep at the top end with the vacuum advance working correctly. If I can find someone who has a diagnostic scope who will just check the whole engine out and at a decent price than I will have that done next week.

[Niel Hoback]

Good idea on the Tupperware, Joe. I was told that I'll be in a Hefty bag at the curb the next morning.

[JIPJOBXX]

Think I will leave that distributor alone and rebuild it with new parts! And then maybe recoup my investment in my old distributor and sell it on e-bay but I haft to find out what year it fits. Anyone have an idea what this distributor is out of?? Part Number 1479583, 1-A-4101, G31G344?

[JIPJOBXX]

Anyone out there want lunch on me? If we can find this resturant with these prices than the outing is on me!!! Ah the good old days when eating out was fun and if you had an extra dime you could play a popular tune right at your booth. Jon

[1941Rick]

Not a burger to be seen.........ahhhh

[Niel Hoback]

While you're reading that, imagine the smell of the creaky wood floors and the whirring ceiling fans.

[Plymouthy Adams]

ordiniary I would fire up the time machine but I have found a rare brontosaurus burger the better meal..just not worth the stop over...

[JIPJOBXX]

Took car out for a test drive and it does have more power now! But whats really different is that I finally got my carburetor adjusted for the fluid drive part of it and it seems to work perfect! My carburetor has two plunger valves and when the car comes to a stop it allows just a little extra gas to flow in the carburetor to keep the engine from stalling. It works so good that I'm still giving the car a little extra gas when I come to a stop-got to get out of that habit! Now to take it down and have a friend check out where that elusive miss!

Just an interesting old rig to check out-Jon

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/1942dodge/PVN931104527.jpg

[JIPJOBXX]

Decided to experiment with taking my carberator oft and installing a spare one that i have that doesn't have the fluid drive freature. Just going to install it and see if that does anything with the miss. It will probably be a waste of time but hay you never know? This will only be a temporary installation.

[randroid]

Jon,

You just wrote high praise for how it's running so well after so long and the most intelligent thing you can think to do with it right now is getting your hands all over it again? I've got to admire your spunk. I'm the same way.

-Randy

[JIPJOBXX]

Well not to leave everyone here hanging in the air and to say thanks for all the advice that I have gotten on this tread. The car is up and running and I do not think it will run any better. Today while messing with the engine a little I notice one of my spark plugs was loose (I do not know how that happen?) but it did. So I tighten that plug and fired up the car once again. Well I know that plug was not all the problems but was just one of the many to cause old Cowdodge to misfire. So now it runs fairly smooth with every once in a while a little put but not all that bad. I think these old six's do run sometimes a little bit erratic but not to a point where they would run like a newer engine would. So now I shall close down the hood for the winter and start other projects. Oh the vacuum advance seems to be working just fine and with my vacuum gage hooked upped the needle does not bounce at all and it is the green zone and holds a vacuum of 23 steady at all ranges.

[Plymouthy Adams]

loose plug will cause problems..usually in a misfire...today's OBD will report this in code form..on my car it is just a simple turn of the key..will not only call the loose plug, will call the cylinder...got to love modern electronics..that is why I like them retrofitted into the old cr shells..

[Jerry Roberts]

[quote=JIPJOBXX; ... my vacuum gage hooked upped the needle does not bounce at all and it is the green zone and holds a vacuum of 23 steady at all ranges.

You have fine vacuum , between 18 to 21 is normal when everything is OK . I always suspected my Harbor Freight vacuum gauge to be faulty as the reading had too much vibration . I bought an American made gauge at a swap meet and it reads steady .

[JIPJOBXX]

Yea I don't think Harbor fright was even thought about when this vacuum gage was bought. I have three and have had them for probably 40 years plus.

Edited December 6, 2012 by JIPJOBXX
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