Starting Troubles

[59bisquik]

I just got a new battery and tossed it in the truck. It still wont start but turns over better.

 

I checked the carb and it has fuel in it and also tried using starting fluid and it doesnt even try to fire.

 

I pulled the distributor cap off and looked for tight wires and moving points. Then pulled the spark plug and set it on the head. It gets a very weak orange spark.

 

I have 5.8V at the coil primary side. I also tried swapping out the coil with no change.

 

I am ready to upgrade to the Pertronix unit and Flame Thrower coil. Am I missing anything else? I feel silly with such a simple system.

 

Since starting fluid doesnt even make a difference, I am leaning towards the ignition as the culprit.

 

 

[JBNeal]

that spark should be a bright white with a blue streak to it...that voltage should be more than 6V on a fully charged battery

[59bisquik]

I have 6.42 volts at the battery and 5.8 at the coil.

 

I tried using an old battery to power the coil while cranking so that I didnt get a voltage drop from the starter, no difference.

Edited October 1, 2015 by 59bisquik

[DJ194950]

while I,m all for  he Pertronix update when appriopriate , Start by filing the points and setting the point  gap.( 0.016- 019), clean the cap and rotor contact points and try again.

 

My thoughts, good luck,enjoy the project!

[Plymouthy Adams]

odds are unless you get a good spark with stock points and such..you wmay not get the Pertronix to do any better....something is rotten in Denmark..check your wiring closer and test for point having high resistance

[Don Coatney]

You need 3 things to run. Compression, gasoline, and spark delivered at the correct time. What are you missing?

[MBF]

I'd run a hotwire from the negative post of the battery (the hot side in a postive grounded vehicle) to the coil directly to eliminate all of the wiring as the problem and see what happens.   Make sure all connections are clean and tight. 

[NiftyFifty]

What have and haven't you done to the ignition system? I would check all your plug wires, make sure they are healthy, clean and Gap the points, make sure the button on the distributor is good....I had a very similar issue with mine this year...button burnt just enough that I was getting weak or no spark, then play with it and it would spark good for a moment, then back to nothing. Best idea if it hasn't been running for a long time....replace all wear components...plugs, wires, cap, rotor and points and condenser

[Jeff Balazs]

If it were me I would start by putting in fresh points and condenser, cap and rotor and perhaps plugs and wires. Do you know what plugs are in it and are they gapped correctly? Autolite 306 plugs gapped at .035" generally work well.

 

Hope this helps, Jeff

[59bisquik]

Persistence (and a spare box of carbs and distributors) paid off. The accelerator pump was not working and I cleaned all the plugs up since Autozone doesn't even stock them. Swapped distributor caps with my spare and she runs great! Thanks for all of the tips.

I thought for sure it was ignition since it wouldn't fire on starting fluid... Looks like I was wrong.

Edited October 3, 2015 by 59bisquik

[Don Coatney]

I bought this spark plug sand blaster several years ago for about fifteen bucks. It has paid for itself many times over the years.

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Glad you found the problem.

 

Jeff