Confirmation Please

[mattimuss]

Hey All,

 

Had a weird incident with the '41 today.

 

I had just got her all back together after replacing a broken speedo cable.  She started and idled just fine.  I drove her up the block to pick up Bill, my gearhead buddy, to go for a test drive/milkshake.  When I got to his house I shut her off while I went to get him.  She was shut off less than five minutes.

 

When we came back out she started right up and idled just fine.  I put her in gear and moved forward about ten feet and she died.  Not like a sputtering shut down, more like a switch was turned off and everything just plain stopped.

 

We did some quick testing and found that she wasn't getting any spark.  We pushed her back down to my house [thank God he lives uphill from me!] and started looking deeper into the problem.  We took the high tension coil wire off of the distributor and placed it close to the head, no spark.  After reconnecting the high tension wire, we ran a jumper from the battery to the low tension wire on the coil, she started and ran for a few minutes.  So...we think it's a bad coil.

 

Have we missed anything?  Any other thoughts, or tests that we should run?  Where is the best place to get a new coil [and a spare]?

Edited June 8, 2016 by mattimuss

[TodFitch]

"we ran a jumper from the battery to the low tension wire on the coil, she started and ran for a few minutes". . . Sounds like you aren't getting power to the coil but once you apply power to the coil it runs. I would not consider that a coil problem, maybe something wrong with the ignition switch or the wires to and from it?

[Ulu]

Maybe a bad ballast resistor, if you have a 12 volt conversion, otherwise probably the switch.

 

The coil works or it never would run with a hot wire.

[Eneto-55]

Part of the problem may be that you all never got your milkshakes.

[rb1949]

I hate wiring issues. True, the coil made it run. Can you check power TO that connection, from the switch? Or anywhere in between. How much disassembly was needed to get to the speedo cable? Digging around in there could have created a wire problem/short? Hope there is a logical solution.

[mattimuss]

Hey All, thanks for the help!

 

I went out this evening and tried to start her again, no joy.

 

So I went digging through the box of spare parts my uncle gave me and found an old, used coil.  I didn't have anything to lose so I swapped the coils out...she fired right up.  Guess that answers that question.

 

Is there anyway to field test a coil when it is out of the car?

 

Where is the best place to buy a replacement coil?

 

And Eneto, I think you may be on to something!

[mattimuss]

And the electrical woes continue...

 

I thought that replacing the coil was indeed the fix.  The car started and drove around just fine.  Last Wednesday Bill and I jumped in and headed for the local car show, followed by our club's monthly get together.  She drove just fine to the car show.  After walking around drooling over some really nice classics we headed for the car...no joy, she wouldn't start, no spark.  I got inducted into the "Ride of Shame Club" that night as the AAA driver decided the shortest route to my home was was back through the show.

 

Started chasing wires Thursday night and found that the the 6V hot lead from the ignition switch to the back side of the coil was grounding in the metal ignition switch cable assembly [see pic].  This could explain a lot as I was moving the wire and assembly a lot during the coil change.  I may have twisted it just right to were it wasn't grounding any more.  Then, as we drove to the show, the wire may have move and grounded again.  Thoughts?

 

We completely disassembled the cable assembly and found that the wire was burned black, and the insulation was flaking off, almost half way up to the switch.

 

I have sandblasted and painted the cable assembly.  The inside of the cup that attached to the coil was rusty, so that may have also been causing a grounding problem.  I am going to splice in a new wire, and heat shrink the entire length for added protection.  Hopefully this is the cause of the no start/spark issue.

 

I have decided to rewire the car.  My plan is to do it this coming "winter" when there are no club events.  Hopefully she will run until then...

[mattimuss]

It is alive...alive I tell you!  It lives!  Ha, ha, hahahahaha

[My best Dr. Frankenstein]

 

I just love it when a plan comes together!

OK, enough movie quotes...

 

I put the rebuilt ignition assembly back in Tuesday night, still no spark.  It was late so I wrapped things up.  Went back at it this evening.  I had painted the cup at the end of the assembly that attaches to the coil after cleaning it up.  I went back tonight and cleaned some additional paint off, then cleaned the end of the coil where the cup attaches.  She has spark again!

 

So a funny story for y'all.  All you "veteran" members will appreciate this.

 

I learned something new today.  I had an epiphany last night while I was going over stuff in my head.  I realized that I could crank the engine, by myself, from within the engine compartment by simply pressing the arm that engages the starter.  I know, everyone knows this and I'm behind the power curve.  But, in my novice mind, this is huge!  Now I don't have to wait for someone to come over and help me crank the engine!

 

Now the funny part.  I had just finished putting everything back together and was testing voltage and continuity on all the wires when I remembered what I discovered last night.  So with a big smile on my mug I reached down pressed the starter arm not even thinking that I was still holding on to the high tension wire from the coil...and that folks is when I realized that she had spark again.

 

I'm going to go see if my testicles are still glowing...