Stupid problems from not follwing good troubleshooting.

[soth122003]

About a month ago, my car died on me a few miles from the house. Towed it back to the house, went to troubleshoot found the points carboned up. Cleaned them, car started just fine for a day or two. Then it was hard starting all the time. Changed the points and condenser, no luck. Check the plugs they were fouled so I changed them (they were about 5 years old and rusty from water in the plug wells), no dice. Checked the timing, since I pulled the distributor and may have put it in 180 out (we've all done it), nope. Put my spark checker inline on the number 1 plug, Sparked in fits and was a yellowish color, AH HA getting some where. Rechanged the condenser (cause you know how the new ones from China are hit or miss) no change. Checked out the rotor and cap, the rotor looked good and the inside of the cap was fine no cracks that I could see and no scoring or arcing. So now my aggravation level is up there since I park the car on the side of the house away from the garage and can't start it to move it, so I'm walking across the yard and back for tools and stuff in 95 degree sunshine and 200 billion percent humidity. So I'm thinking maybe the carb, so I pull it and take it apart, clean it and reassemble put it back in and nothing. Now I'm half bald from pulling my hair out.

 

By the way this is over the course of 3 or 4 days, So after the last attempt and running the battery down for the 3rd time, I'm setting on the porch thinking about dynamite to solve this problem, I started cooling down and realized it has to be the cap and rotor. I mean I changed everything else, the old plugs, the points and condenser with about 20,000 miles on them, cleaned the carb and that was the only thing left. So I order the tune up kit from Andy B's. It gets here on Saturday I open it on Sunday and go to install it. Pulling of the old cap I see the coil wire contact to the cap has green corrosion all over it and the center hole looks like something left in the fridge for about 3 months. My guess is the boot hardened up and the vibration let it weep moisture in there over time. If I would have checked the cap wires sooner when I check the cap, I could have saved myself some heart burn and hair, but for some reason it never crossed my mind that that could be the problem. As much as I've seen on this forum to check the grounds and wires for corrosion (even offered that advice from time to time) it was a brain fart of immense proportions. Oh well live and re-learn. So now I'm ready to reassemble and the cap from Andy B's....It's the wrong cap. It just goes to show that sometimes Murphy can homestead you and there is nothing you can do except wait him out. 

 

I hope you like my tale of woe and maybe learn a little something.

1. It's always something simple on these cars.

2. Proper troubleshooting can never steer you wrong.

And finally 3. Check the %%$#^ grounds and wires for corrosion.

 

Joe Lee

 

 

[John Reddie]

Joe, you are right. Very often a simple connection can create a problem that seems to indicate a failed part. I have learned from reading test procedures that testing for power reaching the components is the first step. Believe me, I have been through what you have and so have others. Learning experiences

John R.

[keithb7]

We all get in a funk from time to time. We can’ see clearly through the self induced fog we create in our heads. We get frustrated further and further. We say it can’t be this or that because we dealt with this or that already.  A fresh set of eyes and a rested brain go a long ways when we get frustrated.  We can do ourselves a favor by walking away for a week or so to cool down.  Not many of the vintage Mopars here are daily drivers, nor our only car. So we often can just walk away and wait ourselves out, to calm down. 

 

I like trouble shooting engine issues with a compression test. A vacuum test. A good known strong battery and fresh highly volatile fuel. Even a little gas in a hand spray bottle! I can usually stay on a good path with all those variables behind me. Lord knows I’m not infallible though.  Everything car related that I learned in the first 40 years of my life, I think I took the most difficult path possible. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by keithb7

[HotRodTractor]

When you do get the correct cap - make sure to toss some dielectric grease in those holes to help keep that corrosion from happening again.

 

I went through almost the exact same scenario with an OT tractor around Labor Day. I fought with that thing.... it would start, but hard and miss something terrible... which really sucks when its only 2 cylidners! Anyway.... I thought I had it, took off down the road and a couple of miles later it was back missing. I left it run along side the road while I got off to troubleshoot it..... I no more and got close to that distributor cap and I got hit with a nice blue arc. Everything was new except the cap and rotor (didn't have them in the shop when I thought I had a spare set). That cap was extra junk..... and the Pertronix setup with the 45Kv coil was doing its job as best as it could. lol