1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe

[Guest BudaHotRod]

1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe

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"Now that I've found where to post this"

Hello to all. This my first post. I know this web site says P15-D24, 46-48 but as the title says, mine is a 1950 P20. I figured you guys could help me get mine back on the road. I have had this car since March and it had been running like a top. It suddenly lost power one day driving home. To make a long story short...Blew the head gasket, changed same, put everything back to spec and now I can't get it to fire. Found condensor bad, changed that. Have good spark at the points but seems weak at the plugs. My manual is vague on the the position of the distributor as it relates to where #1 plug would be so my wires could be wrong but I would think it would still give a sign of fireing. Is a weak spark indicative of a bad coil ? I can spray starter fluid down the carb and it won't even attempt to light off. I need some tech help and guidance to get this baby back on the road.

BudaHotRod

[bob westphal]

Just some thoughts. If you didn't move the distributor (which you wouldn't need to do to change a head gasket) it should run. #1 on my '51 engine is at 6 o'clock. The distributor only goes in 2 ways. Roll the engine up to TDC on compression on #1 cylinder & check where the rotor is pointing. You can use this for #1 plug wire on the cap. It doesn't really matter which teminal you use for #1 as long as the engine is on #1 TDC compression stroke. If the plug wiring and timing aren't the problem, you might try testing with another plug hooked to the plug wire. If the spark increases you have bad plugs. Also check to see if you have excess gas laying in the manifold by looking down the carb throat. These engines flood quite easy and can be a bear to start that way. Some have a drain plug on the bottom of the intake manifold to drain excess fuel out. You might need to clear the excess gas out by blowing compressed air into the cylinders. Even though it can be hazardous with open flame around, it does work. So don't smoke when your doing this!

Bob

[Guest BudaHotRod]

I appreciate the input Bob. I had moved/ rotated the distributor initially when I began troubleshooting it prior to finding the head gasket blown. Another forum member also advised to squirt some oil in the cylinders to re-establish compression. I had a compression check done (dry) and the #'s from 1 through 6 were 20,20,30,30,0,0. The car had been sitting about a month when that was done. The head gasket was blown between 5 & 6. I did wipe the cylinders out with paper towls prior to putting the head back on because of some anti freeze spilling. What's your take on the compression end of it ?

[bob westphal]

Did you have the head plained? Take another compression check wet (oil squirted in the plug holes) and see if it improves. You're going to need more compression that you got on the initial check to make it run!!! If the compression is still below 50-60, the rings might be stuck or worn out. Also, listen for air at the carb while cranking it. If you hear air blowing back through the carb you might have stuck or burned valves. Good luck.

[Guest BudaHotRod]

Did not do any machine work. Just changed the head gasket, wires and condensor. I'll let you know what I find. I did rotate the engine by hand and watched all the valves and pistons move though.

[greg g]

You say you changed the wires, and turned the distributor. My guess is yo may have the wires off one positon on the distributor cap, or you don't have the wires fully seated in the cap. Factory spec is the rotor to be pointing at 7 oclock when number 1 piston is at TDC. Over the years this may have changed if the engine was rebuilt and the oilpump which drives the distributor, was indexed to the cam in a different position. It doesn't really matter as long as Number one is lined up to the distributor cap's tower going to the number 1 plug. Then just assure the correct firing order follows whereever number 1 is indexed. Do you have a manual? If so follow the static timing procedured outlined there.

[PatS....]

You guys also keep mentioning the wire inside the distributor that alot of you have had trouble with. I think someone even has a picture of the wire.

I'm not that far along yet (don't even have distributor yet)

[Jim Yergin]

You might want to check out an early thread I started called "What am I overlooking?" That thread contains numerous suggestions for my "no start" problem.

Jim Yergin

[Reg Evans]

You might want to check out an early thread I started called "What am I overlooking?" That thread contains numerous suggestions for my "no start" problem.

Jim Yergin

Jim, did you get yours started? If so what was the problem.

[Jim Yergin]

Reg,

I am in the process of charging the battery back up to see if flooding was the problem. Unfortunately we developed a sewage line leak from the pump tank to the septic field at our house so my time has been spent lately digging and trying to find the leak. I haven't had time yet to get back to the car.

Jim Yergin

[james curl]

Have you gotten your Plymouth running again? If so what was the trouble? The answer might help someone here in the future.

[Lou Earle]

Before doing the head gasket and you moved the motor or rotated the motor some BUT did not change the wiring on the dist cap then when u re installed the dist it was 180 degrees off. The dist can only go in 2 ways so it looks like you are 1/2 rotation of dist off. My 46 has the #1 at 2 pm all others the #1 is at 7 pm.

The spark at the plug might appear weak but it always does outside the camber.

I just removed the dist from my 4 door taxi to install a starter( got some good ideas on that if anyone wants them - old starter out and rebuilt in in 1 hour flat) and forgot to look where rotor button was located and son was tinkering and hit starter button before I got dist in so engine had rotated to somewhere. Installed dist - no fire - re installed turned 1/2 turn fired right up. Try that.

Also I would seriously doubt the compression reading. I don't think any engine can run smoothly on that compression but I can tell you by my experience recently that compression will INCREASE on an old engine that has not been run in a while if you will run a while hard( after warmed up) for about 50 to 100 miles-Why I do not know, but I think the valves get unstuck and everything get oiled well etc. I can really tell a difference in my 48 which was supposed to have a bad motor . Several of us heard the motor after about 60 miles and thought we heard a knock.However now after 1000 or so miles -no knock that I can hear and runs much better- leaks oil but not burn any that I can tell. And accelerates much better. After the 60 miles it was much better now really good.

Get that sucker fried up and run 5 gals of gas thru it with a pint of sea foam in it and I bet u will see a huge improvement. I needs a good blowout cleaning . Besides, if I am wrong you have done nothing but reverse the dist and run a pint of cleaner thru the engine.

Also make sure the coil is going to the dist correctly-if you have a pos ground system the pos side of the coil goes to the dist and the neg to the ignition switch.

Lou

[Jim Yergin]

Thanks Lou. The first time I tried to start the car I discovered the distributor was off 180'. Once I reinstalled it correctly it started right up. Then I had the problem with the missing vavuum line carb fitting and flooding.

James,

I still haven't got the car started. I finally resolved the septic line problem and can get back to the car but now I think I have a battery issue. The engine cranks over too slowly to start. I bought the battery at Tractor Supply last June so I took it in to the store. They tested it with a hand-held tester and said it was OK. I then replaced my #1 gauge battery cables with 2/0 cable thinking that would help. It did a little but not enough. I am going to take the battery back because it will not hold a charge even after I have had it on the charger and the hydrometer reading remains in the red even when the charger indicates that the battery is charged (I have tried three different chargers with the same results).

Hopefully a new battery will allow me to get it restarted.

By the way, I got my new battery cables from The Brillman Company in Mount Jackson, Virginia. They advertise in Skinned Knuckles and I highly recommend them. The owner was a pleasure to deal as I watched him assemble my cables and solder the terminals on. I went in person but most of his business is mail order.

Jim