Help Me -before I go mad

[Admiral]

I've had similar issues in the past with a crab-style distributor. One time there was electrical arcing through a bad reproduction cap. This was an easy fix, just replace the cap. Another time I didn't notice I had the spring/contact strip of one set of points touching the distributor backing plate, which caused it to short out, leading to all kinds of drivability problems.

[petehoovie]

Starting at your 5th paragraph - What 51 MERC-CT said in post #11 - "Have seen similar conditions that were due to a cracked cork sediment bowl gasket (was sucking air not fuel)."

I have also found that neoprene gaskets used at the sediment bowl do not seal as well as cork gaskets and are prone to leaking very easily....

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by Hoop

This is a worn shaft and that's masking tape ... all used to illustrate where the shrink tubing or elec tape would go.


Attachment 429723

Thank you. It's been several years since I had my distributor apart. I had forgotten that the shaft was that way

[Karl]

Originally Posted by solidaxle

All good suggestions, but you're chasing your tail by taking short cuts. Why not do a compression test and hook up a vacuum gauge and go from there.

I Agree fantastic suggestions and has given me much to think about.
Vacuum test is a steady 18-19 inches a little low but has always been at that fiqure Compression equal across all the pots

Karl

[35fordtn]

Karl,
I’d certainly try it without the suppressors and a new set of plugs.

[dumb person]

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I have had this twice.
Once was a points plate not grounding well.
The other is a small amount of movement in the shaft. But it is not worn evenly. Almost like water got in and must have corroded only a small part and now it has movement, but only in one direction

This may or may not prove to be useful in your case.

[Tinker]

It's interesting. Running "solid" copper plug wires I'm guessing also. Which is what you want.

Could be fuel or a blockage/jets too small, since Idle is good and vacuum at idle.... but at top speed, no good. Could rig a vacuum so you can see it in the cab.

But you mentioned that it stalled and wouldn't start till later, Since you replaced plug and condenser. Try a new coil. Rotor or caps could be an issue.

Hows that for narrowing it down!! Best of luck! Post what you find out.


.

[Mart]

Stopping and not being able to restart until it cools down is a typical HT ignition failure. Had it with rotors and caps on a crab.
Actually I had a helmet that did that but I swapped it out for a crab and never got to the bottom of the failure.

Mart.

[Old Redneck]

Did you try another coil wire? Just because it looks good does not mean it is. A coil wire can drive you up a wall. I know first hand.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Mart

Stopping and not being able to restart until it cools down is a typical HT ignition failure. Had it with rotors and caps on a crab.
Actually I had a helmet that did that but I swapped it out for a crab and never got to the bottom of the failure.

Mart.

Mart, I've been following this thread as well, I feel for the guy knowing first hand how frustrating this can be.
I agree with you 100% in what is probably the underlying issue.
However, and to reiterate a bit from my previous post, I had ONE car, a '40 coupe that acted exactly this way. It turned out to be one bad spark plug.
Yeah, we are grasping at straws here...

Ooops, just remembered one other nightmare I'd experienced that sounds a lot like this one. Car, another '40 would run for a bit and cut out just like this one is apparently doing. Turned out (after pulling most of my hair out) that a small piece of fuel tank coating had come loose and would get sucked to the pickup tube within the tank.
Engine would kill and after a while, it would start up again. Little while later, same thing...
Once the vacuum within the fuel line had dissipated, the piece of coating would let go of the pick up tube.

This car demands a very methodical approach to diagnosing the issue.
Seriously - I'd love to have this one in my shop.

[35fordtn]

Originally Posted by Kube

This car demands a very methodical approach to diagnosing the issue.
Seriously - I'd love to have this one in my shop.

Mike I agree, I wish I was closer to him! Given I built his distributor and FP, I am following this closely.

[Bruce_MO]

I'm with Frank Miller... had a similar intermittent spark problem. It was a loose connection at the resister/fuse block.


Good luck!

[Brian]

And from out of left field.....heat riser blown out in the inlet manifold...I experienced this, took me months to figure out....I changed everything electrical numerous times, so convinced was I that it was electrical. Like you, just about drove me mad.

[Hoop]

Karl,

Is this an original '34 distributor with original style strap points?

[35fordtn]

Originally Posted by Hoop

Karl,

Is this an original '34 distributor with original style strap points?

not to answer for Karl, but according to my computer records he has a Early with 11A internals built Feb of 2019

[FlatheadTed]

If can be many things but as suggested wire and alligator clips top of list , On a day out my 35 Coup had to be push started , as soon as I got back to the shop I hot wired it and it started right up after investigating I found a loose wire on the back of the switch ,the stud was not threaded right up ,for the sake of a little split washer .So voltage drop when hot ,

[Karl]

Originally Posted by 35fordtn

Mike I agree, I wish I was closer to him! Given I built his distributor and FP, I am following this closely.

Michael Most of the stuff on it is yours anyway so I trust it-Karl

[Karl]

[QUOTE=Hoop;1885102]Karl,

Yes -Karl

[Karl]

Originally Posted by 35fordtn

not to answer for Karl, but according to my computer records he has a Early with 11A internals built Feb of 2019

Sorry Michael I swapped it out for the old distributor . Which was running fine previously - made no difference -Karl

[Karl]

Just an Update
In desperation I took it to my normal shop to have it looked at . Normally I avoid that because even though my guy is pretty good most shops really struggle to understand the ignition system but just couldn't see the wood from the trees . He thinks he fixed it . What he did was monitored the voltage to the coil when he was driving with some long leads Apparrently the voltage would suddenly flucuate widely as he was driving .He found that one of the wires to the sensor for the Chex Oil Pressure sensor was hanging loose and was he suspected shorting out . He fixed this and it was all good on a test drive . However I had removed the Chex gauge as I was suspicious of it and replaced it with the normal ammeter . Hence the wires to the sensor were an earth wire and and a live feed which was not live anymore (unless the bare end of it was touching something hot under the dash) He also backed off the vacuum brake a little . I will test the car tomorrow -I'm not greatly hopeful but will see tomorrow -Karl