I need help!! Please!!

[tp79557]

Ok by I am super stumped and I need help. I can’t get my Model A to start. I took it to a friend of mine who retired the car back to 6 volts the way it should be. He said he was able to get it to start and run for a little bit. He told me the carburetor needed to be gone through. Cool, so I pick the car up and bring it home, i go through the carburetor, clean everything. Well I found out that the starter needs to be gone through. It wouldn’t turn the car over enough for it to fire. I get an 8 volt battery, and it turns over great. But it won’t fire off. The carburetor is a Weber, not original. I have tested everything from the battery to the points arm, and everything is good. All contact surfaces are clean and are making good contact. There is nothing keeping it from firing. So I am reaching out to someone who knows a little more than me. What am I missing? I’ve read through Les Andrews book front to back and everything is as it should be.

It’s a 30’ Roadster, only thing not original is the Weber carburetor.

Thank you in advance!
Please help me to get it on the road so I can drive it!

[ryanheacox]

I'm guessing you've held the coil wire close to a head stud and checked for spark?

[tp79557]

Yes I have, and there is spark. I even took the cap off and saw spark as the rotor turned.

I’m beginning to think it’s fuel related, like it’s flooded or something, but I have turned it over for 10-15 seconds 5 different times and not even a hiccup.

[Werner]

Hallo tp,
take a small medicine syringe or similar. So you inject some gasoline (1 tablespoon) into the carburetor mouth at full throttle position. Then start the engine. If the engine runs a short time, then the fault lies in the gas supply.

[frank mcdaniels]

To check to see if it’s flooded I would take out the plugs and look at them to see if their wet clean them and set them on the head hook them to the plug wires and turn it over and watch to see if their firing good.Al the other ideas are good to. good luck keep after it , Frank

[ryanheacox]

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Even if it's flooding I would think it should cough and sputter or do something at least. Are the plugs wet with fuel after you crank it for a while?

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by Werner

Hallo tp,
take a small medicine syringe or similar. So you inject some gasoline (1 tablespoon) into the carburetor mouth at full throttle position. Then start the engine. If the engine runs a short time, then the fault lies in the gas supply.

I have done that, and got nothing.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by frank mcdaniels

To check to see if it’s flooded I would take out the plugs and look at them to see if their wet clean them and set them on the head hook them to the plug wires and turn it over and watch to see if their firing good.Al the other ideas are good to. good luck keep after it , Frank

I didn’t think of that, I’ll work on that. Now the problem with checking plugs for spark is I have the metal plug wires, how would I do it with them?

[Charlie Stephens]

If you still have it take the 8 volt battery back and get a 6, that is not your problem. If you have a problem with your starter fix it or use the hand crank. What is the last thing you did before the problem started?

Charlie Stephens

[katy]

I even took the cap off and saw spark as the rotor turned.

If you get a bright spark instead of a weak one at the points, that suggests a bad capacitor.

[oldforder]

I wonder if you have a strong enough spark? Sometimes people think that if the spark jumps the gap of a spark plug(maybe .035). that is good. I have a spark tester plug that is just a regular plug with the ground electrode broke off. Good spark will jump to the case of the plug. If you have gas, spark and compression, it will run. Unless it is way out of time either ignition or valves.

[Ernie Vitucci]

Good Morning...You might want to change the condenser and then also check the connections on the back of your amp meter and the ignition switch...sometimes they become loose and can even short to the tank. Clean the tank in that area and put some electrical tape behind the amp meter and the ignition switch...Good Luck, Ernie in Arizona

[canadian]

Hey TP, grab a cup of coffee and sit in your A , does your horn blow? does your lights work?, key on does amp meter twitch?..outside ...fuel bowl full of gas? coil wire attached to coil and cap? let us know....

[nick c]

You might do a compression check and report back to us.
carry on nick c

[Jim/GA]

When you converted it back from 12 volts to 6 volts, did you replace the coil? If you are using a 12 volt coil now on 6 (or 8) volts, the spark will be weak.

Or, if previous conversion to 12 volts added an external ballast resistor to the coil, did you remove it when going back to 6 volts? Leaving that ballast resistor in will also give you a weak spark with 6 or 8 volts.

When using Weber carb, are you also using a fuel pump? Is it working? If no fuel pump, how full is the gas tank? If you are relying solely on gravity feed, is is better when the tank is more full.

Hope this helps.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens

If you still have it take the 8 volt battery back and get a 6, that is not your problem. If you have a problem with your starter fix it or use the hand crank. What is the last thing you did before the problem started?

Charlie Stephens

I plan on using the 6 volt battery, unrelated issue with the starter, which I plan on fixing. The starter needs rebuilding and I was making sure that was the issue by using the 8 volt battery to turn it over enough.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by oldforder

I wonder if you have a strong enough spark? Sometimes people think that if the spark jumps the gap of a spark plug(maybe .035). that is good. I have a spark tester plug that is just a regular plug with the ground electrode broke off. Good spark will jump to the case of the plug. If you have gas, spark and compression, it will run. Unless it is way out of time either ignition or valves.

I haven't checked the gap on the plugs, but I will. When I took it to my friend, he rewired it and timed it to get tit to run. So all of that should be good, I don't understand why it won't run.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by Ernie Vitucci

Good Morning...You might want to change the condenser and then also check the connections on the back of your amp meter and the ignition switch...sometimes they become loose and can even short to the tank. Clean the tank in that area and put some electrical tape behind the amp meter and the ignition switch...Good Luck, Ernie in Arizona

I will give that a check, thank you.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by canadian

Hey TP, grab a cup of coffee and sit in your A , does your horn blow? does your lights work?, key on does amp meter twitch?..outside ...fuel bowl full of gas? coil wire attached to coil and cap? let us know....

The horn and lights aren't hooked up right now. The plan is to get the car running and then worry with the horn and lights. The coil wire is attached to the coil and to the cap.

[tp79557]

Originally Posted by Jim/TX/GA

When you converted it back from 12 volts to 6 volts, did you replace the coil? If you are using a 12 volt coil now on 6 (or 8) volts, the spark will be weak.

Or, if previous conversion to 12 volts added an external ballast resistor to the coil, did you remove it when going back to 6 volts? Leaving that ballast resistor in will also give you a weak spark with 6 or 8 volts.

When using Weber carb, are you also using a fuel pump? Is it working? If no fuel pump, how full is the gas tank? If you are relying solely on gravity feed, is is better when the tank is more full.

Hope this helps.

Yes the coil was replaced with a 6 volt coil. I'm not sure I know what an external ballast resistor is. Everything was taken off that wasn't needed except for a glass fuse from the 6 volt alternator.

I haven't used the gravity fed fuel just yet, I'm pouring fuel directly in the carb just to get the car running. Once I have gotten to run, then I'll look at the gravity fed fuel situation.