The Ford Barn

flash9376 · 03-03-2012, 07:25 PM

I recently got my 1930 tudor sedan back from the body after a several month restoration. I have been working to finishing it up in time for spring and have run into one major issue, I cant get a spark. I have researched the issue and checked and rechecked and discovered that something in the distributor is grounding. Ive tried swapping out the upper and lower plates and the body and various combonations of the three but to no avail. The upper plate sparks when it touches the housing and sometimes shocks me and the housing sparks when i touch it to a ground. I had it running before I got the body all fixed up so i dont really know what went wrong. Is there something Im missing or havent tried? Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciate.

P.S. All the wiring, the battery and the coil are new, the distibutor innnards, with the exception of the condenser, are original.

columbiA · 03-03-2012, 07:48 PM

Are you sure the wire under the breaker plate isnt shorting against the inside of dist hsg? you have to be very careful when installing wire to moveable point stud that it wont touch side of hsg when installed. make sure wire is in good condition & not rubbing against coil spring.Also,need to be sure fiber washer washer is under lower side of point stud & steel or brass washer is narrow enough to not touch b-plate or dist hsg.

flash9376 · 03-03-2012, 08:41 PM

Ive made sure nothing is touching and even resorted to puutting electrical tape on every posible contact point I can think of and still nothing. Im beginning to wonder if maybe the problem lies somewhere else, but I cant think where.

Ron W · 03-03-2012, 08:51 PM

Is your coil getting hot? If so, I would check for a short inside the armored cable. The wire from the switch to the distributor could be shorting. Ron W

Fred K-OR · 03-03-2012, 09:21 PM

If your coil is getting hot, could be your switch shorting against your gas tank inside your dash.

BILL WILLIAMSON · 03-03-2012, 09:54 PM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Common problem: armored cable screwed too far into distribbutor, shorting out to main connector strap. They always look screwed out too far when correct. Usually screwed in by only 2 or 3 threads.
just screw it out a little at a time and it might run.
Bill W. (Please let us know, so we can see if we know our s**t or not, so we can help others. Bill W.

johnbuckley · 03-04-2012, 01:17 PM

Start by removing the armoured cable from the distributor and hence identify whether it's a fault in the circuitry leading to the ditrib or whether it's in the distribuotr itself. (Like Bill suggests - possibly armoured cable shorting in the distrib )

RonC · 03-04-2012, 01:28 PM

With the power off. (if you have a pop out, pull the fuse or battery and turn the switch ON so the pop out does not ground out your dist.) Check the point arm and arm stud with a piece of cardboard between the points. there should be no continuity from any part of the point arm to any part of the top plate. use an ohm meter. If there is continuity work backwards starting with the wire between the plates and the bottom plate. Check the lower plate insulated studs. They should be tight. Run an ohm meter from both studs to the lower plate surface to make sure there is no continuity. If all is well, as mentioned, then pull the dist., remove the ignition cable end, reinstall with a jumper wire for the power instead of the switch cable.

Brentwood Bob · 03-04-2012, 02:22 PM

Also check to see if you have succeeded in bending the contact underneath the lower plate if the cable was screwed in too many turns and is grounding out. Bob

Robert · 03-04-2012, 03:06 PM

Be sure that the wire connection at the underside of the points plate (which is the wire from the lower plate) is insulated with the proper disc shaped cardboard insulator... otherwise it can go to earth on the upper plate if disturbed. If you are using the 'modern connector and lower plate'-THROW THEM AWAY. At sometime in the future, the connector WILL shift and earth itself to the upper plate. This condition will put you on the side of the road...in my case, the first location was my driveway, the second location was the bike path of a BRIDGE...I was a slow learner that most of HENRY'S systems were well thought out and executed. Good luck, Andy

flash9376 · 03-05-2012, 11:12 PM

So heres an update for anyone whos interested. I was able to fix the ground in the distributor body, though I have no idea how, something i did must have worked. I still dont get a spark though, I think maybe its the points or the rotor. I noticed when I was fiddling with it that when the wire from the lower plate brushes against the shaft or the body, the coil sparks. I dont know what this means exactly but maybe Im getting close. Anything electrical, no matter how simple, is always a nightmare for me.

RonC · 03-06-2012, 06:38 AM

Are you saying the insulated portion of the wire is sparking when it rubs? Replace it if it is. You should be getting juice up to the movable point arm. Are you? With the key on try rubbing the tip of a small screw driver across OPEN point contacts and see if you get any sparking there. Sometimes the point contacts need to be cleaned with a point file to make contact. The point contacts are what make the ground connection for the coil to work.

This might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJYJ3KvPhhY

03-03-2012, 07:25 PM	#1
flash9376 Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 35	Disrtibutor problems I recently got my 1930 tudor sedan back from the body after a several month restoration. I have been working to finishing it up in time for spring and have run into one major issue, I cant get a spark. I have researched the issue and checked and rechecked and discovered that something in the distributor is grounding. Ive tried swapping out the upper and lower plates and the body and various combonations of the three but to no avail. The upper plate sparks when it touches the housing and sometimes shocks me and the housing sparks when i touch it to a ground. I had it running before I got the body all fixed up so i dont really know what went wrong. Is there something Im missing or havent tried? Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciate. P.S. All the wiring, the battery and the coil are new, the distibutor innnards, with the exception of the condenser, are original.

03-03-2012, 07:48 PM	#2
columbiA Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 1,746	Re: Disrtibutor problems Are you sure the wire under the breaker plate isnt shorting against the inside of dist hsg? you have to be very careful when installing wire to moveable point stud that it wont touch side of hsg when installed. make sure wire is in good condition & not rubbing against coil spring.Also,need to be sure fiber washer washer is under lower side of point stud & steel or brass washer is narrow enough to not touch b-plate or dist hsg.

03-03-2012, 08:41 PM	#3
flash9376 Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 35	Re: Disrtibutor problems Ive made sure nothing is touching and even resorted to puutting electrical tape on every posible contact point I can think of and still nothing. Im beginning to wonder if maybe the problem lies somewhere else, but I cant think where.

03-03-2012, 08:51 PM	#4
Ron W Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Me. Posts: 260	Re: Disrtibutor problems Is your coil getting hot? If so, I would check for a short inside the armored cable. The wire from the switch to the distributor could be shorting. Ron W

03-03-2012, 09:21 PM	#5
Fred K-OR Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Stayton, Oregon Posts: 3,806	Re: Disrtibutor problems If your coil is getting hot, could be your switch shorting against your gas tank inside your dash. __________________ Fred Kroon 1929 Std Coupe 1929 Huckster

03-03-2012, 09:54 PM	#6
BILL WILLIAMSON Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FRESNO, CA Posts: 12,560	Re: Disrtibutor problems Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Common problem: armored cable screwed too far into distribbutor, shorting out to main connector strap. They always look screwed out too far when correct. Usually screwed in by only 2 or 3 threads. just screw it out a little at a time and it might run. Bill W. (Please let us know, so we can see if we know our st or not, so we can help others. Bill W. __________________ "THE ASSISTANT GURU OF STUFF"** Last edited by BILL WILLIAMSON; 03-03-2012 at 09:59 PM.

03-04-2012, 01:17 PM	#7
johnbuckley Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,444	Re: Disrtibutor problems Start by removing the armoured cable from the distributor and hence identify whether it's a fault in the circuitry leading to the ditrib or whether it's in the distribuotr itself. (Like Bill suggests - possibly armoured cable shorting in the distrib )

03-04-2012, 01:28 PM	#8
RonC Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 1,868	Re: Disrtibutor problems With the power off. (if you have a pop out, pull the fuse or battery and turn the switch ON so the pop out does not ground out your dist.) Check the point arm and arm stud with a piece of cardboard between the points. there should be no continuity from any part of the point arm to any part of the top plate. use an ohm meter. If there is continuity work backwards starting with the wire between the plates and the bottom plate. Check the lower plate insulated studs. They should be tight. Run an ohm meter from both studs to the lower plate surface to make sure there is no continuity. If all is well, as mentioned, then pull the dist., remove the ignition cable end, reinstall with a jumper wire for the power instead of the switch cable.

03-04-2012, 02:22 PM	#9
Brentwood Bob Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: brentwood, ca Posts: 4,247	Re: Disrtibutor problems Also check to see if you have succeeded in bending the contact underneath the lower plate if the cable was screwed in too many turns and is grounding out. Bob

03-04-2012, 03:06 PM	#10
Robert Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 99	Re: Disrtibutor problems Be sure that the wire connection at the underside of the points plate (which is the wire from the lower plate) is insulated with the proper disc shaped cardboard insulator... otherwise it can go to earth on the upper plate if disturbed. If you are using the 'modern connector and lower plate'-THROW THEM AWAY. At sometime in the future, the connector WILL shift and earth itself to the upper plate. This condition will put you on the side of the road...in my case, the first location was my driveway, the second location was the bike path of a BRIDGE...I was a slow learner that most of HENRY'S systems were well thought out and executed. Good luck, Andy

03-05-2012, 11:12 PM	#11
flash9376 Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 35	Re: Disrtibutor problems So heres an update for anyone whos interested. I was able to fix the ground in the distributor body, though I have no idea how, something i did must have worked. I still dont get a spark though, I think maybe its the points or the rotor. I noticed when I was fiddling with it that when the wire from the lower plate brushes against the shaft or the body, the coil sparks. I dont know what this means exactly but maybe Im getting close. Anything electrical, no matter how simple, is always a nightmare for me.

03-06-2012, 06:38 AM	#12
RonC Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 1,868	Re: Disrtibutor problems Are you saying the insulated portion of the wire is sparking when it rubs? Replace it if it is. You should be getting juice up to the movable point arm. Are you? With the key on try rubbing the tip of a small screw driver across OPEN point contacts and see if you get any sparking there. Sometimes the point contacts need to be cleaned with a point file to make contact. The point contacts are what make the ground connection for the coil to work. This might help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJYJ3KvPhhY Last edited by RonC; 03-06-2012 at 06:50 AM.