Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Mike Romain wrote:
> I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.

OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
these days know nothing about. :) (1)

Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.

(1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.

--
DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Mike Romain wrote:
> I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.

OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
these days know nothing about. :) (1)

Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.

(1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.

--
DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Mike Romain wrote:
> I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.

OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
these days know nothing about. :) (1)

Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.

(1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.

--
DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

I agree!

I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
condenser (capacitor).

I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
distributer cap/rotor.

I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
weld your points together in a very short time.

Merrill

I believe your
DougW wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
>
> OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> these days know nothing about. :) (1)
>
> Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
>
> (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

I agree!

I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
condenser (capacitor).

I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
distributer cap/rotor.

I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
weld your points together in a very short time.

Merrill

I believe your
DougW wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
>
> OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> these days know nothing about. :) (1)
>
> Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
>
> (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

I agree!

I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
condenser (capacitor).

I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
distributer cap/rotor.

I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
weld your points together in a very short time.

Merrill

I believe your
DougW wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
>
> OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> these days know nothing about. :) (1)
>
> Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
>
> (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

I agree!

I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
condenser (capacitor).

I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
distributer cap/rotor.

I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
weld your points together in a very short time.

Merrill

I believe your
DougW wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
>
> OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> these days know nothing about. :) (1)
>
> Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
>
> (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Now that I've had a few more minutes to think about this I have a
suggestion. Next time you are there, you could remove the distributer
and take it to someone who has one of those old Sun distributer
analyzers. It takes 1 minute to se
merrill wrote:
> I agree!
>
> I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
> minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
> condenser (capacitor).
>
> I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
> ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
> severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
> distributer cap/rotor.
>
> I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
> it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
> weld your points together in a very short time.
>
> Merrill
>
> I believe your
> DougW wrote:
> > Mike Romain wrote:
> > > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
> >
> > OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> > these days know nothing about. :) (1)
> >
> > Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> > the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> > last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> > the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> > feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
> >
> > (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
> >
> > --
> > DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Now that I've had a few more minutes to think about this I have a
suggestion. Next time you are there, you could remove the distributer
and take it to someone who has one of those old Sun distributer
analyzers. It takes 1 minute to se
merrill wrote:
> I agree!
>
> I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
> minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
> condenser (capacitor).
>
> I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
> ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
> severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
> distributer cap/rotor.
>
> I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
> it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
> weld your points together in a very short time.
>
> Merrill
>
> I believe your
> DougW wrote:
> > Mike Romain wrote:
> > > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
> >
> > OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> > these days know nothing about. :) (1)
> >
> > Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> > the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> > last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> > the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> > feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
> >
> > (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
> >
> > --
> > DougW

Re: Engine dies and can't figure out why
 

Now that I've had a few more minutes to think about this I have a
suggestion. Next time you are there, you could remove the distributer
and take it to someone who has one of those old Sun distributer
analyzers. It takes 1 minute to se
merrill wrote:
> I agree!
>
> I had a 1974 Mustang that died suddenly and wouldn't start. Twenty
> minutes later it started and ran for 10 minutes. The problem was the
> condenser (capacitor).
>
> I would suspect the condenser failing and shorting the coil input to
> ground, an overheated coil, the points temporarily welding together (or
> severely pitted to make bad contact) or possibly a defective
> distributer cap/rotor.
>
> I would disconnect the condenser temporarily when it fails and see if
> it starts. If that works, replace it immediately or you will certainly
> weld your points together in a very short time.
>
> Merrill
>
> I believe your
> DougW wrote:
> > Mike Romain wrote:
> > > I would be thinking points and condenser. Maybe even the hold down
> > > foot on the distributor. I have seen that rusty on some old engines
> > > so the points or distributor wasn't grounded.
> >
> > OOOO.. Points! Now there is something I bet quite a few folks
> > these days know nothing about. :) (1)
> >
> > Lemme try to remember.. the little braided wire corrodes,
> > the points wear and don't match flat, the spring sproings its
> > last sproing, the condenser goes out and your radio picks up only
> > the buzzzzzzzzz station just before the points arc out. And a
> > feeler gauge is not for setting spark plug gaps.
> >
> > (1)Except the car nuts and us older than dirt folk.
> >
> > --
> > DougW