Projects My Flattie Won't Run Anymore!

You know that old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I picked up this '47 Ford sedan about a month ago and once I got it home, a little fuel, a battery & it fired right up, ran well. I started to clean things up, rebuilt the fuel pump, de-greased the engine etc. Now The Thing Wont Run!
I pulled the carb & went through it, seems to be doing it's job. I didn't think I was getting spark, changed the coil, pulled the distributor I checked it out. The cap seemed bad so I replaced it with a better one I had. The thing is getting fuel, has spark now & still has compression. What The Heck Is Going On!

 

Fouled plugs?? Maybe a fresh set of champions

 

Bad ground? Mine ran fine until it got hot and wouldn't restart if I shut it down. Grease under the ground would heat up and mess with my connection.

 

The traditional thing to do is replace it with a small block Chevy. Hope you get it going.

 

Are you sure your getting a hot spark? While cleaning the engine it would be easy to mess up the ignition system somewhere. Condenser's are a common issue. If you have fuel and a spark and anywhere near correct timing something should happen! It should at lease fire even if it doesn't run correctly.

 

Coil?Good HOT spark?Recheck timing after you pulled the dist?

 

Are the plug wires in the proper firing order, and at the correct location? I've seen way too many cap changes the result in the plug wires being in the wrong order.
Bring # 1 up on compression and check your firing order from #1 (and in the correct direction). Gene

 

I missed the "pulled dist" part, that would explain a lot!

 

I suspected maybe a grounding issue. Checked it with the meter & it appears to be ok. I might replace my straps just i case.

 

It's got the stock wires, cap etc. It's all marked. Pretty hard to crew up.

 

Grounding issues will affect how the starter works...does it still crank? if so, that's not the problem.

I would start by triple checking the timing and firing order, make sure the coil is producing a spark when you crank the engine. Then put a set of BRAND NEW spark plugs in it, and see if it starts.

 

That's what I'm saying. I pulled a plug grounded it and checked for spark while cranking. Looked like a nice hot spark. I'm still not sold though.

 

If you have a spark and fuel and even close timing it will fire! Must have a timing issue.

 

Got a kill switch? did ya throw it to run? BTDT
-Pat

 

The first two things you did was rebuild the fuel pump and degrease. then it didn't work. I would look at fuel.

maybe drizzle a little gas straight down the carb and see if it fires.

Yes I know you said your getting fuel....

 

Is your fuel burnable? or is it a slug of water!

 

You know that the number 1 cylinder is on the right front on a flathead?

 

Looking under the hood it will be the right front, just to clerify.

 

It ran after I rebuilt the fuel pump. After degreasing the engine is when it wouldn't run anymore. I wondered if when I went through the carb if I might have screwed something up so poured some fuel down the throat still nothing.

 

A month ago, a little fuel . . .
Where did this fuel come from? A can? Was it fresh? Was there fuel in the tank?
I think I would make sure the can getting to the carb is good. Maybe try some starting fluid or take the line off and put some good gas into the carb.

 

The p***enger side for us Americans.

Since the washing of the engine seems to be the fatal blow, I now think he should look at anything that could have been ruined by water. Wet distributor, carburetor, coil, condensor. Look for corrosion on all wiring terminals at these places.

 

Well hell, I was pretty sure I knew where #1 was before y'all started all that ****, now I'm confused again.
If you're "looking under the hood", there's a good chance you'll be looking at the engine from the front, hence right front cylinder would actually be to your left.
Right ......?

 

Did you paint the engine after degreasing? Then it may/probably could be a ground. If you degreased with the dizzy on then I'd look at the condenser. I ***ume we are talking about a 59a here also.

Also check the spark on a head stud not the plug.

Condenser read. Napa IH200. Or send it all to bubba to get dialed in.
http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135811&highlight=condensor gmc bubba

 

The car only has one right side, it's on your right when you sit in the car!.... If the plugs aren't fowled and you pour food gas in it it should make a bang or pop or something if the spark is good ,...I've seen spark look good with the plug out but it won't jump the gap under compression...if it's a 48 or older motor it's got the front mounted distributor right? They will only go back on and volt up if they are "clocked" right I believe so timing should be right.....i would suspect weak spark due to moisture ( coil or condenser maybe)...also run a jumper wire from the battery to the coil to eliminate switch and connection issues. One more thing, I have a ford tractor that every 6 months or so starts,runs about 8 seconds then sputters out like its starving for fuel,let it "rest" a minute and it does the same thing but if I put a condenser in the distributor it runs fine!....I would try a condenser first.....please let us know what you find!


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King ford beat me to it......

You could always run a jumper to the coil to see if the wires were compromised by the cleaning. Just dont leave the wire on to long or you will boil out the coil. (6volt? or converted to 12v?)

 

How can I test the condenser?

 

A

Still 6V

 

Personally I wouldn't wouldn't bother testing it. Napa ih200 is a decent replacement, get a couple. You have to test it when it's hot also to do a complete test.

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151172&highlight=testing condenser

Should have around 3.5 - 4v at the coil.

More on the IH200 and the FA54
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71908&showall=1

 

Thanks everyone for you input & help so far. I'm headed to the Monroe swap meet this weekend & am bringing along the distributor. I'm going to try and pick up a new condenser & ask a bunch of questions. Thanks.

 

Be carful what you buy for a condenser, you might go through a dozen to come up with a usable one. Most distributor folks claim original Ford condensers are all toast even if NOS. There are very few good condensers around, that is why the NAPA recommendation.