Just listing this to document here in case someone runs across these issues. I've had an ongoing problems with my 34 pickup that I couldn't identify immediately. The 59a engine would occasionally start cutting out during acceleration. When I would feather the gas it would improve some but this problem never went away. I am running an MSD distributor on this. Over the past two years I've tried several things with moderate success but it would always raise its ugly head. In the course of this trial and error I've... Installed new wires and a plenty of sparkplugs. This is what threw me for a loop... I seem to have some improvement by adding a fuel additive to the gas along with mixing in a gallon of high test on each fillup. It would smooth out and run good until I would stop adding this stuff. I originally thought It may have been a valve issue or maybe a carb?? But as long as I could add the additive and keep driving I never pursued it. The last few weeks nothing helped so I started getting serious by tracing each plug wire with a good old fashion in line plug light checker. I found one wire to have a weak and intermediate signal so I changed the wire and no improvement! I cleaned the MSD terminal and BOOM that was it. The signal strength improved and it immediately improved. The fact that feathering the accelerator and the additive improved it initially really made this one confusing to me. I should have done this years ago.
Ha yep! It was the number 8 terminal located on the very bottom of the distributor where it picks up moisture from the road. I bet the boot didn't seal it well enough. Check out my findings after this episode. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8991974#post8991974
I'm running a Mallory electronic crab on my 59a and it keeps getting moisture in it.One time after washing car but next time just sitting in garage.Go figure
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