Starting Questions, Questions, Questions

[Cape Codder]

Tried to help a new member of the Club who's car wouldn't start.
Checked for 6V power at the starter, both sides of the terminal box, both sides of coil. Also OPENED the points and put a piece of cardboard between them and had 6V there with the key turned ON. After checking those points still NO start.

So we got behind dash panel and found 6V on each side of REPO switch. Turned switch on and only had 2V on each side. So power was shut off at the cutoff switch and then installed a jumper wire from each of the TWO wires at the ignition switch, then turned cutoff switch back on and started car.

Original switch that was in car when we started and a second ignition switch were checked for continuity and both checked good. Sooooooo are both of these ignition switch internally shorted????

[Gary WA]

Or did you screw into distributor to far?

[Cape Codder]

GARY - I thought of that but why would it start when switch was removed and just jumped of the two wires?

[Barber31]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the way you explained it but the ignition switch when off should only have 6v on one side. Not both. Then when it is switched to the on position, the 6v should flow thru to the other side. It makes sense that if you bypassed the switch it turned on. The 6v flowed uninterrupted to the dizzy.

[Gary WA]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Tried to help a new member of the Club who's car wouldn't start.
Checked for 6V power at the starter, both sides of the terminal box, both sides of coil. Also OPENED the points and put a piece of cardboard between them and had 6V there with the key turned ON. After checking those points still NO start.

So we got behind dash panel and found 6V on each side of REPO switch. Turned switch on and only had 2V on each side. So power was shut off at the cutoff switch and then installed a jumper wire from each of the TWO wires at the ignition switch, then turned cutoff switch back on and started car.

Original switch that was in car when we started and a second ignition switch were checked for continuity and both checked good. Sooooooo are both of these ignition switch internally shorted????

Pop out switches or just on/off type?

[Tom Wesenberg]

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If the points are closed and the switch is ON, then both sides of the ignition switch should show 0 volts. If you read 2 volts at the switch, then you have a poor connection between the switch and ground side of the points. Maybe the points contacts are dirty, or the distributor may not be well grounded to the engine.

To check for dirty points just stop the engine with the points closed and the key on, then connect the volt meter across the 2 points contacts and you should read 0 volts. Any voltage reading above that means they are dirty.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Tried to help a new member of the Club who's car wouldn't start.
Checked for 6V power at the starter, both sides of the terminal box, both sides of coil. Also OPENED the points and put a piece of cardboard between them and had 6V there with the key turned ON. After checking those points still NO start.

No start or no spark? Your voltage indications are correct. points open with cardboard, 6 volts at the points. Remove cardboard and points closed zero volts.

So we got behind dash panel and found 6V on each side of REPO switch. Turned switch on and only had 2V on each side. So power was shut off at the cutoff switch and then installed a jumper wire from each of the TWO wires at the ignition switch, then turned cutoff switch back on and started car.

Here is where I get confused, to have 6 volts at the points with the cardboard in you had to have had 6 volts on each of the terminals of the switch but you now say the voltage has dropped.

Original switch that was in car when we started and a second ignition switch were checked for continuity and both checked good. Sooooooo are both of these ignition switch internally shorted???? Take the switch and with the meter on resistance, touch the leads from one terminal to the case and turn the switch on and off. You should get no reading.

I would check the terminals in the terminal box. If loose you could get voltage and then lose voltage.

[Cape Codder]

Gary WA - It is an on/off switch.
Tom Wesenberg - We will recheck what we have done with your suggestions. honestly I never checked for dirty points only checked the gap which was too big.
Mike V. Flordia- I'm sorry but I said it wrong, the statement should have been "So we got behind dash panel and found 6V on ONE side of REPO switch" Also Mike, I apparently checked the switch wrong as I put a probe at each switch connection and turned the key on and off, not like you suggest one lead to the case.

To all thanks for your help! If any of you have any further ideas I'm all ears! I must say we won't be able to work on the car again for a couple of days due to storage arrangements. Again, THANKS!

[Cape Codder]

LATEST UP DATE
Well here it is nine days since I posted anything about the Starting Problem.
Today we put in NEW plugs because the original ones in the car were fouled. I did check the switch again as Mike V. Florida had suggested and we determined it really was fine. We then checked for spark from the coil wire to a head bolt and had very little spark so it was decided to change what looked to be a very new condenser. When doing this I noticed that there was a small brass tab attached to the bolt that the condenser attaches. This seemed like it was a repo bottom plate with that tab making contact with it.

The condenser was changed and a concerted effort was made to make sure the brass tab was pointing straight down and seemed to make contact with the lower plate.

The car now starts but I am not thoroughly convinced that the condenser was the REAL problem but possibly that little tab not making contact to the lower plate. Only time will tell. I have suggested to the owner that the internals of the distributor should be changed back to ORGINAL equipment.

Again, thanks to all that sent along opinions and suggestions to fix this problem.

[Tom Wesenberg]

You're correct to want the owner to go back to original. I expect he'll have trouble again.

[ian Simpson]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

If the points are closed and the switch is ON, then both sides of the ignition switch should show 0 volts. If you read 2 volts at the switch, then you have a poor connection between the switch and ground side of the points. Maybe the points contacts are dirty, or the distributor may not be well grounded to the engine.

To check for dirty points just stop the engine with the points closed and the key on, then connect the volt meter across the 2 points contacts and you should read 0 volts. Any voltage reading above that means they are dirty.

This is why I prefer a test light with a big bulb (headlight bulb). The presence of voltage does not guarantee the power required is available. You need volts plus amps. Amps are stopped by bad connections.

[Mike V. Florida]

The important thing is that the car is running and the cost of a condenser is minimal.