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Old 12-18-2020, 10:42 AM   #26
kawagumby
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Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Hollister, CA
Posts: 133
Default Re: Engine wont start.

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If you have isolated the problem to being electrical, the problem may be the distributor housing itself being poorly grounded.

Based on what I've seen on my '31, the distributor housing can be poorly grounded if the engine has been rebuilt at some time and the block and head milled. What this can do (if the distributor shaft hasn't been shortened) is elevate the distributor housing enough above the head, which along with oxidation, may cause poor grounding to the head. The distributor set screw on the engine side may also not be providing grounding, due to corrosion or being too loose. In my opinion, you cannot count on the distributor shaft to provide a good ground as it is two-piece and oiled. If you have no or intermittent spark you can check this by running a ground wire directly to the distributor from the firewall. On my car, that immediately improved the engine running... Also, to isolate the hot side, run a hot wire directly to the distributor to bypass the ignition key while disconnecting the ignition wire (in case of that being shorted), that way you will be assured of a full circuit. When I got my car a couple of months ago, both distributor ground AND supply were faulty...I had to fix the distributor grounding problem and replace an intermittently faulty ignition switch.



I fixed the elevated distributor problem with a valve spring shim rather than shortening the shaft (just easier).

Last edited by kawagumby; 12-18-2020 at 10:50 AM.
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