The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Car Will Not Start--No Apparent Spark

shew01 · 09-23-2020, 03:47 PM

I have a 1931 Victoria that ran fine on Sunday, and I drove it for about 100 miles. The car sat in the garage on Monday, and it would not start on Tuesday. It cranks fine, and I can smell gas when I choke the carburetor.

I have a (Dick Crabtree) rebuilt pop out switch that is about 6 months old. I haven't had any problems with the switch.

I pushed a spark plug tab away from the distributor about 1/4 inch, and I didn't see any spark going from the tab to the top of the plug.

I've read many, many condenser threads. So, today, I replaced the condenser with a new one from Bratton's since that was an easy change. That did not help.

With the ignition switch on (i.e., popped out), I have power going to the movable point arm when the points are open. I have power going to the driver side of the junction box, but I have no power on the passenger side of the junction box.

I'm not sure of the electrical path inside the dash or through the coil, and I don't have a lot of experience with a Model A ignition system. So, I thought I would post to get help. Can someone point me in the right direction?

09-23-2020, 03:47 PM	#1
shew01 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Roanoke, VA USA Posts: 1,908	Car Will Not Start--No Apparent Spark I have a 1931 Victoria that ran fine on Sunday, and I drove it for about 100 miles. The car sat in the garage on Monday, and it would not start on Tuesday. It cranks fine, and I can smell gas when I choke the carburetor. I have a (Dick Crabtree) rebuilt pop out switch that is about 6 months old. I haven't had any problems with the switch. I pushed a spark plug tab away from the distributor about 1/4 inch, and I didn't see any spark going from the tab to the top of the plug. I've read many, many condenser threads. So, today, I replaced the condenser with a new one from Bratton's since that was an easy change. That did not help. With the ignition switch on (i.e., popped out), I have power going to the movable point arm when the points are open. I have power going to the driver side of the junction box, but I have no power on the passenger side of the junction box. I'm not sure of the electrical path inside the dash or through the coil, and I don't have a lot of experience with a Model A ignition system. So, I thought I would post to get help. Can someone point me in the right direction?