The Ford Barn

D. Jones · 04-24-2016, 12:00 PM

Several times over the past couple of years the engine in my 1945 1/2 ton would shudder/cut out for just a fraction of a second. Several times the engine quit running, I thought the condenser or the coil had died. I would change out the coil or condenser and viola it would start and run. About a month ago the wife and I were twenty miles out of town when the engine cut out three times over a few seconds and then died. I coasted into an old road and parked. I checked and as expected there was no spark. I changed the condenser, no spark. I changed the coil, still no spark. I gave up and called AAA for a tow. When I got the truck home I pulled the distributor and replaced it with another. The truck started and ran as it should. I started checking the distributor and found it was grounded out. A little more looking and I found the lock screw for the timing was nearly touching the spring of the drivers side point set. The space between the screw tip and the spring was only a few thousands of an inch. Looking closer I saw that there was a drop of oil on the tip of the lock screw. I wiped the oil off and the short to ground went away. I had filled the fan hub when I changed the oil the day before and off course had over filled it. That one drop of oil had to have migrated down the timing lock screw to short the points to ground.

After I shortened the screw I began to think that that was probably my mysterious fraction of second cut out problem from the beginning.

It just go to prove that you have to be smarter than the piece of equipment that you're working on, some days, just some days, I am.

GEOFFNZ · 04-24-2016, 04:28 PM

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I have had the same problem.Some modern points sets seem to have a big bow in the spring taking it very close to the housing.One has to be very careful to not have the least bit of the timing adjustment screw protruding.The same problem can arise if the tails of the cotter pin holding the points down are not bent well back,Cheers

04-24-2016, 12:00 PM	#1
D. Jones Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bend, Oregon Posts: 514	Distributor grounded out Several times over the past couple of years the engine in my 1945 1/2 ton would shudder/cut out for just a fraction of a second. Several times the engine quit running, I thought the condenser or the coil had died. I would change out the coil or condenser and viola it would start and run. About a month ago the wife and I were twenty miles out of town when the engine cut out three times over a few seconds and then died. I coasted into an old road and parked. I checked and as expected there was no spark. I changed the condenser, no spark. I changed the coil, still no spark. I gave up and called AAA for a tow. When I got the truck home I pulled the distributor and replaced it with another. The truck started and ran as it should. I started checking the distributor and found it was grounded out. A little more looking and I found the lock screw for the timing was nearly touching the spring of the drivers side point set. The space between the screw tip and the spring was only a few thousands of an inch. Looking closer I saw that there was a drop of oil on the tip of the lock screw. I wiped the oil off and the short to ground went away. I had filled the fan hub when I changed the oil the day before and off course had over filled it. That one drop of oil had to have migrated down the timing lock screw to short the points to ground. After I shortened the screw I began to think that that was probably my mysterious fraction of second cut out problem from the beginning. It just go to prove that you have to be smarter than the piece of equipment that you're working on, some days, just some days, I am.

04-24-2016, 04:28 PM	#2
GEOFFNZ Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Oxford New Zealand Posts: 177	Re: Distributor grounded out Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I have had the same problem.Some modern points sets seem to have a big bow in the spring taking it very close to the housing.One has to be very careful to not have the least bit of the timing adjustment screw protruding.The same problem can arise if the tails of the cotter pin holding the points down are not bent well back,Cheers