OT Basic ignition advice please.

[Britcheflee]

Put my old international truck to bed last fall (covered with a tarp) and this spring cannot get it to fire. It was starting and running fine when I wrapped it up but now will turn over but for the life of me cannot get it to fire even with starting fluid.
Can someone answer a couple of questions for me:
I have 6 volts going into the coil - however when I check with meter on other side of coil (leading to points) I am getting a very small voltage showing - should this also be 6 volts? I am getting a voltage at the points but after removing sparkplug and holding against engine I am not seeing a spark there.
Not my week - my old Ford F100 which is usually super reliable is sputtering and misfireing - I think I may have some water in the fuel which got in the carb. This wet weather is tough on old vehicles stored outside.

Lee

 

[Dell (WA)]

Lee........you ask......"when I check with meter on other side of coil (leading to points) I am getting a very small voltage showing - should this also be 6 volts?"........yes'n'no......It should be a "pulsing" voltage as the points OPEN (6V) and CLOSE (0V)

Iff'n ittza constant voltage, then yer points are NOT opening'n'closing. A small voltage at the points side of the coil implies yer points are closed ...or... SHORTED .......Dell, yer self-appointed sparkie-meister

 

[rustyfarmall]

(quoted from post at 07:40:45 04/06/11) Put my old international truck to bed last fall (covered with a tarp) and this spring cannot get it to fire. It was starting and running fine when I wrapped it up but now will turn over but for the life of me cannot get it to fire even with starting fluid.
Can someone answer a couple of questions for me:
I have 6 volts going into the coil - however when I check with meter on other side of coil (leading to points) I am getting a very small voltage showing - should this also be 6 volts? I am getting a voltage at the points but after removing sparkplug and holding against engine I am not seeing a spark there.
Not my week - my old Ford F100 which is usually super reliable is sputtering and misfireing - I think I may have some water in the fuel which got in the carb. This wet weather is tough on old vehicles stored outside.

Lee

Your ignition contact points are dirty, or maybe there is a bit of condensation on them. Open the points slightly, insert a folded one dollar bill between the contacts, and then while holding the points closed, drag the bill out. Do this 2 or 3 times. You will be amazed at the crud that is now on that one dollar bill.

 

[Britcheflee]

Thank you,

Will try later - having a devil of a job getting the water out of the carb on my old 79 ford F100 - took the top off and blew it out - I can see the beads of water - wasting a whole morning messing with this.

Not sure if it is from condensation in the tank or somehow with the heavy rain and snow some worked its way down through the filler cap.

Do you think any of these products which are supposed to get water out of the gas actually work?
Lee

 

[KL-VA]

The "dry gas" products do work but only up to a point. Modern alcohol blended fuel also helps a small amount of water pass-through.

We used to drain fuel from carb and tank when an engine was going to sit a spell. With alcohol blended fuel, you might be better off to keep the tank and carb full and use a fuel stabilizer product. The deposits from alcohol-blended fuel that harden inside a carb in just a few months can only be removed by a thorough cleaning, basically rebuilding the carb.

 

[Britcheflee]

Thank you - I have the truck running now - I think it was the dirty points as after a good clean I managed to get her running. Also managed to get the truck going again - had to cut the fuel line and use pressure hose to blow gas through the pump as I think some water was sitting inside the base of the pump - then blow out the carb again and now she is going.
Thank you all for your help.
Just need something to remove the smell of gasoline from me now - better not get close to any flame or I might explode! got soaked with the stuff under the truck! Wife not liking that aroma for some reason!


Lee

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 16:49:51 04/06/11)

Thank you - I have the truck running now - I think it was the dirty points as after a good clean I managed to get her running. Also managed to get the truck going again - had to cut the fuel line and use pressure hose to blow gas through the pump as I think some water was sitting inside the base of the pump - then blow out the carb again and now she is going.
Thank you all for your help.
Just need something to remove the smell of gasoline from me now - better not get close to any flame or I might explode! got soaked with the stuff under the truck! Wife not liking that aroma for some reason!


Lee

he high rollers that you chef for may not like gasoline smell on their plates either! :wink: