Strandad with my super 90.

[willdan49]

Just a quick post to get some thoughts. My super 90 quite last weekend about 1 mile from the house pulling a set of plows home and would not fire back up. I started my trouble shooting with fuel and worked my way to ignition. I checked and had no spark. I pulled off the distributer cap, and for what ever reason tried to start it. She fired right up, it sounded awful only like 1 or 2 cylinders were firing up but it was a sign of life. I placed the cap back on and nothing. Pulled the cap and limped it in to the closeset drive to get it off the road. Anyone have any idea why it would fire up wighout the distributer cap on? I rebuilt the distributer and everything is running smooth again.

 

[old]

2 things come to mind. You have a cracked distributor cap and or a bad rotor. That said I would also double check the point gap and make sure it is correct and then probably take a very good look at the cap and rotor. Something that some times works to fine if it is a cap problem is to spray it with starting fluid then let it dry out. If you can then see lines in the inside of the cap it is cracked and a cracked cap will short out and then you say bye bye spark

 

[trac]

I had that happen, was there alot of moisture in the air the spark will travel a few inches in the air on moisture.
HUMIDITY

 

[onefarmer]

I'd say you had a cracked cap or a lot of carbon tracking in it. Cap off, the spark would follow the carbon track and fire 2 or 3 cylinders.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

That is an odd thing isn't it? I couldn't get my Cockshutt started for a month, a freind who works on forklifts with the same engine was called in... he was stumped too, then had me hit the button as he checked the spark 'route' to find a dead piece- it started right up- with the wire out of the cap- in his hand. We put everything back together, runs fine since. Yep, cap, rotor, coil wire, or? kinda 'zap'? the coil like you do a generator? I heard the arc jumping a couple inches increases the voltage or? and that gets the gas to finally ignite. I still say it is magic...