I just went back to read this entire thread and it made me go through the process which I always do when I have an engine issue.
Check the things which are easiest to check first. In this case, the first thing I would have done would have been to remove the distributor cap, spin the engine until the points close, turn the ignition on, and manually open and close the points and look at the quality of the spark. The reason why I would have gone straight to this is because I have had this be the problem a number of times in the past.
Other easy checks which I try to do initially are:
Spark plugs. Easy to do, and they will tell you a story.
Voltage at coil with ignition on. (Only if no spark after cleaning points.)
You can check ohms through the coil. It might not tell you much definitively, but a burned up one should show itself. One which only pukes when hot may not show up as bad with an ohms test.
Next I would check to see if you have gas making its way to the fuel pump by loosening up the fuel line there.
Then I would do a fuel pump test by removing the line from the carburetor and turn the engine over with the starter (ignition off) with the spark plugs still out from your spark plug examination. Let it squirt into a container.
Then I would move on to a compression test. Spark plugs are still out, right?
Last thing to do is the carburetor. Why? because it is the most difficult of the tests so far, and it is seldom ever the carburetor. The other reason is because you may be having more than one issue going on at the same time and you do not want to mess with the carburetor until you have tested all of the easier items.
Carl
Last edited by 52Carl; 05/09/2018 12:38 AM.
