1951 Chevy 3100, all original (216 cid engine, 6 cylinders, 6 volts).
Hello. I’m posting this in Electrical Bay because I believe I have an ignition problem, and I believe it’s spark-related, not fuel-related. I’ve searched previous threads a little bit, but I’m under some time pressure, so I’m seeking a new discussion.
My wife wanted some topsoil, so I decided to do something useful with my seldom-used truck; the dirt place is 10 minutes away. I’ve driven the truck 3 or 4 times recently on short 15-minute drives, but because it’s seldom used, it always runs rough. I believe it’s because the spark plugs are very fouled. So today, before making the big leap to the dirt place, I changed the plugs. The truck started immediately and seemed to rev more smoothly when given gas in neutral.
I drove the 10 minutes to the dirt place, and when I got there, the truck died. This was fine, because I was about to turn it off. I assumed it died because, perhaps, the idle was too slow, or something about the drive had made it too hot, or something else that wouldn’t ruin the whole day. But when I tried to restart it, it cranked but would not start; wouldn’t even rumble. I added fuel to the tank, no luck. Tried my usual method of pouring gas in the carburetor and choking it (which it shouldn’t have needed, because it was well warmed up), but still not even a hint of ignition.
So then the dump-truck drivers came by and offered to take a look. One determined that there was spark at the coil wire to the distributor, but no spark at a spark-plug wire. So I went to NAPA and bought a condenser and points. Installed those, still the same situation: spark at the coil wire, no spark out of a spark-plug wire.
Had to leave the truck overnight at a remote dirt pit, hoping to get it running tomorrow.
Am I going down the right rabbit hole, the distributor and components? If not, what else should I check?
If I am in the right area, could I have installed things improperly?
The condenser clamp wouldn’t go in right, so I “modified” it, but the condenser is still grounded (if that’s important).
The shop manual says the points should be gapped to 0.022”, even though the ultimate gap should be 0.018”, because the cam follower will wear down. I did this.
There’s a plastic washer that separates the condenser “spade” from the points spring where they attach to the lug on the side of the distributor. It may be possible these two elements are touching each other (though I’ve taken pains to ensure they’re not, but it’s hard to see). Would this be a killer?
Any ideas? I’d really like to drive the truck home tomorrow, preferably with a load of dirt in the bed.
Thanks,
DJ
