The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 216 weak spark?

Hi all,

I just purchased my first project, a 1952 3800 with a 216. I'm having trouble getting it going. It's been sitting for at least 25 years so I went through everything the best I know how. pulled the valve cover, everything is free and nothing bent. A little mystery oil down the spark plug holes. New points, condenser, and plugs, all adjusted to spec. The negative battery strap was in really bad condition and was pulling down the voltage to the starter. I replaced the strap and buffed up all battery/starter connections.

I should mention I took apart the carb and cleaned it up. I have a rebuild kit coming for that.


I get spark to the plugs, but it seems very weak. A very yellow spark. When I try to start, it will turn and turn, but will never catch. I had a 15 seconds where it was building steam and I thought it was gonna run, but no luck. for the heck of it, I ordered a rotor and cap. I was thinking about wires too as they look like the original style.

Any guesses?

The condensers and points available today are a hit and miss deal. Might be wise to check the coil while you are at it.

FWMOON,
First of all let me congratulate you on a real man's truck. Not that I'm bias for having a one ton myself! Believe it or not, I was able to get all of my ignition parts from AutoZone. Good luck, and trust me, if you need any advise, your came to the correct site!
Post a pic so we can have a look see!

Thanks, here's a few pics

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t558/frankwmoon/DSC03397_zpsixzjop57.jpg

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t558/frankwmoon/DSC03401_zps2lb5127g.jpg

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t558/frankwmoon/DSC03404_zps2axfbytm.jpg

That's a jewel. Love those sideboards.

Look at the tech tips articles. "Dead engine back to life" is a real common sense procedure. Sounds like you're doing a lot of the right things already.

That is a jewel of a working truck. When I am reviving an old engine like that, I like to power the coil separately from a battery charger. That way the ignition is not affected by the large starter draw. Sometimes a little fiddling with the timing will help. Usually you will hear a few firings and then it starts to turn over faster. At that point you know that success is almost upon you!

Nice! Floors look decent as well as the body.
Another idea is to disconnect the starter battery cable from the starter and use a jumper cables to a 12 volt source and energize the starter with 12volts,(another vehicle of the modern day will do) Leave the rest of the 6 volt operation in tact. This way the engine will spin faster to help in waking her up. I did the same to mine till I got all of the bugs worked out! Now I just use my red top 6v battery and that has never failed me. Even after a long winters slumber without a trickle charge.