The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 11A Flathead with no spark?

I know this isn't really a Stovebolt question, but you guys have always been a big help when I get stuck on a problem so I figured why not ask.

My dad bought a one owner 41 Ford with a 11A flathead engine awhile back and I'm trying to help him get it started up for the first time. There was no spark when we turned it over for the first time so we've changed the distributor since it was obviously corroded and I was trying to figure out how to check the old coil and condenser...Any ideas?

I don't know your particular setup but heres some basic info.
Most coils will read approx 3 ohms across the two small terminals but there are quite a few that will read nearly a short and still be good. So basically you want to read continuity between the terminals. If you read an "open" across the terminals it's definitely bad.
Condensors rarely go bad but theres always exceptions, especially w/something old thats been sitting in the weather. Being that they are basically a capacitor there is a test to try.
With you multi meter at the highest resistance setting, place the neg lead on the can and the pos lead on the terminal end. You should see a momentary spike of resistance as the cap charges up. Now reverse the leads and you should see another momentary spike of resistance as it discharges. IF it does this it's probably good. The Cap needs to be disconnected from any other elec device

Make sure you've got battery voltage at the coils pos terminal and that the points and condensor are wired to the coils neg terminal.

with battery voltage applied and the points open you should read battery voltage at the points. When you rotate the engine until the points close you should not read anything at the points as they should be "shorting" battery voltage to ground. A basic rule in electronics is you can't read voltage across a short. If you read volts with the points closed the contacts are corroded, pitted and/or have some sort of insulating coating on them which doesn't allow them to conduct. You can then either take a burnishing tool to clean them up or replace them w/a known good set. I've used the tip of a small screw driver that has serations on it to "file" down the contacts and get them conducting in a pinch but thats just a bandaide and not a fix. You can also test a set of points by reading resistance across the contacts. You'll need to either disconnect the wire to them or test them out of the distributor.
A test light can also be used to test them. with one lead of the light on the wire terminal of the points and the other light lead to ground, with ign On and the points open it should light. With points closed it shouldn't.
Good luck
Dave

Is that the flat head V-8 with the two caps and the wires run back metal tubes to the plugs?? If so Auto Restorer had an article on going through that whole setup and how to clean and adjust it. If it is I can hunt up the issues and let you know what months it was in.

John

The basic info will certainly come in handy, especially the part on checking the condenser...thanks Dave.

It is the flat head with the two caps and the wires run back in metal tubes. The Auto Restorer article will be a big help...If you find that article, please let me know...Thanks John.

pwrsaire, Do you have another e-mail I can send these copies too?? I tried the one in your profile at AOL, but they were undelivered.
I have the pages scanned as PDFs. John

Yes, its [email protected] John.

The files should be on there way to your e-mail.... I sent them as pdfs.

John