41 plymouth won't start???? any ideas

...have you asked the guys over at www.p15-d24.com ? They are the flat 6 wizards.

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hey oddrod looks like your pals coverd it all . did you try neddle and seat i had it happen on a small v8 dodge once. good luck

 

OK, this is going to sound stupid but, the first thing you need to do is be sure the gas you have actually burns. Since your in GA, I suspect your available gas is probably not formulated for the cold weather you have been getting the past week or two. That old 6 volt system will have more issues with incorrect fuel formula then the new stuff does. Radical change in outside tempretures really have a bad effect of the stuff they call gas these days I've seen new gas not even burn if there was a radical weather change.

If its still cold there, put a heat lamp under the oil pan, (you want to raise the oil temp about 20 degrees) the 6 volt tends to turn over slow to begin with. When its cold, the oil thickens and the motor turns even slower, sometimes too slow to start. The primary reason the car companies went to 12 volts was so they could turn over a cold engine faster so it would start easier. Up until the mid 80s, most 12 volt ignition systems were reduced to 6 volts with resistors or resistor wires. In other words, the 6 volt ignition system is probably not your issue, its the 6 volt engine cranking system.

If warming up the oil does not allow the engine to start, pull all the plugs, squirt a couple squirts of motor oil into each cylinder and crank the engine over a couple times. Once you have done that, hold a fire under the cylinder end of each plug for a few seconds (10 or 15 seconds for each plug will work) to be sure they are warm and dry. If you get a fire flair up, with any plug, that plug was fuel fowled. Reinstall the plugs and go about starting it like you would have before it didn't start. Keep us posted. Gene

 

I had a similar problem after my truck had sat awhile. It was the battery. The battery would hold charge, 14.5 Volts, but wasn't powerful enough under load. I'd try a different battery, or charger... it sounds as if everything else has been ruled out.
Good Luck,
Seth

 

I am going with coil or condenser

 

new coil and condensor, no change she's gettin spark and fuel, the fuel is good even added fresh as well as put a bit in the carb

 

looks like the only thing you did not replace is the coil,
one would think it would start or at least fire and act like it might...
are the leads to the coil good and tight..

does that thing have a positive ground?

 

Seth ,Ive tryed to crank it with a charger on it but nothing so Im going to change the batt next. got a new one coming in the morning. hey Sun down its negative ground and I have changed the coil . maybe the batt is just to damn week even with a charger on it ! if not Im out of parts to change.. on the brighter side of things ...at least I have new parts under the hood to look at...right !

 

Hey.<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_5993776", true); </SCRIPT> Gene "50dodge4x4" man thats good advice, sounds like youve been around a minuite or two.....Ill do that when I get my new batt ! thanks guys ..all of you !

 

we have been having similar problems. On one car, we ended up with fouled plugs, so we put in a new set. It still took a bunch of cranking to get it to start. Lots of pumping the carb, too.

today we got in a car and it wouldn't start. We know the gas is not real fresh, but it was driven in the past two years. More fouled plugs.

I am going to change those plugs in the AM and then squirt the carbs with some 112 octane race gas and see if my hunch is correct.

As mentioned earlier, this gas and the VERY cold weather may be the problem.

 

Now that you mentioned that about the plugs...

I just worked on a 6v tractor for a guy. Totally rebuilt motor with a few hours use, but it refuses to start.

I was checking spark only with number one plug out..it looked decent. Finally pulled the other 3 out and some were amost too weak to see, and some showed no spark...but they were not soaked or wet. Changed to a different brand and it starts fine.

(the old plugs were new, but must have been flooded at some point and they just would not dry out internally.)


The only other time I ever saw a new plug go bad constantly was on the early twin-track Raider? snowmobile with 2 cycle mix. You could clean them with cleaner and bake them in an oven, but they would not spark right again.

 

I once had a Plymouth that would crank & crank but not start...its got a bit slower cranking but nothing. The positive terminal had corrorsion under the wiring casing that wasn't visible. We cut off a couple inches of wire stuck on a new terminal end & it was good to go.

 

installed new battery today, no change! battery terminals are clean as are the cables. anyone know how to test a voltage regulator? we are grasping at straws here. I know there is someone out there that knows these specific cars?thanks again for everyones help.This is what the Hamb is all about.

 

Are you checking spark at the plug by turning over the engine OR by snapping the points apart by a screwdriver? A friends flathead leaks a little water, gets around the plug and rusts. Then the plug is not grounded and won't fire even though it fires when grounded with a screwdriver.

 

this story may shed some light for you:

The 62 409 just would not start. We used 112 octane to spray the carbs after installing brand new plugs, we even gave it a mist of starting fluid. No fire. I knew it must be a spark issue, yet the plugs were firing. But not brightly.

We bypassed the ceramic resistor and the car started instantly. After it ran less than a minute, we ran power back through the resistor and the car started, but not quite instantly.

Seems the P.O. had installed a modern starter and never wired from the solenoid back to the coil to give it full voltage when cranking.

You may want to try hot-wiring the car...jump wire from battery to positive side of coil. Give it a shot.

good luck

 

what was the culprit?