I recently bought this '53 Dodge Meadowbrook 230 Flathead 6 with 6 volt and did a tune up points plugs rotor cap condenser wires electric fuel pump got it to run drove it a cpl days now I cant get to start checked coil no spark put new coil in and still no spark tested everything with my volt meter and I am getting 6volts from regulator another mini regulator looking piece mounted by the coil the coil itself but when I put the coil wire with a screwdriver on the block to see if I'm getting spark I get nothing attached is pictures of the parts I'm getting 6 volts please any help would be greatly appreciated thanks
Spend the money on a Echlin condenser from Napa. I have heard of people going through 10 condensers just to get one that worked more than 20 minutes. Make sure your distributor is grounding also, test with an ohm meter from the dist body to the negative terminal on the battery. Sometimes a bad ground can cause things like that also.
I had a 53 Chrysler and it was positive ground. Yours should be the same Battery hooked up correctly ?
Ok so I'm trying to understand if I am not getting spark from my coil but am reading 6 volts out of it wouldn't I need spark to my cap to my points and condenser to work properly or not? Also can someone please show me where my TDC mark should be on my harmonic pulley I already know about how to pull #1 & #6 plug and the little plug next to 6 and bring them up plus putting air into #1 to verify which one is compression and rotor at the 7 O' clock position and do my firing order that's how I got it to start the first time but now I am not getting anything as well to get it back at the 7 O'clock again
Please put your location in your profile as it can help people find out where you are located. Just be general like list the State and someone close can go from there. You need help and this site is where you will find it and some members will find you. DO NOT get frustrated. Slow down and take your time to learn. So far you're doing good.
It is all good, just slow down and keep your horses in the barn. Try again with the condenser as mentioned as alot of the China ones are junk. Do not get one from an Auto Zone or like store but go to a NAPA as has been mentioned. Keep in mind, all it needs to run is; air, fuel, and spark. No spark = no run. So trouble shoot your way back from the spark plug through the plug wires, distributer cap, and so on, you will find it eventually. There is no plug in port to tell you what is wrong with it.
I know some folks here don’t like it but the China crap is why I went to Pertronics. I think Jim (squirrel) has told us what value micro-farad capacitor to buy from an electronics store that will not fail but remember it will not look like a normal condenser.
already been asked but you didn't answer are you running positive ground or negative ground are your cables hooked up correctly to the battery?
Good question, but he said he had it running and driving before the tune up. So, unless he swapped cables on the battery during the tune-up, that's not likely the problem
Might want to clean your points with electrical cleaner. If they had an oily protective coating on them from factory. They probably flashed over and now have a white residue on them. Dave
A read through of this basic ignition guide will go a long way toward helping you diagnose most any problem with older points-type ignition systems. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hot-rod-technical-library-basic-ignition-systems.983424/
Ok so I went and got the Echlin points and condenser as I was told so I was attempting to put them on and I guess what every person's worst nightmare would be is to lose the screw while attempting to install that holds the points condenser and that clip together and I am going to hate to say this but I think it might have fell inside any pointers as to how am I going to retrieve it please I was doing my best not to lose it but unfortunately I did please someone tell me I'm not screwed or what needs to be done sorry to be bugging but just wanted to see if I could get it fired up again
Pull the dizzy and give it a good shake over your work bench or use a thin bladed magnetic tip screw driver to poke around in there.......if worse comes to worse and you have to take it apart take LOTS of before and disassembly pictures to help you put it back together. Consider this your trial by fire......you can do it, I know you can.
Like Frankie47 says try a magnet first to retrieve the screw. All is not lost and you did not cost yourself a complete engine rebuild. If you have to remove the distributor, take a picture of it on TDC #1 and mark that spot. Use whatever, a paint pen, Sharpie and mark; the rotor, distributer housing, and engine. So when you re-assemble it they all have to line up again and save you some headaches. Remember SLOW. Take it easy and slow. You are learning and you have to walk before you run. You are doing great so far so keep it up.
I sure as hell forgot about marking the dizzy before pulling it thanks if it is a flathead 6 it is a slotted style and is either right or wrong. no gear on the dizzy.@warhorseracing .
Short of pulling the dist., If you can see it down in there ( even if you can’t) try the magnet first. Those scribe type are fairly small, but have some pull to them. Then, if that doesn’t get it, try using a magnet on the side of a screwdriver and poke it around in there. Another tool that might come in handy if there’s enough room is a hemostat. HF sells the scribe & the hemo. I can say from experience...... make sure to get that screw out.
Old cars love to fight a guy every step of the way sometimes! Neat car though man. Hope you get it up and running again soon.
Ok guys sorry for the late update so I was able to get everything in order got her fired back up now i am thinking that i might have to rebuild the carburetors they are carter ball and ball single one is a D6G1 the other is a DTC1 i was doing some research and found out something that might be bad so I am asking if anyone can help with pictures or links on how to rebuild those carbs as well my '53 has a OD handle but was told that it was disconnected at one point and does not need it but from what I seen on posts that the OD cable gets hooked up to one of the carburetor and how can I find out what transmission I have and what type of fluid to I need to use please any pictures or links to help me out please
Ok Gentlemen have another favor to asking any one can help me out I got the carburetor kits put in the '53 only problem is the carburetor mounting gasket where the carbs sit on the intake the gaskets came to thin in the kits and no auto parts can give me the specs on thickness and I dont want to order them and be wrong so my question is this is there anyone can tell me what mounting gasket I need as to part # the ones I took off I put back on and I am leaking gas like crazy between the intake and carburetors they are carter ball and ball downdrafts DTC1 and D6G1 the old ones are about 3mm thick and they look like the ones that have like metal in the material in other words really stiff and sturdy material also they gotta have these notches on the inside please any part # or where I can order them I would greatly app it thank you for taking your time to read and respond
Sounds like your float setting is not to spec. Or something installed incorrectly at assembly. With a thin coat of sealer on the old gasket, it should get you by.
So I should take them apart again and re check my settings I could have done it wrong first time attempting to kit them if you can direct me to any videos or illustrations to show me how to do the measurements on the float would be greatly appreciated it it totally had me baffled with the little L shaped so called gauge that came in the kit
Not sure what you mean by listing 2 carburetors. Are you running 2 carbs ? or are these your choices ? Regardless, the kit should have had the measurements for the carb floats mentioned. According to this page which shows some of the Carter B&B applications, https://www.allpar.com/threads/adjusting-the-carter-bb-carburetors.229064/ the D6G1 was used on a '46 - '48 Plymouth. and the DTC1 shows up being used on Dodge trucks (may have been on cars too, IDK) https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/TruckkitsD.htm Here's a thread on another site about the DTC1 leaking; https://p15-d24.com/topic/36710-ball-ball-dtc1-leak/ Also a lot of advice & info on that page You might find the info you need online or visit the p15-d24 website. If the settings and procedure are troublesome, I would suggest taking them to a good carb shop.
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