Hot Rods My Coupe Just Died out of nowhere!

I was driving along this morning and stopped for a red light. Light went green, coupe went about 5 feet and engine died. I was able to push it into a parking lot and start diagnosis.

1930 Model A Coupe with a 1959 292 Y block. It has an aluminum tank with a filter coming out of the tank and another filter between the pump and the carb, so I can't imagine any trash got INTO the carb.
I took one of the plugs out and put it back on the wire and had my kid crank it and it was getting spark.
Fuel pressure gauge reads 6 psi while cranking.
It will "VROOOM" but not stay running.

With the engine shut off, looking down the carb and opening the throttle the passenger side "squirter" looks good- like a stream from a water gun... the drivers side "squirter" did not have such a stream, it almost looks like it's piddling.

I just took off the bowl and hosed out the metering block with carb cleaner and soaked the jets for about 10 minutes and ran a toothpick through it to try to poke anything out. It seemed fine. The accelerator pump seemed to work like normal when I shot it across the driveway.

What's my next move? Take the bowl off again and remove the discharge nozzle and blow back through the body?

I'm pissed because the carb is the newest part on the car.

I have a video of the squirt situation but I can't post it here. No idea how to host it.

Any thoughts?

 

Float level ? Float stuck at bottom. Try squirt bottle of gas in carb. If it stays running it's a fuel problem.

 

What carburetor? Does it have a tach? Does the tach needle drop to zero before the engine dies?
What ignition?
If the accelerator pump is squirting fuel, when you start it if you keep pumping the throttle will it stay running?
Lots more information is needed to continue.

 

Ballast Resistor or wire to it. Hot wire the coil and see.

 

Disconnect vac advance and give it a try, may have to loosen clamp and either remote start or have someone crank while you adjust distributor

 

Tell us about your ignition....

 

First you need to verify that your problem is fuel related. Can you keep it running by closing the choke? If you dump some fuel down the carb throat will it start and stay running for say 30 seconds?

Another person suggested that you might have a bad ignition resistor which is a possibility. You would have spark while the engine was cranking, but no spark when the ignition switch is in the on position. Do you have voltage available at the battery side of the coil with the ignition switch on? Does it die as soon as you move the key from the start position?

 

OK. Here are some answers...
It's a Mallory distributor with a Pertronix Ignitor (II?) in it. I had one years ago that crapped out after 3 months so I've never trusted them, but it came installed and running- I figured maybe they got their act together.
There is no vacuum advance, and all of the vac ports are still capped.
It is a Holley 1850 (600 CFM Vacuum Secondary). Float was good.
It will NOT stay running after the initial "Vroom" no matter how I manipulate the throttle or the choke.

I have not looked at anything else.

COULD it be bad gas? I was out of town so I don't have much experience with the Mobil where I fueled up.

I have done no investigation of the electrical components of the system, yet.

There IS a tach, but I didn't think to pay any attention to it.

Tow driver squirted some fuel in while I cranked and it made no difference.

That's all I remember at this point.

Thanks

 

Sounds like ignition problem more than a fuel one.

 

I agree with 'Shutt' on this one.. If an engine just dies, it is usually an electrical problem..
I would first check out the ballast circuit, try a bypass hotwire..

 

Another for for electrical

 

You said it had spark when you had the plug wire off and cranked it over --
You obviously have fuel to the carb and to the engine even if not in the correct quantity at the same time.

Did you pull number 1 plug and crank it over to see if it is in time? That is the next thing would do. The 292 has a timing chain and if it hasn't had a really recent timing chain and gear swap the chain may be loose enough to jump time, worse yet if it has a plastic coated gear it may have lost the plastic and jumped time but have enough teeth to fire a spark when the distributor turns.

Basically it quit
you have spark
you have fuel,
you may or may not have compression and spark at the right time for the engine to run.

 

What he said.

 

If the ignition circuit has a ballast resistor, it sounds like it has failed and opened. When cranking, the ballast resistor is temorarily bypassed. When the engine starts and you release the key the ignition switch returns to the "run" position. The current is then re-routed thru the resistor to the ignition coil, unless the resistor has failed and opened.

 

Thanks for all the info. How do I test the ballast resistor? With an ohmmeter to see if there’s continuity, or is there a particular ohm value I want to see?
A couple people mentioned bypassing the resistor- what else an I going to fry doing that…and/or is it safe to do that for 5 seconds- 30 seconds- 5 mins…or just long enough to see if it will run on its own.
Thanks again.

 

Do pertronix use a ballast resistor?
Two things (to me) don’t add up. You said you had spark, but when the tow truck driver squirted gas into the carb, nothing lit off.
When you tested for spark, how long did you have your son turn it over for? I/e a few revolutions and you saw some spark and said “okay, stop”. Or 5-6 seconds of watching the spark?
I think ballast resistors range from like .6 to 1.5 ohms. I haven’t checked one in a long time, but you read infinity or open load, etc. I’d assume if it failed to cause your issue.

 

Look for a crimped, smashed, or collapsed fuel line..

 

Pertronix ignitions should NOT have a ballast resistor. They have to have 12V. If it does, get rid of it. They should be run with a Pertronix coil. The distributor can NOT have any old grease, oil, or funk in the housing.

 

There IS a ballast resistor but I have had the car for almost a year without any issues.
Daughter turned it over for about 2 seconds or so- long enough to see the spark and feel a slight shock.
Should that have been more than a slight tingle if I was holding the boot?

 

Never tried the “tingle” method. But the deal is(without burning up your starter) as long as it’s turning over it should be sparking. I/e could it just be throwing a spark for a few seconds then weak or no spark after. That’s what I was getting at.

 

You test it with a voltmeter. If you have power to the ignition side of the coil with the key on, your ballast resistor is good. And I don't think the Pertronix setup uses a ballast resistor.

 

You're not going to hurt anything over a short period of time. Long term, on a points ignition, you could risk over heating the coil. With the Pertronix system, using their coil, you won't hurt anything. Pertonix systems do not need the ballast resistor, but will run with one. See the Ignitor II manual attached.

 

If it fires on the start position, the Pertronix is OK......they are either good or bad, no in between status........sounds like the ballast resistor is bad, or the run circuit/switch is bad. Pertronix is very clear about removing the ballast resistor for their units.......full 12 volts always.

 

Should I jumper across the top of the ballast resistor, or just take it completely out of the mix? I’m afraid if I remove it completely, I’m not going to remember which wires are which in case I ever go back to points. I really don’t have a lot of trust in the per Tronics igniter, based on past experience.

 

Check for voltage with just the key on sounds like is firing only in the crank mode. If it has been running OK with a resister I would say you have the right amount of resistance in the coil with the resistor.

 

Here's my go to,

1- spray starting fluid down carb, does it start on starting fluid and run a few seconds? If so then more than likely gas related, it doesn't start or try to? Then it's ignition related.

2- run a hot wire from battery to coil then try starting, does it start? Yes? Then its a bad ignition switch, bad wire etc. Doesn't start? Bad ignition.

About 15 minutes to do the above and know where the problem lays.

I like doing things simple...

.

 

Put the key in the run position, check voltage at coil . It could be as simple as a wire fell off the ignition switch .

 

is spark blue and hot or weak yellow? Sometimes they will spark but very weak--coil issue

 

Well, I just jumpered the two wires going into each side of the ballast resistor together with no difference. So it must be either a crappy Pertronix or ignition switch?

 

You need to ditch the resistor, Pertronix instructions are very explicit in stating you can't use one. Get a Pertronix coil as well.