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It’s a beautiful 4th of July, I have my flag flying, Bessie gassed up so we took a drive to the barn where we board my daughter’s horse. Ran great, nice winding roads through farmland. Got to the barn where my wife was dropping off the monthly check and while I was sitting idling, she quit. Sudden, like I shut off the ignition.
Fuel…good
Spark…nothing
Tools and spare parts…20 miles away at home. Big mistake.
Called my daughter who drove us home. I picked up my tools, meters, spare coil, points, rotor, cap, no condenser in my box. Fortunately advance auto a few miles away was open so I picked one up.
Check coil resistance…good
Check points continuity…good
Check rotor and cap…clean
So I put in the new condenser. Fired up in a heartbeat.
Lesson learned…alway bring tools and ignition parts…while I’m at it, I’ll add my spare carb, fuel pump, fuel filter.
Happy 4th to all my American friends on the forum.
Called my daughter who drove us home. I picked up my tools, meters, spare coil, points, rotor, cap, no condenser in my box. Fortunately advance auto a few miles away was open so I picked one up.
Check coil resistance…good
Check points continuity…good
Check rotor and cap…clean
So I put in the new condenser. Fired up in a heartbeat.
Lesson learned…alway bring tools and ignition parts…while I’m at it, I’ll add my spare carb, fuel pump, fuel filter.
Happy 4th to all my American friends on the forum. Cauz “Merica
My truck quit a few weeks ago but fortunately it was close to home and I manage to get it back into the garage. I initially thought it was a fuel problem so I took everything apart from the shutoff valve on the tank to the carburetor and found nothing. I decided just this afternoon to stop at NAPA tomorrow morning when they open up and get a new coil. Hope replacing it works as well for me as it did for you.
My truck quit a few weeks ago but fortunately it was close to home and I manage to get it back into the garage. I initially thought it was a fuel problem so I took everything apart from the shutoff valve on the tank to the carburetor and found nothing. I decided just this afternoon to stop at NAPA tomorrow morning when they open up and get a new coil. Hope replacing it works as well for me as it did for you.
A coil is easy to test, just measure with an ohm meter. If it measures 0 it’s shorted and bad, if it measures infinite it’s open an bad. It should measure .8 to 1.5 ohms.
Hi Bob- happy 4th glad it worked out for you and you got back on the road.
I thought you replaced all the ignition components on your engine? Distributor and coil new battery etc?
What is your complete list of road trip parts and tools to have with you?
here’s a video I like about this problem.
Hi Bob- happy 4th glad it worked out for you and you got back on the road.
I thought you replaced all the ignition components on your engine? Distributor and coil new battery etc?
What is your complete list of road trip parts and tools to have with you?
here’s a video I like about this problem.
It's been so long since I drove a car with a condenser that I'd almost forgotten about them being in every glove box. I remember buying a car and even if the glove box had been cleaned out that there was always a condenser left in there.
It's been so long since I drove a car with a condenser that I'd almost forgotten about them being in every glove box. I remember buying a car and even if the glove box had been cleaned out that there was always a condenser left in there.
I drove cars with points and condenser for many years. I had a Buick that would eat points for lunch, but it always gave me warnings, difficult start, misses, and I could change them in minutes. I never heard a condenser fail suddenly like this, just sitting there idling and it was like I shut off the ignition.
The foreign made condensers of today are problematic and not reliable. That why I buy the NOS ones at Carlisle. You can probably find them on line or eBay easily.
The foreign made condensers of today are problematic and not reliable. That why I buy the NOS ones at Carlisle. You can probably find them on line or eBay easily.
Yep, eBay. I have 2 coming. May be moot though, now that the charging system is healthy I may go back to Pertronix.
Can I just say...I love that shot of your truck! I'm sure you got a lot of waves or thumbs up that day...even when you were broken down.
I try to keep the basic "replaceables" in my truck when I take it out. Before you know it, you'll need the entire bed for the spares, lol
As Abe said, the condensers they make today are pure garbage. I got two bad ones from Carpenter in rapid succession and just go with the older NAPA ones myself.
Can I just say...I love that shot of your truck! I'm sure you got a lot of waves or thumbs up that day...even when you were broken down.
Thx, yeah, she wore that flag well.
I try to keep the basic "replaceables" in my truck when I take it out. Before you know it, you'll need the entire bed for the spares, lol
As Abe said, the condensers they make today are pure garbage. I got two bad ones from Carpenter in rapid succession and just go with the older NAPA ones myself.
I’m thinking…
points
condenser
rotor
coil
dist cap
carb
Battery
and basic tools
wrench set
screwdrivers
pliers
box cutter
and basic tools
wrench set
screwdrivers
pliers
box cutter
of course Jack and lug wrench
thoughts?
Is this for a cross country trip or just daily driving around town? I don't think it's necessary to carry a spare battery, carb, distributor cap or coil in your truck.
Is this for a cross country trip or just daily driving around town? I don't think it's necessary to carry a spare battery, carb, distributor cap or coil in your truck.
I don’t have any cross country trips planned, but I hope that I can drive her out to Truckstock this year.
Remember that I have that wooden box in the bed for storage. I mentioned the battery because we got stuck last year with a dead battery. The carb is probably overkill.
