JB

I described a problem I was having in another thread and I got lots of different suggestions as to what the problem might be, fuel, distributor, etc. What happened it that it just suddenly started running crummy and pinging and rattling like mad, like the timing had suddenly slipped. I barely got it home, creeping along in first gear.

Today I was taking off the coil wire to check everything in the distributor again, and I bumped the distributor wire (the one from the points to the neg terminal on the coil). It broke it two! It must have just been holding together by a strand or two. So I soldered it up and sure enough, the car runs like a champion again.

So how the heck did that bad wire cause the symptoms I was having?

JB

Jim Martley2

It sounds like the wire wasn't allowing enough current to go to ground thru the points and was causing a weak spark from the coil. Welcome to the WONDERFUL world of automotive electricity :) :) :) !!


[Modified by Jim Martley2, 7:01 PM 6/24/2002]

hudman

Awesome news. I guess that joker that said you need to trash that rotten old motor of yours was way off base!

PRNDL

Isnt it obvious? :lol: I was just reading the relevant section of my service manual (because I just switched back to points and today bought a new set of points to upgrade) and I will go back and check - I believe there is a discussion of possible symptoms for bad condensor, points, etc. - i will check and see what they say.

However, my observations are:

1. It is great to find an easy fix, and

2. You were extremely lucky to have found it so easily!! I can just imagine paying a mechanic for about 10 hrs of time to troubleshoot your problem!!

:) MJ

69toy4me

Thank goodness for woops, look what I found. A little luck can go a long way when you have been battling one thing after another. Glad to hear that you got it nailed . :cheers:

JB

Guys, you couldn't be more right--I thank the car gods for their kindness, 'cause man it sure is nice when they drop it into your lap. I've been walking around grinning all day. Must be living right or something. I would never have thought to look at that stupid wire--wouldn't have occured to me it could cause those symptoms, like the timing was off.

Thanks for the support, hudman. As someone else said in another thread, it looks like ol' 73-454 is off his medication again. I can't decide if he's trolling to **** people off or if he's dead serious or if he just thinks it's funny. It is kind of funny that in another thread about a Texas corvette show he's trying to tick people off by dissing George Bush and the Bush twins. He don't seem to realize how proud us Texans are of W's party past and his party-hardy daughters. That's Texas, man, raise a little hell, buy a baseball team, become president. Yahoo!

JB

PRNDL

Just checked your original thread. Looks like MasterDave scores points for his diagnosis. He came about as close as you could get without saying, "Check the little wire that goes to the points to make sure it is not cracked" :) MJ

JB

:yesnod:

He wrote, "Well, I'm gonna guess a bad set of points (shorting) or worn dist bushings OR your advance springs have broken/stuck. Cracked dist cap. Dist related IMO."

I am but a lowly grasshopper, I bow to the master's wisdom! :D

JB


[Modified by JB, 11:32 PM 6/24/2002]

Stevo81

I knew that was the problem all along! :D