1968 small block standard points
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
1968 small block standard points stalls with no warning
Car runs very well until it stalls. It re-starts immidiately. Any ideas.
New points, condenser, cap, rotor, wires, coil, distributor plate ground is good, primary wire to coil is good.
Thanks,
New points, condenser, cap, rotor, wires, coil, distributor plate ground is good, primary wire to coil is good.
Thanks,
Last edited by LAWTON54; Aug 16, 2012 at 03:53 AM. Reason: correction
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Check that wire going to the coil on the inside of the distributor. The insulation on it can get rubbed off and make intermittant contact with the advance plate, causing the ignition to miss erratically.
Also, you may want to check for a good electrical ground for the distributor. Most folks don't know that the distributor mounting bolt and retaining 'fork' are the source of electrical ground for the distributor. The areas where those items touch the distributor must be free of paint, as does the bottom of the mounting flange on the distributor shaft. Surprise!!!
Also, you may want to check for a good electrical ground for the distributor. Most folks don't know that the distributor mounting bolt and retaining 'fork' are the source of electrical ground for the distributor. The areas where those items touch the distributor must be free of paint, as does the bottom of the mounting flange on the distributor shaft. Surprise!!!
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 18,742
Likes: 2,583
Did you set the dwell and timing after installing those parts? What is the idle speed set for? Did you adjust the carburetor idle speed and mixture screws after installing those parts? Is this an automatic or manual transmission?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
Check that wire going to the coil on the inside of the distributor. The insulation on it can get rubbed off and make intermittant contact with the advance plate, causing the ignition to miss erratically.
Also, you may want to check for a good electrical ground for the distributor. Most folks don't know that the distributor mounting bolt and retaining 'fork' are the source of electrical ground for the distributor. The areas where those items touch the distributor must be free of paint, as does the bottom of the mounting flange on the distributor shaft. Surprise!!!
Also, you may want to check for a good electrical ground for the distributor. Most folks don't know that the distributor mounting bolt and retaining 'fork' are the source of electrical ground for the distributor. The areas where those items touch the distributor must be free of paint, as does the bottom of the mounting flange on the distributor shaft. Surprise!!!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
QUOTE=MelWff;1581584116]Did you set the dwell and timing after installing those parts? What is the idle speed set for? Did you adjust the carburetor idle speed and mixture screws after installing those parts? Is this an automatic or manual transmission?[/QUOTE]
The dwell and timing are perfect. The carburetor was done by Lars and works perfectly well. The car runs like new when and if it runs. The car is an automatic. The problem seems to be that something is grounding out or disconnecting at the distributor. Now if I could only find what that is.
Thanks for your reply,
The dwell and timing are perfect. The carburetor was done by Lars and works perfectly well. The car runs like new when and if it runs. The car is an automatic. The problem seems to be that something is grounding out or disconnecting at the distributor. Now if I could only find what that is.
Thanks for your reply,
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
To "know" that the distributor wire is 'good', you really have to use an ohmmeter and check for continuity between the wire conductor and the distributor case as you wiggle that sucker around. I once had a distributor with similar problems and found that the little brass strain-relief that was crimped on that wire had worked its way down to the conductor wire...and whenever that brass piece touched metal in the distributor, the engine misfired/cut-out.
Crazy things can happen on these old cars.
Crazy things can happen on these old cars.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
To "know" that the distributor wire is 'good', you really have to use an ohmmeter and check for continuity between the wire conductor and the distributor case as you wiggle that sucker around. I once had a distributor with similar problems and found that the little brass strain-relief that was crimped on that wire had worked its way down to the conductor wire...and whenever that brass piece touched metal in the distributor, the engine misfired/cut-out.
Crazy things can happen on these old cars.
Crazy things can happen on these old cars.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
Well it just dies no indication of fuel starvation and starts right up after the incident. Also the car runs great. lots of power no hesitation and so on. When it dies there is no misfire.
Last edited by LAWTON54; Aug 20, 2012 at 09:12 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Have you had any incidents of the car not cranking at all when you try to start it? If you have, then your problem could be related to a defective grounding cable...either the main ground line from battery to frame (under the car at the battery box) or the frame/engine ground line (at the right-side motor mount). You need to really test those wires, as the connection may be poor/loose or the terminal may have a problem or the wire [inside the insulation] may have rotted.
Your problem certainly is indicative of an electrical problem with the ignition system, somewhere; and most likely an intermittant issue. Wiring or something involved with the transfer of electricity would seem to be a strong possibility.
Your problem certainly is indicative of an electrical problem with the ignition system, somewhere; and most likely an intermittant issue. Wiring or something involved with the transfer of electricity would seem to be a strong possibility.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: WAYNE Illinois
Have you had any incidents of the car not cranking at all when you try to start it? If you have, then your problem could be related to a defective grounding cable...either the main ground line from battery to frame (under the car at the battery box) or the frame/engine ground line (at the right-side motor mount). You need to really test those wires, as the connection may be poor/loose or the terminal may have a problem or the wire [inside the insulation] may have rotted.
Your problem certainly is indicative of an electrical problem with the ignition system, somewhere; and most likely an intermittant issue. Wiring or something involved with the transfer of electricity would seem to be a strong possibility.
Your problem certainly is indicative of an electrical problem with the ignition system, somewhere; and most likely an intermittant issue. Wiring or something involved with the transfer of electricity would seem to be a strong possibility.
All the ground lines were replaced not to long ago as well as the battery cables. The car always starts right up and the alternator charges well.
Any ideas will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Well, the fact that "all the ground lines were replaced recently" is cause for suspicion than one of them did not get mounted well enough to ground well...or a bolt didn't get tightened...or....
If the car didn't have these problems before the replacement of those grounding lines, it seems likely that your problem lies there.
If the car didn't have these problems before the replacement of those grounding lines, it seems likely that your problem lies there.