30 Essex Engine Help

Joe30Essex

Looking for ideas- After sitting for almost a year in the body and paint shop, the engine started acting up. Before it sat, everything ran great, I could drive for miles and miles with no problems. Once I started it when I got it back,this is what happened; Starts and idles easily, will drive for a few miles like a top-then it bucks, slows and eventually stalls. Geoff Clark has offered suggestions along the way- I have checked the jets for clearance, the flapper valve for movement, set timing, and even checked the Vacuum Tank (works great). When I have it idling and give it some gas it seems to hesitate slightly, speeds up, hesitates, etc., but when I let it idle down it sounds great. What else should I look at???

hudson1948

Sounds like it might be a coil. I've had several cars that would run fine when they are cold and then start to buck and break up after running a while.

Joe30Essex

I think that may have been it. Thanks for jogging my memory. I had similar problems when I had then engine rebuilt-someone suggested moving the coil to the firwall-which I did and never had those problems again until recently. When I inspected the coil, I found it loaded with filler and paint dust from the paint shop. I cleaned it out and also noticed the wires were on opposite what they were when I took it in (does that make a difference?). Anyway, once I put everything back in order, I started the car and let it idle for 15 minutes and get to about 180 degrees. I then drove it for about 5 miles with no problems. I just took it out again and went 2 more miles after letting it sit for awhile, and still no problems. Keeping my fingers crossed!

mars55

Joe30Essex wrote:

I cleaned it out and also noticed the wires were on opposite what they were when I took it in (does that make a difference?).

Yes it does. If coil polarity is wrong it will take greater voltage to fire the plugs. The reason for this is as follows. The center electrode has a higher temperature, normally, than the ground electrode so that more electrons will be released from the hotter metal surface of the center electrode than from the ground electrode. If the center electrode polarity is more negative than the ground electrode (which is connected to chassis) then the earth electrode will attract electrons from the center electrode; but if the coil secondary voltage polarity is reversed, the voltage needed to cause electrons to pass from the earth to the center electrode (i.e. to make the gap conductive) is increased. This is from the CHAMPION Automotive Technical Service Manual.

Joe30Essex

Thanks for the info. See, you can learn something new everyday. At some point I might become a real expert on this car after tearing it apart and putting it back together so many times.