J
johnnyknownothin
Guest
I just bought this '55 Special and have been in the process of tuning it up...and it's been an ordeal...sometimes the simplest things end up being so complicated and frustrating...anyway, the ignition sys. on this Buick wasn't in the best shape when I got it -- mouse chewed sparkplug wires, fouled plugs, leaking ignition coil, dirty points and dist. cap, rotting battery leads, the timing was more than likely off -- and consequently it ran like crap -- stalled when given gas from a start, poor gas miliage etc.
So, I decided to replace all of the necessary elements -- new battery, new battery leads, new ignition coil, new ig. coil resistor, new plugs, new wires, new dist. cap, new points, new condenser, new rotor.
I took the distributor out (after setting the engine to TDC) to clean it and replace the parts more easily and put it back in without much difficulty. I replaced the coil and everything else and, getting ready to for the timing check, disconnected the vacuum advance. The car started just fine -- a little rough -- but I thought I'd fix that when I set the timing. Right? Nope.
The timing light (inductive type) wouldn't work. So I checked the timing light on another vehicle and it worked just fine. So, I checked the battery voltage and found that the battery had run down in the week that I'd been working (off and on) on the car (even though it still had enough juice to crank the car). So, I got the battery recharged. Hooked up the timing light again... still wouldn't work. Checked the battery voltage again...it's at 12.5 v -- so it's not that.
Could it be the generator? Could there be somthing wrong with the new parts in the circuit ... the new ig. coil resistor? Is it still, perhaps, the battery?
The car runs -- not great -- but better than before. But I really need to set the timing properly before I move on to anything else.
Does anyone have any idea what the hell could be wrong here?
This is driving me up the wall. No pun intended.
Thanks guys,
jkn
'55 Special Sedan
So, I decided to replace all of the necessary elements -- new battery, new battery leads, new ignition coil, new ig. coil resistor, new plugs, new wires, new dist. cap, new points, new condenser, new rotor.
I took the distributor out (after setting the engine to TDC) to clean it and replace the parts more easily and put it back in without much difficulty. I replaced the coil and everything else and, getting ready to for the timing check, disconnected the vacuum advance. The car started just fine -- a little rough -- but I thought I'd fix that when I set the timing. Right? Nope.
The timing light (inductive type) wouldn't work. So I checked the timing light on another vehicle and it worked just fine. So, I checked the battery voltage and found that the battery had run down in the week that I'd been working (off and on) on the car (even though it still had enough juice to crank the car). So, I got the battery recharged. Hooked up the timing light again... still wouldn't work. Checked the battery voltage again...it's at 12.5 v -- so it's not that.
Could it be the generator? Could there be somthing wrong with the new parts in the circuit ... the new ig. coil resistor? Is it still, perhaps, the battery?
The car runs -- not great -- but better than before. But I really need to set the timing properly before I move on to anything else.
Does anyone have any idea what the hell could be wrong here?
This is driving me up the wall. No pun intended.
Thanks guys,
jkn
'55 Special Sedan