226 not running

[Logan]

Here's a head scratcher I'm hoping someone can help me out with.  Over the past several weeks there have been times that while driving my 53K it started to cut out.  The fuel pump was leaking, and so I thought that was it and replaced it.  For a time it didn't do it, so I thought I had it fixed.  But a few days ago I was driving again and got on the freeway.  As soon as I hit about 40 mph it started cutting out badly.  I pulled over, and it seemed to settle down a bit, but then I got stopped at a stoplight and it died on me and I couldn't get it started again.  So I pulled into a parking lot and got my friend and tools.

1st. I checked the new fuel pump, i.e. disconnected the line at the carb and ensured that it was pumping fuel through--it was.

2nd. I removed the sparkplugs, cleaned and gapped them, checked to see if they were sparking with my friend cranking the engine--they were, nice blue flame.  At this point I reinstalled the sparkplugs and tried starting it, but it wouldn't.  I sprayed copious amounts of starting fluid in the carb, but not even a pop.

3rd.  Wondering if it were possible the timing chaing broke (I knew this couldn't be it) I re-removed the plugs and did a compression test on each cylinder--absolutely normal (in fact, the compression is now even in all 6 cylinders.  When I first got the car last spring one cylinder was low and I have been running Marvel in each tank of gas, which I think has freed up a ring that was stuck to the piston of the low cylinder).

4th. I poured a little bit of gas--only 3-4 drops--in each cylinder before reinstalling the plugs, cranked it over, and nothing.  Again, not even one cough.

5th.  I wondered if somehow the timing was radically off, so I removed 1 plug, put my thumb over the hole, and had my friend crank the engine.  I watched the spark to see if it would correspond with the compression stroke--it did.

At this point, I was so stumped, I gave up and had it towed to my house where it sits until I can think of what else to do.  Spark--check, compression--check, gas--check.  It should run.  Help!

[47trev]

will it do anything with starting fluid?
it sounds like you have checked everything the only time ive seen anything like this was on a motorcyle that had a cracked intake and it was just getting way to much air.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

There could be several possibilites, based on my experiences with the 1951 and 1952 Kaisers I've had over the years...

1.  Have you checked the passages in the carburetor for "gum" or other plug up?
3.  Does the fuel pump push enough gas through to fill the carb float reserve (the bit of gas used to start the car until the pump gets fuel back up to the carb)? 
2.  How old is the gasoline in the tank...fresh or several months old? 

Your comment on chugs at 40 mph+ sugested there is constriction in the carburetor and the fact that it worked for a time at lower speeds suggests that you sucked in bad gas or debris from the tank and fuel line to the point where it plugged totally inside the carb at some point.  Remember too that gasoline today is not as "good" as the gas back when our cars were new, as far as vapor temperature (current stuff evaporates at lower temperatures compared to the old stuff).   Also on this point, do you have a way to measure fuel pump pressure to verify that the flow rate is as it should be?  I had a problem where the pump seemed to be running ok but it turned out to have too low of a pressure and not enough gas was getting through to catch.

Also, you do not indicate if you poured a bit of gas directly into the carb (air cleaner off)?   My experiences indicate that if the carb is working reasonably well, you will get the engine to run out the gas poured in, or it will "diesel" more or less until the gas is burned out or passed through the cylinder. 

[Logan]

I did not pour gas directly into the carb, only starting fluid.  The gas is new--I have been driving it regularly.  I have not checked the carb--could very well be a problem there, but I really don't understand not getting anything with the starter fluid trick.  Looks like the next step is pouring some gasoline down the carb to see if it will do anything, that should do something, no?

How do you measure fuel pump pressure?  I turned the engine over a few times and there was gas in the container I put on the end of the line.

[dpledger]

Failure to start momentarily with gas in the carb would pretty much rule out any fuel system causes. I had a couple of similar occurrences in 40 years of driving Kaisers for effect- always turned out to be resistance in the primary wiring. This would be the line from the battery to the coil to ground. If sufficient resistance develops anywhere in that circuit it can shut down the ignition system. Problem is such faults have a strong tendency to be intermittent, and to have worse effects at higher speeds. Check is to disconnect  - side of battery and place a VOM between the cable end and the - side of the coil. The circuit should be open in off, and zilch resistance when key is turned on. I have had cases where the switch had gotten noisy and would intermittently become resistive. Also had a bad connection to the coil once. Also need to check the ground side of the circuit-with points closed put VOM between battery (+) ground and + side of the coil. This should also give a zero ohm reading, essentially. With the VOM in place in both configurations jiggle all the junctions etc you can reach to see if there are any noisy ones. I also once had cutting out due to a condenser that hadn't been screwed down tightly enough. Any switch or connection or junction in the circuit can shut you down. Intermittent faults are, of course, among the hardest things to locate.

[joefrazer]

Try replacing the distributor rotor. Your symptoms are that of ignition problems. Also, while the cap is off, crank the engine to see if the rotor is turning. If so, the chain is still in place. You can also line up the timing mark on the balancer with the pointer and see where the rotor is pointing. It should be at #1 or #6 . If so, then the chain hasn't jumped. Jumped or broken chains are not common on the 226.

[Logan]

The rotor is new.  It is obviously turning because I am getting the plugs to spar--on the compression stroke.  Nothing is wrong with the chain.  Re: the suggestion that intermittent cutting out could be due to electrical problems, I should still get some response (firing) at least while cranking and sparying starting fluid into the carb. since the plugs are sparking at least at this speed, no?

I'm baffled.

[dpledger]

'nother thought: If the electrical checks out and you are putting gas directly into the carb without success, it could conceivably be a major leak in the engine air intake system, such as cracked manifold, defective carb gasket, or some such. This could lean out the mix so that even if everything were working all right it couldn't start. Have seen this one one or two occasions only, but can happen. A leak that large should be apparent, but spraying an aerosol about the manifold while cranking should create a visible inflow.

[superk226]

Pull the coil wire out of the distributor cap and hold it about a 1/2 inch off of the cylinder head while cranking the engine over. This test will eliminate any problem with the distributor cap and rotor. If this test produces a spark, plug the coil wire back in the distributor and try holding one of the plug wires off of the cylinder head about a 1/2 of inch to check the spark. If the spark will not jump about 1/2 of an inch, it is too weak to fire the plugs. If there is no spark or a weak spark, connect a jumper wire from the negative side of the battery to the negative side of the coil and crank the engine over and check the spark. This test will bypass the ignition switch and primary wiring. The positive side of the coil should be connected to the distributor. If there is still no spark or a weak spark, the coil may be bad or something wrong inside the distributor. I am assuming the coil and plug wires are good.

[Fabian 51K]

This past summer when I was home on leave my Kaiser would not start. I narrowed it down to what I thought was a distributor problem. I had cleaned the points with emry cloth and was getting ready to replace the condensor. My brother came up that weekend and says let me look at it. He popped the distributor cap and had me crank it. Said it looks like the gap on the points is off, less tha 15 thousandths. Went and got a feeler gauge and a screwdriver and reset the gap to 20 thousandths. Hit the starter button again and it fired righ up. No power at higher speeds could be that your timing is off (another distributor problem) either you are advanced, or retarded to much a timing light and dwell meter help to fix this. I have found that is is something small and overlooked that will stop your Kaiser dead in it's tracks and give you grey hairs trying to figure out what it is.

Fabian Oskierko
LM6279

[kenneth]

Hi this sounds like a tricky one, first check the distributor and point gap at the same time check the distrib.shaft by rocking it to see if its loose also check the tab on the points that runs on distr.cam to see if its run down and of course the condenser and ign coil,with these problems it could show sparks on the plugs but it wont`run and then over to something moore odd things I been out for,on one car the exhaust system was clogged up so it did not run on another one there was a big crack(hole) between intake and exhaust manifold so the engine was totaly dead (no fresh air).

[Fid]

The point gap is key. If it is off, that throws the timing off as well. I had that happen to me once. I've also seen the modern spark plugs cause a similar problem. You have spark when you check it but the engine won't start. At least twice a new set of plugs corrected this on my cars.

[Roger]

Hello Logan
    If all the other easier things don't work as suggested by the other members. I had a similar problem with an old Rambler, it was the timing chain had jumped a cog (still runs but low on power) but the second time it jumped it threw the timing out so bad that it had to be towed. If the distributor hasn't been disturbed a timing light will varify this condition.
       Roger

[Logan]

Thanks for all the advice.  I'll try the simple stuff (point gap, new plugs) first and see if that helps.  If not, I guess I'll have to go a little deeper into the electrical system.  I doubt the exhaust is plugged, but that is something I hadn't thought of that would do the trick.

[47trev]

i really think you have a bad intake manifold leak tighten all the intake an exhaust nuts see if anything came loose?