54 Manhattan Electrical Issues

[Chris Luecht]

Hi everyone,

Been trying to get this old 54 Kaiser's engine running without much luck.  Was running for short 5 minute intervals about 3 weeks ago and then, suddenly, nothing.  I have checked just about everything I can think of, but am in need of a KF expert........if there is such a thing :-)   

So here is the situation.  54 Supercharged Manhattan that hasn't been roadworthy for aprox. 10 years.  Just did brakes, new tires, etc. and we were able to get it running with a 12 volt battery as the 6 volt battery (fully charged) wouldn't turn it over fast enough to get it going.  Obviously by starting it with a 12 volt things could have gotten messed up, so I have put on a new condenser, new points, rotor, and new spark plug wires.  We have narrowed it down ( or so we think )to not getting spark from the ignition coil.  When placing an in-line spark tester in line from the coil to distributor wire, a small spark occurs only when the ignition switch is turned on and off, not when cranking etc. 

Tried a new coil, with the same issue.  Checked and re-checked the gap of the points to .022", tried a few condensers.  Does anyone have any ideas?  What am I missing?  The killer is that it was running a couple of weeks ago, pretty smooth too.  Things I haven't messed with include Voltage regulator so I was wondering if that may have something to do with ignition, but I thought it really was only a circuit breaker for the generator and battery.  Sorry for the long post, but I think I covered the basics of everything we have tried thus far. 

Thanks,
Chris

[custom]

Chris, I would try a temporary "hot wire" from the battery to the ignition side of the coil. Use alligator clips so you can remove the wire. Try to start the engine as usual. Check for spark. (This will eliminate a bad ignition switch.) Remember the only way to stop the engine is to disconnect the "hot wire".

[Fid]

I was thinking there must be a short either between the switched side of the ignition switch or inside the distributor.  What custom has recommended will isolate any short on the switched side of the switch (remember, the short could be in something other than the ignition circuit as any short will cause the voltage to drop). If there is a short, you would likely, although not necessarily, smell the burning wires or see smoke.  If custom's suggestion does not allow the car to start, carefully examine the inside of the distributor to make sure the wire from the coil is not shorted to the case or any other component in the distributor.  Look for foreign debris, a piece of a wire clip or something like that that may be lodged in the distributor and shorting the coil directly to ground when the switch is on.  Also, if the points that were install have sat for a while, they too could be tarnished enough not to make contact when they're closed. I had a friend who had an old Dodge truck which had no spark. He installed a set of points that had been in the glove compartment for who-knows how long. They were not making contact when closed. He used sand paper and even that did not clean them enough. A quick check with my ohm meter still indicated no continuty through them when closed. I took them out, scraped the surfaces clean with a sharp pocket knife, re-installed them and it started right up. It's gotta be something very strange like that.

[carsngolf]

Just a note to be sure the coil is connected properly.  I believe all K-F products were positive ground.

Jerry