QuestionQUESTION: My husband would like to know how to set the points in an old 1939 Ford Pick up with a flathead V8 engine?
ANSWER: Hi again, Linda. I don't usually see the comments you post in the "ratings" field - so I didn't see your follow up question right away. There is another place to "click" if you want to post a follow up question.
Anyway, that explains the delay.
As for your second question, I believe the distibutor is keyed so that it will only go in one way, but just to be certain, tell him to make sure that no one moves the engine while the distrubutor is out of it, and also to note the position of the rotor when he removes it, so he can be sure to put it back in exactly the right position.
After adjusting points, the timing should be rechecked anyway, because changing the point setting affects the timing, but the timing should still be close enough that it will start up and run OK as long as the distributor is not installed with the rotor in the wrong position.
If someone has touched the starter button with the distributor out, however, you'll need to pull the #1 spark plug; then, using a tuft of Kleenex laying over the spark plug hole to show which is the compression stroke, use the hand crank to bring #1 up to the top of the piston stroke and then install the distributor with the rotor pointed at #1 plug wire socket.
To save yourself all that trouble, disconnect the battery before removing the distributor, and make sure the truck is out of gear in case someone tries to move it, (because that would turn the engine otherwise).
Dick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Dick,
Is there any way to check the validity of the coil? This truck has been sitting for 10 years and there is a good chance the coil is shot.
AnswerActually, coils seldom fail, but there are a couple of ways to check it.
First, inspect it for oil leakage - if you see any sign of oil having come out of it, it is either bad now, or is about to fail.
If it passes the visual check, and you have the distributor installed with the points and condensor replaced and set right, crank the engine with the coil high tension wire routed to a known good ground on the engine, with the copper center wire about 1/4 inch away from grounded metal. When the engine cranks over, there should be a healthy blue spark snapping across the gap. If the spark occurs, the engine should run if all else is OK.
If there is no spark, this doesn't prove the coil is bad, but just under suspicion. Next step is to verify that there is 6 volts on the "-" terminal of the coil when the ignition switch is on (assuming the truck has not been modified by changing to 12 volts or negative ground). If the 6 volts is present, next check to see that the "+" terminal of the coil is grounded when the points are closed. If you have a dwell angle meter, connect it to the "+" terminal of the coil while you crank the engine - it should read around 36 degrees.
If it passes all these tests, but still produces no spark, the coil is bad. NAPA stores sells a universal fit 6 volt positive ground system coil for around $30, last I checked.
Dick
