QuestionFollow up questions to earlier email.
Dick, I installed the battery per you previous email (positive ground). I also installed a new coil. I removed a couple of plugs and there is spark in the electrod, but will still not start. The car is getting plenty gas. Do you think it is still in the electrical system?
Thanks for your previous help.
Merv
AnswerNo, if you have spark, your problem is probably elsewhere - most likely in the mixture. Try again in the cold morning, and try putting some small amount of liquid gas in the top of the carburetor - say a teaspoon or so. The car should start, if only briefly, regardless of the carburetor situation.
It is of course possible that the engine has jumped out of time due to wear in the timing gears, but let's not even think about that now. You can also try using some WD40 as starting fluid - spray it in the air intake while someone cranks the engine. This should also make it start, at least for a few seconds. If it does, I wonder if your choke is OK, and there is no flooding or other problem with the carburetor.
Have you done a compression check on this engine? Low compression can make them VERY hard to start.
The backfire you had back when it first quit on you is the usual symptom of an intermittent electrical failure, but you seem to have eliminated that as a cause if you see a healthy spark when you crank it.
Another thing you can do is temporarily install a 12 volt battery - be sure all your lights are off when you do this, and only do it for a few seconds to start the engine - don't run it that way for more than a few seconds, but this will tell you for sure if your problem is serious. If it starts OK on 12 volts, as soon as it starts, disconnect the battery and see if it will keep running on the generator - it probably will, so you can install and reconnect the 6 volt battery while it runs a warms up. Once it is thoroughly cleared out, it should be back to normal again.
Good luck!
Dick.
