Mechanical Problem

[Gioman]

This is totally embarrassing but i'm going to ask anyways.
I tried charging the battery on my mustang with the cables attached and burned up the silenoid. I replaced the silenoid and the starter tries to start the engine however.. when i disconnect the wire leading to the coil and hold it up to the block i get no spark. I've tried replacing the coil with a new one and still no spark.. I'm at a loss.. what next? Any help appreciated.. lights work, starter works.. just no spark.

 

[Mosesatm]

This is totally embarrassing but i'm going to ask anyways.
I tried charging the battery on my mustang with the cables attached and burned up the silenoid. I replaced the silenoid and the starter tries to start the engine however.. when i disconnect the wire leading to the coil and hold it up to the block i get no spark. I've tried replacing the coil with a new one and still no spark.. I'm at a loss.. what next? Any help appreciated.. lights work, starter works.. just no spark.

Might you have switched the small wires on the front of the solenoid?

 

[Mustanger]

Here's a simple but often overlooked potential problem: have you checked the integrity of the connections? Try getting a volt meter/Ohm meter and checking your wiring/cables/connections between the battery and the coil...

 

[franklinair]

No Spark. Here's my process of elimination.
1.) With EVERYTHING hooked up, is there spark at any of the sparkplug wires (jumping to ground)? (It should be a nice blue spark)
2.) If not: Pop the distributor cap and crank the engine over to see if the points are opening or not. If they're not opening, adjust the points (I like .014" gap, or 28 to 32 degrees dwell if you have a dwell meter).
3.) If all that's OK, with the points CLOSED, Ign sw ON, open the points manually using a small screwdriver. If you see a blue spark between the points - thats good. If an amber spark or no spark, the condensor is bad or weak.
Its concievable that the coil has failed, but that's a remote possibility. Do you have a spare one?

(I make house call, but you'd have to fly me out there!!)

Hope this helps.

Neil

 

[rvrtrash]

You really need a voltmeter or a least a probe light. I would check for voltage at the second small terminal on the solenoid (the one nearest the starter cable) after disconnecting the cable to the starter at the solenoid. You should have about 13 volts with the key in the start position. If not, you may have a defective solenoid. If you have the voltage there, check the voltage at the coil with the key in the start position. You should have the same voltage. If not, you may have the engine harness connector unplugged or a broken/ shorted wire somewhere. Make sure your meter or light has a good ground (like the neg. batt. terminal) by the way. If you have everything OK, check for spark at the points like Neil suggested. If you get that far and still are stuck, post with what you found and we'll go on from there. I just thought of something---you didn't get the solenoid with just one small stud on the front by accident did you?

Steve

 

[Gioman]

Thanks guys, i'm going to try tracing wires tomorrow morning and check connections. It might be the wires are corroded.. its been since last summer that the car was started, might be oxidated connections.

For my own reference.. am i correct it assessing that it go's

battery, ignition switch, silenoid, alternator, coil, distributor, plugs --- in that order?

 

[rvrtrash]

You can leave the alternator out, as far as starting the car. You also have two wires to the coil that are spliced before they get to the coil. One wire comes from the second terminal of the solenoid and provides 12V to the coil when the key is in the "Start" position and the coil is energized. When the key is in the "Run" position and the solenoid drops out, ~9V is provided to the coil from the ignition switch, via a resistor wire.

Steve

 

[Gioman]

I found something.. not sure if its my answer but definitely sure its a problem. The black wire going from the points to the coil is broken. Going to see if i can get this replaced.

 

[Mustanger]

Are you describing the wire from the coil to the Dist. Cap? If you are, then just get another wire and try it out ... maybe it's time to get a new set of spark plug wires where a distributor cap/coil wire is included ... in fact, Ford Racing wires can be picked up for ~ $45 ... yeah, a bad coil wire will definitely cause problems (in fact, a good and cheap anti-theft practice is to remove this wire from the coil so the engine won't start) ...

 

[rvrtrash]

I think he means the ground wire from the points (18 Ga., goes into the side of the dist.) to the coil, and yes, that will keep your car from starting.

Steve

 

[robert campbell]

Sounds like you found the problem. If that does not do it make sure that you have the 9 volts on the wire from the ignition to the coil, in the run position on your ignition. Or light a probe light dimly. The 12 volts that Steve indicates in the start positon must also show up at the solinoid post.

All of this is to see if the ignition swtich is ok. Sometimes the switch will fail and either the engine rolls and rolls and starts hard due to lack of high voltage in the start sequence. Or it start right up and then die when you release the key (most common in my experience). The ignition switch has failed in the run position.

Rob

 

[Gioman]

I just ordered a primary lead wire for the distributor.. its not what i wanted but all i could find. The original has a yellow slip on top that fits over the threads on the coil side and a C-clip that wraps around on the points side. I took it to AutoZone and they suggested Radioshack for the ends and then to O'Reilly's which sold me a piece of wire for a replacement. Enough to test with i guess. Searching the internet for Reproduction wires. well see. Thank You everyone for your help. Hoping to fire up my classic soon.

 

[somethingspecial]

You can get the wire from any Mustang shop, Check NPD, Mustangs Unlimited, etc. If you want a fast fix, you can go to any wrecking yard. The wire is pretty much universal on any older ford. Find one in good shape and grab it. Grab a couple while your there. Just good to have in your parts stash. Good Luck. Mike

 

[Gioman]

Got spark to the coil.. i took that piece of wire and kinda made my own primary coil wire until the others arrive. It worked.. coils sparking. I'm celebrating now rather then moving on to the spark plugs..hehe That might be another let down.. I've fuel leaking from the front of the carburator, so i'm not looking for a new seal for that. It's flooding everything. hehe Thanks guys.

 

[Gioman]

I've been doing some research on the Autolite 2100 carburator.. Fuel is leaking from the front of the carburator and i just wanted to get a little advice first before i go any further.

Heres what i've checked so far.

* I took the top of the carburator off and checked to make sure fuel was filling the fuel cavity.

* Checked the float to be sure it was floating and not cracked.

* I pumped the front pump a few times to be sure the jets worked (they do).

All that i can think of is that it might be the diaphragm..although i'm not sure.
Theres a hole on the front of the carburator where the diaphragm is and that seems to be where the gas is leaking from. Any ideas or suggestions? Do yous think the diaphragm might be bad?

Also i haven't pulled any plugs yet. I thought i might handle this gas leakage first.

 

[rvrtrash]

The hole is probably an air vent for the accelerator pump and if so, the accelerator pump diaphragm is leaking and needs replaced. Fairly simple to do and relatively common for them to leak on carbs that have been sitting for a while.

Steve (I think I had a car with a 2 barrel----once, a long time ago.)

 

[robert campbell]

Steve is correct (again). The accelerator pump diaphragm can get a pinhole in it and leak out the front side of the carb. It will still work. Before you replace, take the 4 screws out and remove the housing and while carefully remembering what hole the rod is in that actuates the pump. Take the housing off and place on a flat surface to see if it is warped a bit. If so use a surface like the shank of a vice with the diaphragm surface down and carefully “tap” on the housing to make it flat again. Reinstall it and carefully tighten the screws down to get a decent pressure on the diaphragm. Many have been over tightened and warped and then leak.

At the same time you should be able to purchase the diaphragm very cheaply at your local parts store. Does it have a black plastic looking float? If so, they are very hard to tell if they have a crack and have soaked up fuel and are “gas logged” and no good. If it is brass, it is easy to tell if it has gas in it. Very easy to get a brass replacement, which I highly recommend if you have the black Styrofoam float.

Rob

 

[Gioman]

Thank you for your help. I'm a little uneasy working on this engine but trying to at least get it started so it can be driven to a real mechanic. I do admit i'm learning alot though. Spent a day researching the Autolite 2100 2-barrel carburator and what makes it tick. (Reason i knew what i diaphragm was)

Something that really amazed me was that i sent off for a mustang catalog from Houston and was like Wow..I could build a new car from this. They seriously sell almost the whole car in this catalog. Now why doesn't someone just put all these chassis pieces together and sell new chassis too. That would be way cool. I'm foaming at the mouth thinking of all the fun i could have building a car from scratch.. hehe. Seriously though it was a real eye opener. I just wonder how it affects the value of your car using these parts. Its making me wish i had a old junk '68 Mustang just to play around with. Also while reading i learned of a new way to remove paint called Soda Blasting. (I was wondering how you all got your engine compartment looking so new, well now i know) Sand blasting was all i had known of from the past and wasn't about to do that to my car so it was completely stripped with paint remover before painting 20 yrs. ago. That was a alot of work back then.. thank goodness i was alot younger. Unfortunitely the engine compartment wasn't stripped but only cleaned with Easy Off to strip off the grime before getting a quick shot of black.

Something i've been wondering about is where did yous start in your restorations of your mustangs?

 

[rvrtrash]

Ask and you shall receive. http://www.dynacornclassicbodies.com/ford_models.html

I usually start on my restorations by taking pictures of the car the way it is, so I can remember where everything goes, and then I pull the engine/tranny. From there, it's just unbolting whatever you feel like and bagging/tagging all the parts.

Steve

 

[Gioman]

Once again you've educated me Steve. The '67-'68 body design explains why the Elenor mustangs cost so much on Ebay. These must be 'New' copies of the originals..modified of course. I kept thinking geesh if there getting this much out of a '67 fastback.. i'll never see one of those in my future. Now the sky is clear again as they say. hehe