Effect of carbon core wires?

[Willyclay]

Re: Effect of carbon core wires?

I might "jest" occasionally but NOT about something as serious as getting his JW-10 running right! Wish I still had mine. It ran like a sewing machine.

FYI, Packard 440 wire is still available and is now manufactured by ACDELCO. Some on eBay as we speak. Good stuff! Used it on my Mark75A. One caution, however. It will produce enough RFI to disturb all the TV's in the neighborhood when you are running on muffs. I imagine it will do the same for onboard electronics and cell-phones.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Effect of carbon core wires?

My local OMC dealer sells the correct plug wire bulk by the roll. Do you not have one nearby? Then they sell the boot kit also.

 

[aborgman]

Arrghh... I hate motors.

Arrghh... I hate motors.

So last year I was given a free 195x Johnson JW-10 Seahorse that wasn't running, and hadn't been run in probably 10 years.

SNIP

So I replaced the points, condensers, and spark plug wires. It now has 1yr old coils, and everything else is new.

Spinning the motor with plugs out, I get a good looking spark. With plugs in it won't even attempt to start. Not a bit of anything.

Out of desperation I tried switching the plug wires - when I did that, it behaved like I expected... coughing and backfiring like a motor with the plug wires on backward... but with the plug wires in the correct position, nothing. Not a sneeze, or a pop, or even a tiny puff of smoke.

I'm completely at a loss...

--
aborgman

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Effect of carbon core wires?

Are you certain you have the points installed and gap/timing set correctly? Does the engine actually have compression -- as in have you actually done a compression test. Have you spritzed a shot of fuel/oil mix (don't use ether) to see if it fires. If it does, you still have a fuel issue. If not you have a compression or spark problem. What did the flywheel key look like when you removed the flywheel. If its even partially sheared you have a serious timing issue.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Compression numbers? Might have a blown head gasket...
- Scott

 

[aborgman]

Re: Effect of carbon core wires?

Are you certain you have the points installed and gap/timing set correctly?

I'm pretty certain - I set the timing using this method:

http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...on 3 HP 1952-1967 Ignition System Tune-up.htm

Which is exactly how I timed it last year when it was working fine.

Does the engine actually have compression -- as in have you actually done a compression test.

I haven't done one since I got it running last year. I'll run one this evening and see how it looks, although based on the way it failed it seems unlikely to be the issue.

Have you spritzed a shot of fuel/oil mix (don't use ether) to see if it fires. If it does, you still have a fuel issue.

Plugs are wet, still doesn't fire.

If not you have a compression or spark problem. What did the flywheel key look like when you removed the flywheel. If its even partially sheared you have a serious timing issue.

Flywheel key looks great. It seems like it must be electrical, but I can't figure out what...

--
aborgman

 

[aborgman]

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Compression numbers? Might have a blown head gasket...

I'll check them this evening. Seems like an unlikely culprit though based on how it died.

--
aborgman

 

[MikDee]

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

So I replaced the points, condensers, and spark plug wires. It now has 1yr old coils, and everything else is new.

Spinning the motor with plugs out, I get a good looking spark. With plugs in it won't even attempt to start. Not a bit of anything.

Out of desperation I tried switching the plug wires - when I did that, it behaved like I expected... coughing and backfiring like a motor with the plug wires on backward... but with the plug wires in the correct position, nothing. Not a sneeze, or a pop, or even a tiny puff of smoke.

I'm completely at a loss...

--
aborgman

Just for your info, after many years of dabbling with different combinations, on different engines, I found that in the old days, engines with copper, or metal core wires, work best with resistor plugs! and engines with resistor wires work best with non-resistor plugs!

What used to happen with metallic core wires, & non-resistor plugs, was cylinder misfiring, and an overload of external current that would leak and actually cause a "blue aura" or "glow", all over the outside of the spark plug and it's ground, (visible underhood in the dark) that would also cause Bad AM radio static, (RF interference)
For some reason, the resistor plugs with solid core wires put the spark directly into the engine, where it belonged!

Leaving oily fingerprints, or any oil, or grease, on the ceramic part of the sparkplugs back then, just made this 100 times worse! As a habit, I usually wipe my plugs off with alcohol, before I put the plug boots back on.

 

[aborgman]

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Just for your info, after many years of dabbling with different combinations, on different engines, I found that in the old days, engines with copper, or metal core wires, work best with resistor plugs! and engines with resistor wires work best with non-resistor plugs!

What used to happen with metallic core wires, & non-resistor plugs, was cylinder misfiring, and an overload of external current that would leak and actually cause a "blue aura" or "glow", all over the outside of the spark plug and it's ground, (visible underhood in the dark) that would also cause Bad AM radio static, (RF interference)
For some reason, the resistor plugs with solid core wires put the spark directly into the engine, where it belonged!

Leaving oily fingerprints, or any oil, or grease, on the ceramic part of the sparkplugs back then, just made this 100 times worse! As a habit, I usually wipe my plugs off with alcohol, before I put the plug boots back on.

Hmmm... I'll have to give that a shot.

--
aborgman

 

[aborgman]

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Re: Arrghh... I hate motors.

Compression numbers? Might have a blown head gasket...

Hmmm... this might actually be it...

I checked them on my lunch break - and they definitely seem low, although my cordless drill battery was going dead so that didn't help.

With my fully charged drill when it was running last summer I was getting ~80psi.

With my admittedly dying drill this afternoon I was getting ~50psi.

That doesn't look real good to me. I'll have to check it again when I get home and the drill is charged.

--
aborgman

 

[aborgman]

Low compression...?

Low compression...?

So after checking with my electric drill at full power the numbers are:

65psi top cylinder
70psi bottom cylinder

Is this the most likely culprit, or should I be looking at something electrical?

--
aborgman