No Start After Rain... but maybe unrelated (video)

[Birdie]

Success! While I am not qualified to give a definitive cause(s) and solution(s) on something so complicated, it is my belief that many of you were correct about the issue(s) and that without all of the different POV's this would not be resolved. Thank you everyone. Read on.

 

Summary:

- The rain likely had nothing to do with it

- The cold + the first 50 miles in 18 years caused a self-adjustment (gunk, particles, etc.) of the choke/idle

- The ceramic resistor was causing a weak spark 

- The clog/self-adjustment of the carb made the mix leaner and the weak spark was no longer able to ignite it as before. 

- This would explain why the PO, who had the car methodically serviced the car prior to 2005, would have never noticed the superfluous resistor as long as he kept on top of the carb tuning, etc.

 

Short Term Resolution:

- Remove ceramic resistor from (+)coil circuit

- Adjust choke/cold idle

 

Long Term resolution:

Permanently remove ceramic resistor from circuit 

Rebuild carb (thanks @John76 ) 

 

Process (hours of overly cautious prodding condensed into a one minute read):

- The fuel pump was working extremely well (thanks for the step-by-step test plan @Mike Self)

- After bypassing the ceramic resistor we saw signs of life (spark) but it just couldn't quite get going (thanks for the incredible catch and test plan @'76mintgrün'02 @Dudeland)

- Adjusted the choke (having never spent a minute with a carb thank you Youtube)

- It's started right up. However, whereas on the warm day that I picked it up from the mechanic and the cold idle was too good to be true for a car that sat for 18 years, it now required that I give it a little gas to keep the engine running.

- after a few minutes of babysitting the idle it warms up and runs just like the day I picked her up (moves off of cold idle cam step)

- Adjusted the idle screw (again a complete rookie's touch) and things are looking like a 'win' for Team 2002FAQ.

 

As with any such 'project' I came away with more questions/issues about this car than I went in with (now the horn honks when I start it), so there will be many more posts to come. Thanks again everyone!

[Birdie]

this is my aggregate compilation of solutions suggested in earlier posts.

['76mintgrün'02]

Congratulations. 

 

It's funny how often you see blue coils + a resistor.  That's one example of why posting (a lot of) photos can be very helpful.

 

You may still have the original resistor wire feeding the coil, which you'd need to bypass when using a blue coil.

 

Did you take a look at the wires connected to the + side of the coil to see if one of them has translucent insulation? If so, that's your huckleberry.  The resistor wire in the '75-'76 cars is crimped into the harness inside the blue sheath, back behind the distributor.  You can strip a bit of wire before that crimp and crimp a new wire there, to run a full 12V to the coil +.  I'd leave the resistor wire in place (disconnected), in case you ever want to run a stock (black) coil.

 

Dug's suggestion to look at the distributor is a good one.  The video is taken from far away, but it looks like you might have distributor model 0231170164, with a vacuum advance pod.  Where do you have that vacuum line connected?  To the manifold, or the base of the carb?  (I'm asking so @John76 and @jimk can duke it out  ). 

 

Are you running points/condenser, or a PerTronix?  If points, do you own a dwell meter?  If not, I'd like to suggest that you invest in the best timing light on the market, an Innova 5568; which has variable timing, a dwell meter, a volt meter and a tachometer all built into one tool.  I never leave home without mine.

 

Tom

Edited April 2, 2023 by '76mintgrün'02

[Dudeland]

33 minutes ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

Congratulations. 

 

It's funny how often you see blue coils + a resistor.  That's one example of why posting (a lot of) photos can be very helpful.

 

You may still have the original resistor wire feeding the coil, which you'd need to bypass when using a blue coil.

 

Did you take a look at the wires connected to the + side of the coil to see if one of them has translucent insulation? If so, that's your huckleberry.  The resistor wire in the '75-'76 cars is crimped into the harness inside the blue sheath, back behind the distributor.  You can strip a bit of wire before that crimp and crimp a new wire there, to run a full 12V to the coil +.  I'd leave the resistor wire in place (disconnected), in case you ever want to run a stock (black) coil.

 

Dug's suggestion to look at the distributor is a good one.  The video is taken from far away, but it looks like you might have distributor model 0231170164, with a vacuum advance pod.  Where do you have that vacuum line connected?  To the manifold, or the base of the carb?  (I'm asking so @John76 and @jimk can duke it out  ). 

 

Are you running points/condenser, or a PerTronix?  If points, do you own a dwell meter?  If not, I'd like to suggest that you invest in the best timing light on the market, an Innova 5568; which has variable timing, a dwell meter, a volt meter and a tachometer all built into one tool.  I never leave home without mine.

 

Tom

Nice catch on the ceramic resistor.  I doubt I would have caught it.    I forgot that the blue is a full 12v,  not like the oem that runs around 9 and is only 12v while it cranks. 

 

[Birdie]

Quote

Did you take a look at the wires connected to the + side of the coil to see if one of them has translucent insulation? If so, that's your huckleberry.  The resistor wire in the '75-'76 cars is crimped into the harness inside the blue sheath, back behind the distributor.  You can strip a bit of wire before that crimp and crimp a new wire there, to run a full 12V to the coil +.  I'd leave the resistor wire in place (disconnected), in case you ever want to run a stock (black) coil.

Birdie - It looks like the original harness was already stripped back to at least the cowl. You can see in my latest picture that the 'harness' leading to the coil is now of the electrical tape variety. Thus no translucent insulation and no inline resistor. This is a very interesting point because the inline resistor must have been removed at this time and why the ceramic resistor was put in.. when there was still a stock black coil... which would have required it.

pic detail - green/red was going through ceramic resistor - now straight to + coil.

Quote

Dug's suggestion to look at the distributor is a good one.  The video is taken from far away, but it looks like you might have distributor model 0231170164, with a vacuum advance pod.  Where do you have that vacuum line connected?  To the manifold, or the base of the carb?  (I'm asking so @John76 and @jimk can duke it out  ). 

Birdie - While I can't confirm the model just yet I have some better pictures and there doesn't seem to be any sort of vacuum line.

Quote

Are you running points/condenser, or a PerTronix?  If points, do you own a dwell meter?  If not, I'd like to suggest that you invest in the best timing light on the market, an Innova 5568; which has variable timing, a dwell meter, a volt meter and a tachometer all built into one tool.  I never leave home without mine.

Birdie - Points/condensor. The Innova 5568 looks like something I need. Thank you for the suggestion.