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From: Keith Douglas Miller
City: Hendersonville, NC
E-Mail: kdmiller2@juno.com
Date: 17 Jun 1998
Time: 21:55:22
I recently purchased a 1928 Roadster which was restored in 1992 and driven only 200 or so miles since. It ran well up until the other day, and now refuses to start. (My experience has been with British cars, so this is new to me, sort of...) Just beforte the no-start condition, I could press the gas pedal and it would not increase, but just felt "flat" and have no power. The backfiring was a nuisance, too!
I cleaned the points which were pitted, gapped them to .027, installed new Autocraft spark plugs and gapped to .019, cleaned out the sediment bowl (metal type), and attempted to clean the contacts on the distributor housing. I have been closing the needle adjustment and then opening to the right about 3/4 of a turn and pulling on the choke slightly. I have tried starting with the advance lever fully retarded and graduated it all the way to fully advanced. After the frustration of not being able to start the A, I re-pulled the plugs and found the first three to be wet with gas.
So... I have ordered new parts ignition-wise (rotor, points, dist. housing). I would like to time the engine correctly, but have no procedure to do so. From the above info, what mistakes have I made (sure to have made at LEAST one!), and what is involved in setting up the ignition system to operate as advertised? This is a nice car, and seems to feel a little lonely sitting in my garage (and after what I spent on it, I don't care to see it sitting there either!).
Thanks for any infomation you can provide! Keith Douglas Miller kdmiller2@juno.com Hendersonville, NC