Hey Dusty,
She's just messing with me!

Blowing a Headlamp when it is turned on for inspection? When was the last time YOU had THAT happen? And the only thing that couldn't be checked by myself is the Brake Lights, and they turn out to have terminals that aren't making contact? They were working fine when that Switch and Wires were installed a couple of years ago!
Seem to be feeling pretty good. Anything that doesn't kill me just makes me stronger!

The good news is that all that has to happen tomorrow is for Lorrie to flash her Headlights and Brake Lights and she gets a NEW Inspection Sticker.

The next thing Lorrie needs is about ten gallons of fresh gasoline to, as Daniel put it, "dilute, dilute, dilute," what's left of the old gas that didn't come out when the Fuel Tank was cleaned. It isn't known that there is still any varnish in the Fuel Tank, but it's just a nagging feeling that there MIGHT be.

As soon as it is a bit cooler, Lorrie is going to get taken to the local Car Wash, and am going to use the Pressure Wand to clean the underside of Lorrie's Engine and Transmission Oil Pans. Everything else is pretty clean already.

Anyway, thanks for the response.

Hope YOU are well.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey All,
Tuesday Morning Update:

Got Lorrie's Left Headlight installed and functioning.

Got Lorrie's Brake Lights functioning.

Put an extra two gallons of fresh Gasoline in Lorrie's Fuel Tank. If she gets her NEW Inspection Sticker, we will be heading for the Conoco for $25.00 worth the FRESH Gasoline.

Started Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine, and backed her out onto Long Drive.

Got going in Reverse, and applied the Brakes really hard. Did this about a dozen times. It was obvious by the increase in the Brake Pedal that the Self-Adjusting Brake Mechanism were working wondrously.

Lorrie is once again ready to head for the Inspection Station to see if Wayne, the Inspector will award her a NEW Inspection Sticker.

Will let you all know the outcome.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey All,
Got all set to go to the Inspection Station.

Went out and got into Lorrie, and started her mighty 225 Slant Six Engine.

Put here A727 Automatic Transmission into Reverse. Started backing up and the Engine died.

Put the Shift Lever into Park, and hit the Starter Switch.

Lorrie won't let her Engine start! It just cranks. She did this yesterday at Robert's Place. Her Fuel Line got messed with, tapped, loosened and then re-tightened, and she started right up.

So this morning, thought she might be not getting enough Gasoline.

Took the Fuel Line to the Carburetor off.

Took out the Needle Valve. It is fine.

Put it all back together.

Tried to start her up, but she wouldn't even fire.

Put a bit of Starting Fluid into the Carburetor.

Cranked the Starter. Lorrie didn't even cough.

If she was getting any fire, it would have at least ignited the Starting Fluid.

It did NOT!

Checked the Wires to the Ignition Coil. Checked the wires from the Ignition Coil to the Distributor. Everything was in place.

Am suspecting the Condenser. But it was put in just before we tried to get the Engine up and running so it is relatively new.

Am going to take out the Engine Cabinetry, and the Removable Floor yet once again, and check to see if there's something amiss in the Distributor.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is that Lorrie doesn't WANT to go to the Inspection Station this morning, so I guess we aren't going to get an Inspection Sticker this morning again.

The old thing has gotten to be VERY temperamental. Oh well. Just more to mess with.

Will keep you updated.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

She is just like any other postal worker...

_________________
I have no idea what I am talking about.

Hey Mr. RC,
Am beginning to think you are right.

It's apparently NOT time for Lorrie to get her NEW Inspection Sticker.

She was fine this morning when her Brakes got adjusted.

She was fine when we got ready to go to the Inspection Station.

But, when we started to back out of the Driveway, she just quit and won't start again.

Took the Engine Cabinetry out.

Removed the Floor to get access to the Distributor.

Disconnected all the Spark Plug Wires and Coil Wire from the Distributor Cap.

Removed the Distributor Cap and checked the Points Gap. It is right at .023".

Cleaned the Rotor Tip and Cap Contact.

Cleaned all the terminals in the Distributor Cap.

Reassembled the Distributor and tried to start the Engine to no avail.

Suspect that it is either the Condenser or the Ignition Coil but don't yet know how to discern which.

Will remove the Distributor to work on it, but have to make sure that I know what I'm doing before THAT gets started.

Am just going to clean everything out of Lorrie, push her into the shade where she sat for sixteen years, and just walk away till how to troubleshoot the situation becomes known and understood.

Anyway, it's already too hot out to do anything more other than to just clean her out.

Will keep you updated.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey All,
Tuesday Noon Update:

Have cleaned everything out of Lorrie. There are no tools, parts, or materials in her.

She is just not getting any fire to the Cylinders.

If there were any spark to the Cylinders, she would at least "cough" when the Engine was cranked with Starting Fluid in the Intake Manifold. But there is just NOTHING!

Am out of funds for the month with which to buy a NEW Condenser, NEW Ignition Coil, New Distributor Cap, or NEW Rotor.

Have a NEW set of Points from NAPA, but they will not fit Lorrie's Distributor because the Pivot Post in the Distributor is too big for the Pivot Hole in the NEW Points Set.

So Lorrie is once again dead in the water, at least till Tuesday, July 3, 2012.

But this cannot be allowed to beat me.

Am just going to back off of working on her for a week.

Have disconnected her Negative Battery Cable.

She can just go back to sleep for a week.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Perhaps the resister is the problem (some of the people carry a spare).

Richard

_________________
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Hey Richard.
The Ballast Resistor checked out alright. Also have a couple on hand.

There is a circuit from the Start Switch which supplies 12 Volts to the Ignition Coil ONLY while cranking.

If the Ballast Resister was bad, the Engine wouldn't run, but it would, at least, TRY to start as the Ignition Coil would be getting electricity FROM the Start Switch which is not routed through the Ballast Resistor.

Lorrie is getting absolutely ZERO electricity to the Spark Plugs.

The Wires from the Battery to the Fuses to the Switches, to the Components are fine.

Somewhere between the the Run Switch and the Start/Run/Charge Circuitry there is a part that is NOT functioning. Which part it is, is at this point undetermined. It could be any one of the following items:
Ignition Coil,
Points,
Plugs (these are NEW and probably not at fault),
Condenser,
Distributor,
Distributor Cap, and
Rotor.

The task is to diagnose the problem with tests that check the functioning of the various components.

In some cases components have to be unhooked, and uninstalled in order to test them.

Am thinking of removing the Distributor so that it could be properly assembled and reinstalled. Need to do the necessary learning, and have this process fully understood before attempting to do this.

Put the present Condenser into Lorrie's Distributor some months back. It seemed to be working well once Lorrie's Engine was finally up and running.

Lorrie's Engine died yesterday and wouldn't start for about five minutes, then all of a sudden, it DID start.

And this morning, it started right up twice, before it decided not to die and not start again.

It's a never ending chain of events. Must move forward. It might be something really simple. Only time will tell. Wait and see. It's always something.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

With ign in run position, do you have voltage at points. Make and break points (open and close) with one of the plug wires and a grounded plug in the coil tower, you should have spark at the plug.

Richard

_________________
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Hey Richard,
Alright.

Have contemplated the situation and am still formulating a course of action.

Some mitigating factors involved (which are not mechanical or electrical) are: The Season (Summer, hot and humid); Funding (a little short this month), and Ability (am experiencing a degradation of vision, and am hurting more recently). But will power through those factors to diagnose and remedy the situation of Lorrie Van Haul's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine not starting and running.

Have TWO main areas of the System to test, diagnose, and then perform the necessary remedy. They are the Start/Run/Charge Electrical System; and the Fuel System.

As Lorrie presently sits, the only REAL thing that is known about the situation is that Lorrie's Engine just won't start or run.

So where to begin the diagnosis?

At first it was thought that it was lack of Fuel to the Cylinders.

But there is also the possibility that TOO MUCH Gasoline is going to the Cylinders thus flooding them.

There is a mitigating factor if one pursues THIS premise: There MIGHT still be some "compromised" Gasoline in Lorrie's Fuel Tank.

If this is actual, it could have affected Lorrie's Bendix Stromberg Carburetor's functioning process. It might be "clogged", or maybe "stuck".

It could also be the Fuel Pump has been affected.

One of the first things to do is to see if the Fuel Pump is indeed pumping Gasoline to the Carburetor. Take the Fuel Line loose and crank the Engine to see if there is flow.

But most likely, the problem is Electrical, and the reason for leaning THAT way is that when Lorrie wouldn't start yesterday morning, the first assumption was that there wasn't any fuel getting to the Cylinders. The Fuel Filter just before the Carburetor had Fuel in it, so there was fuel going to the Carburetor. Whether or not it was getting into the Float Bowl would be the first thing to check. The Fuel Line from the Filter to the Carburetor was disconnected from the Carburetor and the Carburetor's Needle Valve Assembly was removed. It was not stuck, nor was it clogged. It was reinstalled and the Fuel Line reattached.

If there was no fuel going to the Cylinders, then a way to check to see if the Engine would attempt to start would be to spray some Starting Fluid into the Carburetor and crank the Engine. If the Engine TRIED to start by igniting the Starting Fluid then one could reasonably assume that the situation was a lack of Fuel from the Carburetor. So this was done. The Starting Fluid was sprayed into the Carburetor and the Engine cranked, but there was ABSOLUTELY no indication that the Starting Fluid had been ignited.

There are two conclusions that can be made from this process. Either Lorrie's Cylinders were so flooded than no combustion could take place. OR, the problem ISN'T Fuel related but is Electrical.

If the situation is the former, then Lorrie should try to start with Starting Fluid later this morning. After having sat all night, the Gasoline flooded Cylinders should have cleared by evaporation. Am going to give Lorrie a shot of Starting Fluid and crank the Starter without giving her any throttle. If she TRIES to start, then the problem is Fuel related.

If she DOESN'T try to start, then am going to assume that the problem is Electrical. Will know later this morning.

If it is decided that the problem is Electrical then a complete checking of the Start/Run/Charge Circuit System will have to be done.

Starting with the Spark Plugs: Should check to see if they are firing.

Line FROM the Ignition Coil to the Distributor: Make sure that it has continuity.

Lines TO the Ignition Coil: Check for continuity.

Remove and test the Ignition Coil. Replace if non-functional.

Remove and test the Condenser. Replace if non-functional.

Remove and inspect the Points Set. Replace if non-functional.

Have already removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the Distributor Cap and Rotor. They may need replacing.

Other than doing all this, don't have a clue as to what ELSE to do.

That Lorrie's Engine was running REALLY good, and then all of a sudden just quit is mysterious. It would seem reasonable to suspect a sudden failure of a component such as the Ignition Coil or the Condenser. The Condenser is relatively NEW. The Ignition Coil is MANY years old.

Will let you know how they test later this morning.

Anyway, went to sleep too early last evening, and am up early as a result of not being able to sleep any more.

Hope you have a good day.

Will keep you all updated.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey All,
Wednesday Morning Update:

Did the initial diagnostic on Lorrie with the Multi-Tester.

Tested the:
Continuity FROM the Battery TO the Starter. Good.
Continuity FROM the Starter TO the Fuse Panel. Good.
Continuity FROM the Input of the Fuse Panel THROUGH each Fuse. Good.
Continuity FROM Fuses One and Two THROUGH the Run Switch TO the Input of the Ballast Resistor, and TO the IGN Terminal of the Alternator Regulator. Good.
Continuity FROM the Output of the Ballast Resistor TO the "+" Terminal of the Ignition Coil. Good.
Continuity FROM Fuses Three and Four THROUGH the Start Switch TO the Starter and TO the "+" Terminal of the Ignition Coil. Good.
Pulled the Wire FROM the Ignition Coil TO the Distributor. Held it near a Ground and Cranked the Engine. NO SPARK!
Pulled the Lead FROM the Ignition Coil TO the Distributor. Tested it for continuity. NOPE! That wire will not pass Electrical Current.

Lorrie WANTS/NEEDS a whole NEW set of Spark Plug Wires.

Called NAPA. They have THAT Wire for less than $4.00. Robert's wife Rita will pick it up for me this evening. So we are dead in the water till another Ignition Coil TO Distributor Wire can be had.

Anyway, am not sure that the lack of continuity in the Ignition Coil TO Distributor Lead is the ONLY problem, but until it is replaced, no further diagnostic testing can be done.

Will keep you updated.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey JC, yes there is still one more test you can do, but if the coil wire is the culprit by not passing the spark I would say thats the problem... BUT if your wires are not the molded boot type wires (the boots can be slid up the wire) pull one of the plug wires scoot the boot up, slip it into the coil tower and see if the coil is producing spark. (other end of plug wire needs to be off and close to grounded to see a spark... If it sparks then all other components are well. (coil, condenser, points) Just an easy way to see if you have output from the coil. Hope its not to hot yet to test this theory....

Hope Lorrie quits taking breaks and deliver for you... (postal pun intended)

Have a wonderous day...

_________________
MRO....

Cheap, Fast, Reliable.... Pick 2...

Real dirty check take coil wire off the Ford (to test only, then put it back)

Richard

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Remove the Condenser. Replace

Hey Dusty,
Have had a "feeling" that what was wrong was something simple. It's THIS kind of thing that Lorrie has always found to be humorous. I suspect at times that I can hear her snickering behind her hand in the best tradition of Dique Dastardly's dog Muttley.
Alas, Lorrie Spark Plug Wires ARE the "molded boot type" which precludes doing this procedure.
Was up at 3:00 a.m. this morning. So when it was found that the Coil Wire was bad, and that the NEW one will be here this evening, just went up and took a nap. Slept till noon.

High 90s here today.
Wouldn't THAT be something?
At least have gotten some much needed rest.

Anyway, thanks for the response and the tips.

JC

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Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor