Re: Low rpm cutout 1946 deluxe clipper

Posted by HH56 On 2023/8/15 15:12:17

Also check the distributor. There is a fabric covered wire inside some distributors that can cause intermittent problems and symptoms like you describe. Worn shaft bushings can also lead to some intermittent ignition issues if the wear is bad enough to let the shaft wobble enough for point gap changes.

On the wire issue, if you have the type distributor where the vacuum advance rotates the entire round dist body, that fabric covered wire may not be present or will not likely be an issue. Do check the condenser wire though just to make sure it is not rubbing or pulled tight against anything that moves.

If you have the type distributor where the vacuum advance moves the breaker plate inside the distributor, there is a very flexible fabric covered wire that connects the inside points and condenser terminal connection to the terminal located outside the body where the coil connects. The fabric insulation can rot and fall off the wire and as the breaker plate is moved by the vacuum advance, intermittent shorts can occur causing the engine to misfire. As the engine starts to act up the advance moves the plate back, the short goes away and all is well again. If a large enough chunk of insulation falls off there will be a dead short and the car will not start.

In some distributors the wire is easily visible but on others it can be held by clips under the breaker plate. On those hidden wires it is hard to see all the wire to know if there is a problem. If you do find a wire with bare spots DO NOT use fairly stiff hookup wire as a replacement or tape that will stiffen the wire. The continuous back and forth motion of the breaker plate will soon cause ordinary wire or a long stiffened area to break. For the distributor application it must be a very fine multi-stranded ultra flexible type wire, preferably with crimped on terminals so no solder can run back in the wire to make it stiff at the ends. Search for ground lead wire. Various lengths and terminal configurations are available so try to find something close to what you have. Some parts stores will still have them and there are ebay vendors that sell them too.