Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

My 53 Cavalier has developed a miss, it's irregular almost a bit of a stumble. Because it's irregular, it's kind of like a fuel problem. It was fine and this started during a drive last night. It has had a bit of a miss when idling, but smooths out with just a bit of gas.

I was poking around, checking timing, which is good, checked vacuum which is a bit low, but always is, but the vacuum is very steady. (I've wondered if maybe my gauge isn't accurate, or maybe I have a intake manifold leak.) Just looking for something that could be causing the miss. When I was checking to make sure I didn't have any loose plug wires I noticed some were wet. What the heck, where did that come from. My coil is leaking...........

The coil is just over a year old, came from NAPA. Did it get too hot? Is it just a bad seal? Has the coil become weak and this is the source of my miss? If I replace my coil, will the next one have issues as well?

Any insights would be welcome.

Replaced my leaking/failing NAPA coil with a Flame Thrower. Initial impression is that my car starts and runs better than ever.

The Flame Thrower is Pertronix and I have one in my 1965 Cadillac along with their pointless ignition. Always very dependable.

So the Flamethrower works with normal points? I wonder about the Napa coil I put on my dad's '38. It solved the engine dying once under load, but I still have a weird miss that I can't track down. Points and condenser are new.

Still running whatever coil came with my '54, very old but probably not original. Runs fine, but maybe a new coil would improve it more?

KevinPackard, Yes, using the flame thrower with normal points. I have thought about getting their pointless ignition system, but modifications can be a slippery slope, so I tend to shy away and keep things original.

I just came back from a little drive and I am SUPER PUMPED about how much better my car runs. I used to get just a bit of ping pulling steep hills, which seems to be gone. I used to have a hesitation when first giving the car some throttle and that is gone now as well. It has more get up and go, and I fully expect a little better fuel economy because it's performing that much better. I wish I had some scientific data to share showing the difference, but it is so noticeably different that I'm confident it's not just my imagination.

We are going up to the family farm in a couple of weeks, 200 miles one way, so I'll be able to check fuel economy. Last year I got a little over 14 mpg.

I'd never use Petronix Ignition module on 6v. If you end up with even a slightly low battery, and voltage drops below 6v while trying to start, you'll be thumbing a ride.

On 12v, it's fine.

I’ve heard that too but never a problem on any of my cars which have almost all had one! I’m wondering if it’s an urban myth based on early designs and technology.

12v cars won't have an issue, but 6v not a myth. I know several prewar owners that were "petronixed" at very inconvenient times.

The module they use won't trigger correctly below 6v.