You won't believe this.....

Plumcrazy · Jul 2, 2011

Sometimes I start my Oliver 66 and it runs pretty good, other times it barly runs at all. So after messing with the carb, which made no difference, I pulled the distributer cap and roter off to check my points. I hooked one of the spark plug wires over a stud that bolts the valve cover down, and rolled the engine over to see how much spark and gap the points had. When I rolled the engine over, IT STARTED AND RAN! With distributer cap off! It ran rough, but it set there running. ????? Even though it was a new cap, the spark was jumping across the terminals, and firing the spark plugs. Went to town and bought another distributer cap, and now it runs great!

oldironman · Jul 2, 2011

Your right. I don't beleive it. LOL

Anonymous-0 · Jul 2, 2011

That is very weird, some times things happen we can't believe until we see it happen,

Tom in TN · Jul 2, 2011

Plum,

I have very serious doubts about that, but I'll believe your story if you'll believe mine.

I worked in a garage the last two years I was in high school back in the early 1960's. I built a Model A coupe hotrod that I installed a 1953 Mercury V8 flat head engine in. One night when I was working on it, I had one of the heads off the engine. I needed to move it out of the shop for the night. The REAL mechanic who worked in the shop told me to start the engine and back it out. I thought he was kidding, but he told me to go ahead and try it. I started the engine and backed the hot rod out of the shop with only one head on it.

So, do we have a deal? I'll believe you if you'll beleive me.

Tom in TN

gregger · Jul 2, 2011

i put some turpintine on a cats azz and it passed a motorcycle doing 80mph

cole in mo. · Jul 2, 2011

No problem believing your story, seen it happen.

rustred · Jul 2, 2011

believe your flat head story also, but the oliver story is just plumcrazy.

DoubleR · Jul 2, 2011

About 35 years ago I ran the road with a guy who's CB handle was Plumcrazy. That story sounds about like one he would tell. Do you have long hair to your shoulders and a beard down to your belly? I thought maybe your my long lost friend.

oldironman · Jul 2, 2011

What kind of milage did you get on four cyl. It should have been twice as much shouldn't it.

norm s · Jul 2, 2011

The flathead V8 story, sure, why wouldn't it run? We used to do the same thing with a Wisconsin V4 just for fun. Its fun watchin those pistons streaking up and down! Now the Oilver story, how can an engine run not gettin sparks from the rotor to the terminals??????????????

billonthefarm · Jul 2, 2011

I saw this happen once as well. They were working on a tractor in the local IH shop and like yours they were bumping the starter and it started. Sure would like to have seen the look on the mechanics face. He drug everyone in the building out to the shop to watch this tractor run. It didnt run good but it was running. Wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt been there in person and saw it myself.
bill

Nebraska Cowman · Jul 3, 2011

On a magneto there is what we call a "safety gap" it is a place the spark can jump to ground if say a plug wire falls off or something. The shark HAS to go somewhere. So.... If you have a good hot spark from you coil it's going to jump. Why it would jump to the right terminal when it has 6 to choose from is a mystery to me.

billonthefarm · Jul 3, 2011

The one I saw it was jumping to all the terminals all the time and the cylinder that was coming up on compression would fire. I beleive there are engines that have spark on every stroke.
bill

Loren P. Coffin · Jul 4, 2011

THAT's how good an Ollie is! They'll run even when they can't! hahaha

You won't believe this.....

Plumcrazy

Member

oldironman

Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Tom in TN

Well-known Member

gregger

Member

cole in mo.

Well-known Member

rustred

Well-known Member

DoubleR

Well-known Member

oldironman

Member

norm s

Member

billonthefarm

Member

Nebraska Cowman

Well-known Member

billonthefarm

Member

Loren P. Coffin

New User

Similar threads