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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Fixed radio, now car won't start sometimes!

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Fixed radio, now car won't start sometimes! -- page: 1 2     supereal 10-19-2010 @ 10:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Fritz: The common problem with the ignition switch is the wearing of a groove in the Bakelite that eventually keeps the wiper arm from making proper contact. You can order the switch body and arm (brush) from good vendors such as C&G (800/266-0470). The part number for the switch is 09A-3704. Just unscrew the metal cage from then back and the body and arm will come off. The terminals feed the "accessories" such as your radio, and the ignition side feeds the resistor for the coil. That is likely why the radio worked, but the ignition did not. About half of old switches fail to make good contact, and we routinely replace them before they cause trouble. kubes40 10-19-2010 @ 5:34 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3406 Joined: Oct 2009 Nearly always the symptoms you describe can be traced back to a faulty coil and / or condenser. Before disturbing the distributor, my advice is to concentrate on those two items. It is always a good idea to repair or replace ONE thing at a time. The ignition switch can be inspected easily. Look for grooves cut into the terminal plate. Usually the pivoting contact plate is okay. After the car has been running for a while, you can place your finger on the three terminals of the rear of the switch. If they are warm to the touch, something within the switch is worn. FRITZ47 10-18-2010 @ 7:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 56 Joined: Oct 2010 I first thought that I should consider the ignition switch, as it looks quite old, yet when turned on, the radio works and the gauges seem to work (didn't think to check when car did not start). Mechanically it works the safety lever back and forth when the key is turned on, but I did not check the voltage at the coil as yet. A problem with an intermittent short is not always an easy fix. Today I stopped at NAPA and ordered a new condenser, new distributor cap, new points and distributor rotor, so that I will have most of what I need as I get into this. As I said, car was idling very nicely and just stopped suddently (no sputtering of any kind)- just shut off. Car was slightly warmed up, but only after a drive of about 2 miles to the gas station at 70 degrees - engine was certainly not hot. I am wondering where I can find a new ignition switch (original type) for this car? In a pinch, imagine that I could use the existing switch to lock the steering wheel and install a concealed ignition switch below the dash if necessary to see if the problem can be fixed, but the car is so nice, that it would be better to have a NOS swich or equivalent. At Hershey I picked up a Mac's Catalog and see that they sell an Ignition Switch Body for 1941-1948, but not the Ignition Switch Contact Set for a 1947 Ford. I did not check Carpenter as yet. Looking for suggestions and thanks again for all of the help. Fred Here is a picture of the car at our repro "Gas Station" at our car museum at work. Fred supereal 10-18-2010 @ 7:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 With the ignition switch on, check the voltage to the coil input. You should see the reading move between battery voltage, just over 6 volts, and about 3 volts as the engine is cranked and the points open and close. I suspect, since the engine stopped suddenly, that the ignition switch is failing, not an unusual event in an old car. When a coil or condenser fails, it usually causes the engine to sputter, then fail, rather than just stop. As your car was cold when you tried to start it, I doubt the coil is bad. 51f1 10-18-2010 @ 6:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Don't waste your money on high-test fuel. The regular today far exceeds anything available when your car was built. Richard 37RAGTOPMAN 10-18-2010 @ 5:37 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1962 Joined: Oct 2009 You could adapt a modern 6 volt coil.they are sold by AUTOZONE, around $20.00 and will get you back on the road, have the original one rebuilt. Also you will have to disconnect the resister, it is no longer need with a modern 6 volt coil I carry 1 coil as a spare. hope this helps 37RAGTOPMN Old Henry 10-17-2010 @ 8:37 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 Your picture is of the coil. Still Old Henry This message was edited by Old Henry on 10-18-10 @ 5:13 AM FRITZ47 10-17-2010 @ 4:43 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 56 Joined: Oct 2010 Thanks for the advice. I buy from NAPA all the time for my 50s Buicks and Safaris, but didn't think about them for the '47 Ford. I forgot to mention this in my earlier post: After adding fuel, started the car and was talking to my two new friends through the open window with car idling nicely for about 4-5 minutes, when it suddenly quit (as if I shut off the key). Then failed to start as previously described. Here is one more closeup picture of the engine. Is this the coil? (My '39 LaSalle has a tubular coil the size of a toilet paper inside cardboard and it is mounted on the firewall). Thanks for the quick advice - what a wonderful club I just joined! Fred Old Henry 10-17-2010 @ 4:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 After buying many defective Argentine condensers from the usual on-line mail-order sources, I finally just went down to NAPA auto and bought an Echlin condenser right off their shelf that was an exact fit and never had any trouble with it since. I've been surprised just how many of the common parts for our old 47's that NAPA has right on their shelves. I also invested in a multi-meter from Radio Shack that would test the condensers for correct Farad's before installing. Saves a lot of trial and error. Still Old Henry Old Henry 10-17-2010 @ 4:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 The condenser is much cheaper to replace than the coil so I'd start there. Having gone through this many times I replaced many coils just to find out that it was the condenser. I'd start there. Still Old Henry

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