Plymouth 32 PA Question

[broker-len]

I have had my 32 PA for 40 years. original with a BB1 carb.....  when I got it,  the vacuum advance unit was broken,,,,,  bad diaphragm !!!!    so I just power timed     advanced distributor and kept retarding till it did not kick or ping,,,,,,,drove it all over fine---------------Little while ago got the original working vacuum advance unit and can not figure how it works ...............................the rotor turns clock wise      the vacuum unit being on the right side pushes the distributor counter clockwise or advanced at rest------------     as soon as the motor fires the advance pulls the distributor clock wise or retard       with my understanding of this technology  this is opposite the way it should work           if I time it as per the owner's book it has no power because it is running retarded------ if I time with vacuum gage it will not start      it kicks back    firing too early-----------and manual states the vacuum advance is used when starting with crank        as with model Ts     the spark needs to be retarded so you don't brake your arm        PLEASE      -------------------------------------WHAT AM I MISSING ??????????????????????

Edited 7 hours ago by broker-len (see edit h

[Rusty_OToole]

Are you sure the vacuum is correctly connected? On any car I have worked on they use ported vacuum from the carburetor, if you connect to manifold vacuum it won't work right or will work as you describe.

[F&J]

9 hours ago, broker-len said:

the vacuum unit being on the right side pushes the distributor counter clockwise or advanced at rest------------     as soon as the motor fires the advance pulls the distributor clock wise or retard       with my understanding of this technology  this is opposite the way it should work    

 

 

I don't recall any details of my former 32 PB...so, I looked at web pics of the BB1.

 

I saw pics of one that has a dist vacuum line fitting up near the throttle plate, but I saw another BB1 that never had the vacuum port drilled out for a fitting; it did have the casting boss where it was on the other carb pic.

 

If your car retards as soon as it starts; that means you have "manifold vacuum" going to the distributor, rather than "ported vacuum" which only gets vacuum when you open the throttle.

 

 

I don't see how yours can be correct with manifold supply, nor how can it work correctly even if it was ported supply.  But I just don't recall my old car.

 

Here is a simple question; Have you ever looked to see if there is a distributor ID number on it?   The reason: I have a 32 Nash downdraft flathead six with a vacuum unit.  It is ported supply.  After I got the engine to run, it ran just fine around the yard, no issues at all.....but...

 

Then at some point, I happened to notice the vacuum can linkage pulling the wrong way when I opened the throttle.  I researched the distributor tag to show that it came from a 1938 Hudson, and also found out that the Hudson distributor was supposed to turn opposite direction compared to my Nash engines "proper" distributor.  I ended up with another distributor that was built to turn the correct rotation.  The car still starts/runs just fine.

 

I am sure the old backwards/wrong-way distributor would not have worked well out on the road, or not as good as what I now have.

 

.

 

 

[broker-len]

thanks for all your in put       I think I fixed it        talked with some one in Florida    has a PA motor     found out how his works    played with the control arm    at rest full advanced----------low idle a  retard   and speed up    full advanced       not sure what sense this make     the manual states it is to help when hand cranking   so it should be retard at rest which is the direction given for 30 plymouth which is manual spark advance