Jump to content

Unusual Ignition Failure


Mark Shaw

Recommended Posts

     Two days ago, I was driving my 15 Buick Speedster the 10 blocks from the Storage Barn to my home shop to prepare it for winter storage.  It ran great for 8 blocks when I hit a bump, & it backfired and quit.  It would crank, but would not re-start.  So I called my wife and got her to bring a tow strap & my Yukon to tow it 2 more blocks to my home shop where a couple of neighbors helped me push it into my home shop.  

    I found a blown fuse under the dash and thought it had bounced and shorted.  That was an easy fix with a new fuse and some split wire insulation to protect it from happening again.  Nope, it still would crank, but wouldn't start.  So I pulled a plug, grounded the body and had my wife check for spark while I cranked it, and still had no spark.

    I pulled the distributor cap to inspect for a grounded wire or burnt points, and found a little ball of solder about the size of a BB stuck under the points post and the distributor body!  It must have been loose inside the distributor until I hit that bump to lodge under the points post.  I pulled it out with tweezers and finally had a good spark again.  I always solder my electrical connections, but learned from this problem to thoroughly check for any solder droppings before buttoning up the job.  I completed an oil change & lube complete by oiling all brake rod clevis joints and gave each grease cup a turn.   I also checked the transmission and rear end lube and adjusted the ring and pinion engagement as it was making more noise than it should.  We will see when it stops raining long enough to drive it back to the barn....961720318_15BuickDistributorInternals.thumb.JPG.823f709a7f50b199fc61c858fc15366f.JPG

Speedster Breakdown 2.jpg

Edited by Mark Shaw (see edit history)
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since a '15 has an electric starter,

My wife would have had ME looking for the spark-

despite the concern for my pacemaker

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...