Rebuilt 8N wont start

Soundguy

Thanks,
Scott

How about fuel, is it getting any? Pull the drain plug on your carb and see if you get a nice steady flow of fuel. It could be your carb is gunked up if it's been sitting for awhile. Have you checked your intake/exhaust manifold for leaks? Make sure it's on tight with a new gasket. If it's not getting suction at the carb it won't vaporize the fuel and deliver it to the cylinders. Fuel+spark and in the right order you should have a running engine with those compression numbers.

Rebuilt engines can be VERY hard to get started. Trust me on this one, I know from experience. BUT there's nothing quite like hearing the little flathead crank up and come to life after putting in long hours of work getting her back together.

Hope this helps.
Scott

You need to make a "calibrated" sparkie tester from enny old sparkie you have layin'round. Bend the side electrode out for a full 3/16" gap. Clamp the sparkie tester to enny convinent engine bracket. Plug enny sparkie wire to the tester. Now try and start yer engine while watchin' yer calibrated tester for blue-snott sparkies. Wimpy yellowish-orangeish poor excuse of a sparkie ain't gonna start yer engine.

For reference purposes, my eazy starting 6-volt 8N will jump a 3/8" gap.

Change yer sparkies AGAIN. AutoLite 437's are good, gap = 0.025". All yer puttzin'round had FLOODED yer sparkies with INVISIBLE contaminates and them lazy sparkies gonna dribble down the center electrode instead of jumpin' the gap and sparklin' yer engine.

Don't throw yer sparkies away, re-cycle them by letting a HOT RUNNING ENGINE clean them, one-atta-time. And save them for the next time you flood. (and there will be a next time)..... ...Dell, yer self-appointed sparkie-meister

The front mounted distributor is a lot more prone to the coil going out. Especially if it is getting more than three volts while cranking. It can stand a bit more running because the points never stay closed very long to let heat build up in the coil. If you have a volt meter connect it to the coil wire at the top of the coil and turn the engine by hand and see if the voltage goes from battery voltage to about 3 volts when the points close. If the voltage goes higher when the points are closed it is too much voltage and if there is no change in the voltage it means that either the points are not opening and closing or there is a short circuit in the circuit or that in fact the coil is bad.

Zane