VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 sputter problem

ive been on the phone with skip about this we seem to have the timing set at 18 and the plug gap at 40 (ac c87) and it runs smooth up to about 15- 17 MPH and then just before shifting its starts to sputter, then it smooths out until about 25 MPH and then smooth until around 35 MPH almost like a skip but more like a sputter . skip suggested fuel pump rebuild . i have the kit on order from filling station but if this dosnt correct it whats my next step ( carbs been rebuilt)???

thanks in advance
bob

Sounds to me like you have the points set too wide. Too close causes rough idle, and to wide causes high rpm miss. Points need to be set before the engine is timed. After they are adjusted the timing will be different, so reset it after you do the points. If the points have transferred material, you need to file or replace them.

1932caddy has been there and done that. His points are set at .018" which is exactly where they should be. The points are new as well.

1932caddy: Check for point float at those two speed points.
If your points are floating, increase the tension on the point arm spring.

thanks guys for all your help , it wound up being the points ( not having enough tention on them and they we floating and loseing the setting and timming ,,,,,,, all fix now !!! so again thanks for all your help

bob

It wasnt just a point float problem it was the point spring was missing ( my mistake) i didnt see it in the box when i changed them, so i only had the contact strip connected to the electrolock stud. suprisingly it actuly ran ( but not very well).
once i put the spring on the points and set them and the timeing it runs perfect.
thanks again for all your help !!!!!!!

bob & jeff

Bob and Jeff,

I am curious as to how the point spring was missing, since the spring should be riveted to the point contact arm. I have had the spring break before (cheap knock-off points) and then the spring separates from the contact arm. If you're spring was in the box, you might have had a defective pair of points and at higher speed you might run into trouble.

Just my two bits,

Respectfully submitted,

Rusty Berg

No, the points were not defective. The points that Bob and Jeff used were aftermarket points from NAPA (most likely Standard brand points), and those points come with a thin contact strip that is riveted to the points. The point spring arm is separate in the box with the points and the spring arm clips onto the point arm when the point assembly is installed. With this type of aftermarket points, the spring arm IS NOT riveted to the points as part of the point assembly.

In this case, the thin contact strip was assumed to be the spring arm and they apparently didn't notice that the spring arm was separate in the box.

Sorry for the confusion then! My mistake!

It is easy to get confused with this type of points if you have never seen or used them before. I know when I first used this style of points with the separate spring arm that was loose in the box I also thought that the points were defective. Most points, including Delco-Remy, have the spring arm riveted to the point arm, but Standard points have the spring arm separate. It's goofy but that's how they make them.