Washed engine bay... now no start???

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Suicidekid63
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Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

Hey all!
Pulled the 63 out to just give it a quick spray down with garden hose, as it was dusty from winter slumber. Started fine when pulling out of garage and ran fine idling in yard. Shut down and let engine cool and then used garden hose to spray down outside and engine bay. Just light spray from hose. No pressure wash.
When I went to restart, it cranked, but would not start. I took top off of breather and tried again. It cranked over and blew what I assume was, a puff of fuel, out of the top of carb, and tried to turn over slightly a couple of times. No start though.
Now it just cranks and that's it, even when priming carb. I have Petronix ignition, as well. I'm hoping it's just wet electrical components, but would not start this morning after sitting all night. I'll try drying all plug ports and coil pack plugs tonight.
Anything else that might have happened here and anything else to try?
Thanks!!
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Dan Szwarc
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Dan Szwarc »

Dry out the points and distributor. You shorted out the spark controls.
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

I have Petronix installed. Do I just need to pull wire boots on coil and wipe everything dry or hit with compressed air or blow dryer? No pressure spray or direct blast with water, so should I just check components on top of engine or do plugs, too?
Can I pull main wire off of coil and check that it's getting spark there?
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by 1Bad55Chevy »

Screenshot_20230403_081307_Chrome.jpg
Do you have water standing in the spark plug pockets? If there is water standing there it will ground the plug wire out and keep it from firing the plug.
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

1Bad55Chevy wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 9:16 am Screenshot_20230403_081307_Chrome.jpg

Do you have water standing in the spark plug pockets? If there is water standing there it will ground the plug wire out and keep it from firing the plug.
I assume I do. I'll check it tonight and try giving it a thorough dry out/ wipe down.
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Lee »

Spray the coil, cap and wires down with WD-40 (Water Displacement formula 40). It’ll start.
I got pretty good at this touring in my Model A. If there was a hard rain overnight, that louvered hood did little to keep the motor dry.
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by frasern »

X2, Even just leaving the cap loose will allow it to dry, I always do that after cleaning an engine, weather it starts or not, just in case there is any residue.
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

frasern wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:02 am X2, Even just leaving the cap loose will allow it to dry, I always do that after cleaning an engine, weather it starts or not, just in case there is any residue.
I'm guessing I can pull the cap without causing timing issues, as long as distributor isn't rotated any. Should I make a mark, where dist. is set, beforehand for insurance or does it matter? Just dont want to open a new can of worms trying to get the original worms back in the can. lol
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by frasern »

No experience with Pertronix, but anything with a standard cap, you can remove and install cap without disturbing timing. Look inside and see if there are any droplets of condensation. On a dry day, they will evaporate in an hour or so.
Last edited by frasern on Mon Apr 03, 2023 2:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Lee »

It won’t matter. The distributor itself is firmly anchored, and the cap is indexed to the dist. body. Just use a small screwdriver to pop the clips off. You can’t mess it up
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

OK.
Thanks, all!
I'll have a look at it tonight and hopefully post back with good news.
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by TonyC »

Good luck, Steven. From what I've read, it can't be a serious problem. Solution should be simple.

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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by Suicidekid63 »

Update: it was quite hot here in Missouri today. Got home and just thought I'd try to start up the 63 before messing with anything.
Turned the key and , bam! fired right up just as usual. Looks like any water had time to evaporate away today with the heat.
Turned key off and on several times and all is good. Ready to roll!
Thanks to everyone who replied. I figured I had soaked something, as it always starts without issue, but just wanted some feedback from you all. As always so much help here!
Thanks again crew!
Steven Wecker 1963 Lincoln Continental sedan survivor/ Ermine white w/ Pearl honey beige interior
"Moby"- The Wixom whale / aka: "Pale Rider"
ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher!!!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by bd94s10 »

Glad you got it going!
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Re: Washed engine bay... now no start???

Post by frasern »

I've had this happen before, on '70s EEC Fords, later ones with distributorless ignitions seem to not have this problem, so I guess the hall effect sensor is better able to shed water, but the one inside the cap is not designed for moisture. Just my thought, fwiw.
Anyway, glad it's working now, if it happens again, you wont hurt anything by airing it out.
Fraser Noble, Western Canada
'62 and '67 LCC.
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