Hey guys, I'm having a problem starting my Mav. It's a '71 302 V8 (4-door) with a stock Motorcraft/Autolite 2bbl carb that I've had for just over a month. Car is completely stock (ignition, air filter system, exhaust, etc.) with about 90k original miles. Over the last week or so, I've been having trouble starting the car in the morning after it's sat overnight. It starts pretty easy in the afternoon when leaving work (having sat for 9-10 hours). Only in the morning is it a problem. It smells like it's flooding and I've only recently started smelling gas when starting the car and with slow speed driving, almost like it's running super rich. I haven't had any problems starting the car previous to the last week (a quick 1-3 second start, every time without even having to pump the gas). The points/condenser are less than 6 months old (same for distributor cap/plug wires). When I take off the distributor, and check the points for spark, it seems fairly weak and inconsistent. I haven't found any vaccuum leaks yet and when the car DOES start, it runs pretty strong other than a slight hesitation when first punching the gas. The choke assembly seems to work properly but the fast-idle never kicks in (the fast-idle cam lever was broken when I got the car a month ago). I know this is a generic question with a ton of possible potential problems, so please feel free to ask anything that I didn't think of. I'm really limited on time to work on the car/troubleshoot but my wife already hates it and with it not running, it just makes her want to get rid of it. Any help or advice on most common problems, easy tests, easy fixes, etc. is GREATLY appreciated!!!! Thanks again! Jory
One thing I would suggest as the very first upgrade to the car is a Pertronix Ignitor to replace the points/condenser. You'll eliminate the need to troubleshoot points and it will speed diagnosis of any other problems since it won't (usually) be a point of failure. They aren't super cheap but I highly recommend it.
Ok, I think I found the problem. Looks like the points were sticking and not opening up when contacting the shaft lobes/cams. Didn't have anything to set the points accurately so I had to eyeball it and it started right up. Not sure why the points collapsed so quickly since they were replaced just before I bought the car. Hopefully I'll be getting the Pertronix Ignitor III soon along with an E-Core. Thanks for your reply DC12VOLT!!!!
Basically, points suck. They wear out and require adjustment all the time and are generally a pain. The Pertronix is a breeze, and you'll be quite happy with it. No problem.
You can get a duraspark II system off of any 75 up 302 in a junkyard! It doesn't matter what it comes out of as long as it's a 302! Just get the distributor and the module-"box" and you're good to go! Pertronix makes a good system also,but they're close to $100,and the Ford system works just as well! Of course this depends on pricing in your area. I really like Ford's "duraspark" ignition!
