> I am a bit surprised that no one has mentioned ignition coils..
>From all that I have been told, a new ignition coil can make a big
>difference. An older degrading coil can generate a weak spark, and as
>the engine gets colder with the weather a stronger spark is needed.
My experience would support that. I recently put in a Lucas
Sport coil, along with new plugs and new plug wires. I still
have to really do the carbs (I've played with them twice but never
really set them completely), but even when the car is covered
with frost (yes, Virginia, it does get frosty in California),
I now start on the first turn of the key and about the third
revolution of the engine.
> Seems like we all definately have similar problems.
Not me! (I do occasionally have a problem with the
starter solenoid, but that's because one of the screws
that holds the solenoid to the starter has fallen out.
I just wish it weren't so ugly to get to it...)
BTW, don't forget the plug wires. As old plug wires age, they
often break internally which causes two kinds of problems. The
simple one is just that their resistance increases to the point
where they might no longer transmit enough voltage to cause
a spark, and when you combine this with a weak coil you can
figure out the result. The tricky one is that as the insulation
also ages, old wires sometimes let in condensation overnight,
which causes the resistance to jump even higher than usual after
a wet evening. I used the Bosch silicone-jacketed, metal-core
plug wires in my recent switch and they seem to be working
well, as well as fitting nicely.
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