Need help -- 47 Super Six Not starting

Unknown

Can you help me to understand?



I have a 47 Super Six. It was running smoothly, perhaps not powerfully. I parked it on a bit of a hill (not too steep) and it rolled back an inch or two with the motor turned off. When I came out I couldn't start it.



There appears to be no compression. Crank and cam gears BOTH turning (engine fan is turning and rotor is turning). The starter spins and whines against the lack of compression.



I have the car parked for the winter and I am going to get to work on it, but what can I expect?



It's a 47. Would it not have the aluminum cam gear? Can the cam and crank gears "skip" but not break teeth?



Do I have a bigger problem?



Any advice/insghts would be GREATLY appreciated.

Unknown

There is a possibility that the timing chain was stretched. If the vehicle rolled back with the chain in a slack postion, the chain would have " essentially changed the timing relationship between the cam and crank. The outcome could be a valves out of time with the compression stroke... there fore a no compression situation. Also the timing gear could be worn in the car which will cause similar outcomes. My suggestion is to pull the plugs, using a compression guage check to see if there is any compression when the engine is spun over. If low or none... pull the timing cover and take a look.



Good Luck

junkcarfann

FWIW, 1947 Hudson engines do not have a timing chain.

Unknown

junkcarfann wrote:

FWIW, 1947 Hudson engines do not have a timing chain.

This is my concern. What could it be? Does this sound like anything else easily diagnosed?



(There is the potential, I suppose, that the engine was swapped out before I bought the car and I have an earlier version -- one with a timing chain. I will have to check the engine number -- located I believe on the block below the #1 cyl.)



I am hopeful one of you Hudson gurus has an idea of what it could be and/or things to look for.



Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Geoff

How long has the car been parked up?

Clutchguy

It sure sounds like the timing gear has stripped. It may appear that the distributor is turning,but is it in time[pointing to#1 cylinder-when #1 cylinder is up} Check the compression with a gage. Also,it could be that someone has changed the timing gear and replaced it with a fiber gear and it has finally ate the gear enough to be out of time and the cam to run so retarded to the crank that it will not run. It is going to require a little more diagnoses on your part. Just a another note-if it does have a fiber gear in it and it is stripped,the pieces that have come off of the gear are most likely in most of the oil troughs and webbing of the block. These will need to be cleaned out before continued engine running. Good luck

Unknown

Geoff C., N.Z. wrote:

How long has the car been parked up?

The car was stored for 7 years before I got it running -- though it only ran for 2 days Changed fluids, wheel cyls, centre link bushing, tune up, rebuilt card and she ran like a top and stopped on a dime.



Vacuum advance isn't working properly -- I wonder if that has something to do with the distributor gear perhaps being kaput. Hmmm.

Unknown

Very good advice, Clutch Guy. It certainly sounds like timing, but I can't believe with gear to gear (probably aluminum to steel) it would skip or break. But who knows. You guys seem to agree with the initial timing diagnosis, so I'll pop off the front of the engine and take a look. Next post will likely be, "looking for matched timing gears and gasket/seal."