53 Jet

davegnh

HI everyone, I am working on getting my Jet back on the road. I have had it for 10 years or so and it has been sitting for the past few years. It runs ok, except when going from an idle to a higher speed, it runs rough during the transition. Carb has been rebuilt, acc pump is working, vacumn advance is working. I think the fuel pump is OK, it keeps the filter full, I replaced plugs this spring. Fuel tank was rebuilt and sealed when i bought it. I set the timing by ear, so that could be off--I have new points, condensor, rotor and cap to replace this weekend. What do you think? Where should I be looking? I thought it must be acc pump but that gives a good squirt when I open the throttle. thanks for your suggestion, Dave

SuperDave

You could try changing the timing a slight bit both ways to see what happens. A couple other things could be the trouble. Weak spark will cause a miss upon acceleration. The coil or high tension wires could be the culprit. A lean mixture will also cause a miss upon acceleration. Float level? Pump linkage not adjusted correctly . just brain storming.. Good luck.

RL Chilton

Super Dave says he's brainstorming, but he speaks a lot of truths. That's kind of what you have to do is adjust this more, then adjust it less, then go on to the next thing, etc. It's often a combination of a lot of little things that when you put them all together, they add up to a big weakness.

That said, so often these days, the "weak spark" theory is so often the culprit. Coils and points are both made in Mexico and China if you buy off-the-shelf sets. It has been my experience in the last 10 years or so, that you find one good (or usable) set out of 4. A bad coil will sort of work, but it's weak, so when your RPM's start rising, it works even less. Same goes for points, they're poorly made and the bumps around the shaft are somewhat rounded over, the fiber block is crappy material and wears out in no time, etc. Best to go with an Echlin coil and Echlin points. Or, just keep replacing the crappy import parts until you get a good set. That's one of the first places I would look.

lostmind

A good used coil may be a better option. Do you have a fuel filter in your sediment bowl.
Very often they look clean , but are restricted. You can remove it to test.

[Deleted User]

That's why I gather N.O.S parts when I find them. I've heard to many stories of Chinese capacitors & coils driving guys crazy
Roger

LHudson

Hey Dave. I had the same problem but my Jet had not been started for some time. Like Super Dave said about varing the timing works. I am guessing it is on 6v. Some times it just takes more cranking speed. I made a isolated 12v circuit and started it on 12v. That extra cranking speed will do wonders. Hope this helps.. Hud

davegnh

Thanks for your suggestions, I replaced points, condensor and rotor over the weekend and it seems to be somewhat better. The coil looks to be very old, I never replaced it and I have had the car for 10 years or so. So, a new coil will be next, I will report what I find. Thanks again for your suggestions.

davegnh

I tried the new coil and am sorry to say it didn't solve the problem. Looking at float level next, maybe even plug wires. It has new plugs. Funny thing, when you have the car for sometime and replace things you figure you are done. I replaced wires, plugs etc when I bought the car but that was over 10 years ago! Not many miles but many years. So, on the the next possibility. I don't like just throwing parts at it but would like to get it running better, thanks for your suggestions. Dave

Glowplug

Dave: There are lots of reasons that can create the condition you are experiencing and the posting prior to me provide you with insight to some of them. One that is not listed and can be a problem is the physical timing of the spark can be incorrect, the engine will idle. In the search for a solution make sure the spark plug wiring is accurate. Follow each wire from the cap to the appropriate plug to assure there are NO crossed wired. The order is: 1-5-3-6-2-4. A very valuable resource for Hudson Jet owners is Sarah Young's website: home.comcast.net/~sarahdyoung/hudsonjetengine.html I victimized myself recently when I crossed two of the plug wires on my Hudson. Took me several days to figure out what I had done. Best of Luck with finding and repairing the source of your problem