1956 Special no spark

[mxdad777]

My neighbor just showed me a car he had tucked away in his garage for the past 17 years. This car was bought new and drove very little by his grandpa until 1995 when he passed away. It has been sitting in his garage ever since. I am helping my neighbor out and we are trying to get it running. I dropped the tank (had about 5 gal of nasty fuel it it) disconnected the fuel line (both ends), put in a new battery. I turned the key on and mashed the pedal. It cranked over just fine, but wouldn't fire even with starter fluid sprayed down the throat. I pulled a plug wire and there is no spark. I replaced the coil and still no spark. So now my question is what should I check next?
Thanks in advance for any help.
And yes this car is 100% original with 72,000 miles on it.

[raycow]

Pull the center wire out of the distributor cap and hold the end about 1/4" away from any metal part of the engine. Now crank the engine and look for a spark.

If no spark, run the following tests in the exact order given, but feel free to ask for additional info if any part of the test procedure isn't clear. You will need either a multimeter or a test lamp to check for power. The (+) and (-) coil terminal designations assume that the coil is wired correctly. In other words, on a negative ground car the (+) should be connected to the ignition switch and the (-) should be connected to the distributor.

Take off the distributor cap and turn the engine by hand until the points are open. Now turn on the ignition switch and check for power at both the (+) and (-) terminals of the coil. You want to see power at both of them. If no power at either one, check all the way back to the switch, because you have a break in the wiring somewhere.

If you have power at (+) but not at (-), disconnect the lead going from the coil to the distributor. If you have power at (-) now, you have a short to ground somewhere in the distributor or the connecting wire. If still no power at (-), you have a break inside the coil.

If you have power at both (+) and (-), turn the engine by hand until the points are closed. Now you want to see power at (+), but not at (-). If you don't get this, either the points aren't making contact or else you have a break in the wire between the coil and distributor. After you run these tests, please post back here and tell us what you find.

Ray

[mxdad777]

Pull the center wire out of the distributor cap and hold the end about 1/4" away from any metal part of the engine. Now crank the engine and look for a spark.

If no spark, run the following tests in the exact order given, but feel free to ask for additional info if any part of the test procedure isn't clear. You will need either a multimeter or a test lamp to check for power. The (+) and (-) coil terminal designations assume that the coil is wired correctly. In other words, on a negative ground car the (+) should be connected to the ignition switch and the (-) should be connected to the distributor.

Take off the distributor cap and turn the engine by hand until the points are open. Now turn on the ignition switch and check for power at both the (+) and (-) terminals of the coil. You want to see power at both of them. If no power at either one, check all the way back to the switch, because you have a break in the wiring somewhere.

If you have power at (+) but not at (-), disconnect the lead going from the coil to the distributor. If you have power at (-) now, you have a short to ground somewhere in the distributor or the connecting wire. If still no power at (-), you have a break inside the coil.

If you have power at both (+) and (-), turn the engine by hand until the points are closed. Now you want to see power at (+), but not at (-). If you don't get this, either the points aren't making contact or else you have a break in the wire between the coil and distributor. After you run these tests, please post back here and tell us what you find.

Ray

Thanks for the response. I had to go out of town for two days, but I'll try what you said when I get back. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

[DocModisett]

yep, everything that Ray says.... and never ever replace the points without cleaning and lubing the cam with just a small bead of grease... that will keep the cam from rusting and make the rubbing block last longer.....also.... never replace the points without replacing the condenser too.....but ,,,, most likely the cause of your lack of spark is that the points are stuck open.... and/or oxidized like ray says....

[mxdad777]

Okay, I did everything you outlined and everything checked out until the last procedure when the points were closed. I took some emery cloth and cleaned off the points and now I have spark. I sprayed some starter fluid down the throat and she fired right up. I cleaned out the gas tank, blew out the fuel line and then hooked everything back up except where the fuel line enters the carb. I left it off so I could make sure there was clean fuel getting to the carb. I cranked it over and no fuel. I disconnected the fuel line where it enters the fuel pump and held my thumb over the inlet to the fuel pump. Cranked the engine over and I didn't feel any suction at all. So I (you) solved the spark problem, now I need to solve the fuel problem. Shouldn't I feel suction at the inlet to the fuel pump while cranking the engine over? If it is the fuel pump, can I rebuild it or is it something that is just replaced? Thanks again for the help.

[DocModisett]

Well,,, it is good that you find the problem now rather than out on the side of the road....

some fuel pumps can be rebuilt and some cannot.... and some of them on the old cars have a vacume booster for the windshield wipers..... the ones with that feature will be more expensive.... what has happened is that the vac diaphragm in the pump has dry rotted.... and i might add that if you try to use it , there is a danger of it pumping gasoline into the crankcase... and the engine becoming a bomb.....
The easiest thing to do is to remove the old pump, block the hole and install a electric pump.... that is what i always do....that way , on start up , I dont have to crank and crank, which is hard on the starter....I just turn on the pump and wait untill it pressures up and a couple of pats on the accellerator and it fires up.....
check hemmings motor news , there are rebuilders in there, and check with NAPA for a pump and just compare prices.....
after you get a system installed , check the whole thing from one end to the other for leaks ,, and install a big inline filter in a convenient place to be easy to change.... you will be glad you did....
When you change oil and filter , be double sure that you install ZDDP zinc additive... because ,,, if you dont and you run it ,,, you will, will,, will,, destroy the cam and lifters.... with out fail.... and install it each and every time you change oil and filter.....the epa has made the oil companies remove zinc from the oil produced now.....
oh, yes,,,, and,,,, there are 2 kinds of electric fuel pumps,,, impeller and piston,,, the impeller ones that operate using vanes are the best.... carter makes a good reasonable priced one.... you get them from summit.....

[raycow]

Glad to hear you were able to find the cause of the ignition problem and that it was an easy fix.

As for the fuel pump, yes, you should definitely be able to feel suction at the inlet when you crank the engine.

In all likelihood the pump is bad, but there is one other thing you need to check before replacing it. Pull the pump off the engine and shine a light into the mounting hole. You want to look at the cam lobe which drives the pump to make sure it isn't deeply grooved or otherwise damaged. Crank the engine until the lobe makes a full revolution so you can see all of it. Fortunately, the lobe doesn't go bad very often, but it's something that still needs to be checked.

If the lobe looks good, you will need to replace or rebuild the pump. My usual reference source (Rock Auto) doesn't list a stock pump for your engine, but I didn't have any trouble finding a few on ebay. This one was the least expensive I found, and there are others if it sells before you get to it.
yhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-BUICK-FUEL-PUMP-BOX-AC-STAMPED-4304-/360515609873?hash=item53f067a511&item=360515609873 &pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

If your pump is an original type, held together by screws instead of being crimped, it can also be rebuilt, but you will need to find a kit for it, which may be more difficult than finding the pump.

As the Doctor says, you could also install an electric pump instead of replacing the stock one. Electric pumps do have advantages for cars that sit for long periods of time between starts (long enough that the fuel evaporates from the carb float bowl). Their major downside is that they push better than they pull, so if you decide to go the electric route, the pump should be mounted as close to the tank as possible.

Ray

[mxdad777]

Okay, I finally received a new (rebuilt) fuel pump and installed it today. When I put a fuel line in a gas can, it picks up fuel and she runs like a top. The problem is, it won't pick up any fuel from the tank. I dropped the tank and I'm unable to blow any air through the hard line going into the tank. I also tried blowing air into the filler and it pressurizes the tank, but no fuel or air comes out the pick up line. I'm assuming the line is plugged shut with rust, etc. The pick up is held on by 5 or 6 phillips head screws and I can't budge them. I was going to cut them off, but thought I would seek some advice here first. What's the best way to remove the pick up tube assembly from the tank? And if I cut the screws off, where is this going to leave me?

[DocModisett]

the best thing to do is just cut the heads off the screws and remove the fuel line saving the brackets.... then grind or file the stub of the screws flush with the frame... next take a sharp pointed punch and knock the remainder of the screw on into the frame....
next fab up the new fuel line and install it using all new screws in the old holes.....it is worth it to buy a tubing bending tool or borrow one because if you are not carefull doing the bends, you will collapse the tubing....