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It's a new coil, Norm. It's chrome. I wanted to add a little bling so I bought a chrome ignition coil. I'd post a video of it running but I still have to rebuild the power steering pump, and I didn't put any coolant in it. I should do that- coolant, check the oil and transmission fluid, make sure they're topped off, check everything for leaks. I have to connect the carburetor linkages, and adjust the "kick down", I might still have to tighten up the exhaust. I have the "coverage" this weekend- I'm on call. That's why I'm not at Grandma's today, but it also means I have the whole day off tomorrow.
This has to be better... before... and after before... and after.
I put a dab of grease on the ends of the shaft and re-assembled it. It's already back in the car. I'm going to crank her over just to see if she spins any better... then I'll check the points, rotor, condenser... I'd love to run a compression test on the cylinders too, esp if the starter works better. Maybe I'll get more than 20 minutes before the battery is dead again...
Those brushes should have been replaced.
A couple of them are so worn out that the insulated brush holder is contacting the armature.
This is what new brushes look like.
SUCCESS! I feel so stupid! It was so simple!!!!! Firing order- no matter how many times I checked it, I had the firing order wrong!!!!
So I set the timing now that the starter actually spins the motor. It was a little advanced so I turned it back and checked again- but it was more advanced, not less. Okay, no big deal, turn it the other way and- wait a minute! If that's advanced more, not retarded... then the rotor spins.... the other way. I had the firing order reversed, as gs72 suggested- thanks Gary! It sounds like a big block...
For future 59-64 394 reference.
Lot of people get thrown off by the 1-8-7-3-6-5-4-2 firing order on these too, especially if they're used to the later GM 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 firing order.
Lot of people get thrown off by the 1-8-7-3-6-5-4-2 firing order on these too, especially if they're used to the later GM 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 firing order.
You've heard about the " 4 and 7 swap " performance cams on the market?
Well , they didn't invent that idea.
Olds did that in 1949.
Why they went with the more "conventional " 18436572 order ( a la Chevy & Cadillac ) in 1965 with the new second gen engine is a mystery to me.
Would anyone help me I’m having the same issue my car cranks supper slow has new battery timing is right I have spark when I crank it the battery drops to 6v
Hey Joe- if the battery drops when you crank it, it might be a problem with your starter. First, chase the +wire along the driver's side to a junction post, where you'll find a few connectors to pick up 12V. Make sure it's clean. I put the starter wire directly under the battery terminal so there's nothing in between to draw down the voltage. As a test, you might pull everything off except the battery and the starter leads. Check for corrosion, check your ground. Make sure the ground is clean, no paint or grime between the wire terminal and the block.
I'm still thinking it's a bad starter, but check everything else first.
One more thing that'll be helpful- get a "momentary switch". It's a push button switch that closes a circuit only when you hold it down. You can get one at any hardware store. Get 2 alligator clips- a small one for a small post, and a larger one for your battery terminal. Get a length of wire, maybe 12 or 14 gauge, and wire up the switch between the clips. Now you can clip one end to the low voltage terminal on your solenoid, and the other end to the + battery, and you can crank the starter from under the hood, instead of from the driver's seat. It's a useful tool for troubleshooting starting problems.
Thanks Dave I’ll give it a shot appreciate the reply I was looking threw this post and I cleaned my starter as well thinking it would fix it it cranked a bit faster after I cleaned and installed it but after attempting to get the car started it would crank slow even with a new battery by any chance can I get a photo of your ground locations might consider replacing them as well
Okay Joe- so check this out. My starter was dragging badly, and drawing down the battery, so I rebuilt it. I'm attaching some pictures... of course you can try to find a rebuilt one. It'll cost you money.
This is the crud that was inside my starter... I took it apart, not really hard if you've got an aptitude... this part I should know what's it's called, but it's basically copper contacts, magnets and windings and they have to be clean. A fine sand paper (800 grit maybe) or a green scotbrite pad to polish it. You can see the crud inside here- I had to scrape it out, clean it... this is better... it has to be clean, and the magnets and springs need to stay where they are. Don't mess it up, or break wires this is clean- re-assemble
And Joe- scroll back to the earlier part of the post- I already posted the starter rebuild, and the remote start switch. The ground wire is under the power steering pump mounting bracket. It's a really simple circuit. You just have to take it all apart, fix everything (basically, that just the starter) and put it back together right. You've got 394 cubic inches of cast iron and 1964 technology. It has to be right if you want it to turn over. I don't have a magic bullet. I can get into my car tomorrow and make a post.
Thanks again for the reply Dave I cleaned my starter really well all the contact points looked to be in good shape I found a couple of grounds just unsure if that’s where they go and if they need to be replaced there’s one behind the engine to the firewall,and the negative battery wire to the block under the steering pump then there is one that goes from the chassis to the control arm but someone tied an extra ground on there so I’d like to have everything exactly where it goes I’m new to these older vehicles just want to take good care of it lol
If it’s not too much to ask for can I please get that image of the ground whenever you can would be very much appreciated It’s difficult to find any videos or information on these cars with no service manual
If it’s not too much to ask for can I please get that image of the ground whenever you can would be very much appreciated It’s difficult to find any videos or information on these cars with no service manual
E-Bay is the best place to look for service manuals.
What year and model of car is this?
For some reason, Olds split their service manual into 5 separate books in 1964.
While original copies are best, they are hard to obtain.
Here's a link to what E-Bay has; 1964 Oldsmobile Service Manual for sale | eBay
If it’s not too much to ask for can I please get that image of the ground whenever you can would be very much appreciated It’s difficult to find any videos or information on these cars with no service manual
Here's a link to an on line source for the complete set of 1964 Olds Service manuals. It's PDF format, for $20
