Awakening a Holt 75 Engine from a Nap?

Thanks CTS - I will run with some decent grease I have in the garage.

Will post updates if the engine fires this weekend!

Final (?) update: the engine runs again!

As usual, part of the problem was user error. I had adjusted the points incorrectly. They adjusted as one would do for a points distributor: gapped to be open on the larger base circle of the magneto cam. It’s difficult to explain, but I had adjusted them opposite of what they should have been…. Bone-head move on my part. And a classic example of “I’ve checked that thing, it must be right…”

Thanks again everyone!

Congratulations on getting all the hard work complete to get it to run again great work and thank you for sharing all during the efforts, I must say thank you to all the input from Edb, cts as I learnt along the way also

Congratulations on achieving a run from this recalcitrant engine, also for locating/troubleshooting the issue causing the low spark intensity from the magneto.

Sometimes it is the simple and obscure things that cause the biggest issues.

You are now an experienced magneto mechanic after all you have done with that spark box.

Well Done!

Cheers,

Eddie Bedwell.

Awesome job! This has been a great thread to follow, thank you. Did you start it by hand or did you belt it again? Would love to hear the details! (And a sound bite for that matter).

AWESOME --- So very happy for you and your group. I can sympathize with your experience. Nothing can be as frustrating as knowing you have done it correctly, double checked, and then still no results. Then the embarrassment of finally finding you had missed something so simple. - CTS

Hi, BigSkyTR6.

GREAT STUFF. Typically, the ride has had a few bumps along the way but 'edge-u-mack-ayshun-al' for all of that. Now off to the show?

Just my 0.02.

Unfortunately, the start-up of the engine was bittersweet. A couple of the more senior members of the club with more experience on the Holt took over the engine project this weekend. They found the points problem. After that was fixed, the engine came to life pretty quickly. I was working elsewhere on the grounds, so I heard it run and it ran great. But no photos or video of the startup. At least everything is in good shape and the engine WILL run for our show. The work on this engine has been a wild ride and I'm glad it's running again. If I can break away from other responsibilities during the show this upcoming weekend, I will try to get a video of a start and run.

As I have posted before in the thread, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has helped. I really appreciate all the help, encouragement and pointers along the way.

BigSkyTR6 -- The outcome is what you and the others have worked so hard to achieve. Don't be discouraged, I am certain all those that offered suggestions and encouragement will agree with my sentiments. YOU ARE WELCOME - glad to have helped. - cts

After-show update:

We ran into some carburetor troubles first thing Saturday morning. We tried a typical pre-start, prime and hand-start, but the engine became flooded. Another member belted a John Deere A to the engine and we got it cleared out and running with the belt. A third member adjusted the carburetor to run properly and set the timing. Once that was set, the engine ran pretty sweetly. We ran it for about a 1/2 hour and shut it down. We ran it a couple more times Saturday based on the earlier throttle and timing settings. The second run of the day required two people on the flywheel to roll the engine and start, but it did hand-start. By the third and fourth runs of Saturday, I had gotten the prime and engine settings down to be able to start it by myself. I had it down to where the engine would start on the 2nd or 3rd pull.

Sunday went pretty well. The first run Sunday morning required two people on the flywheel to get the engine started. After that first start, the engine would reliably start every time by the second or third pull. We ran the engine 4-6 times Sunday and it ran pretty sweetly every time.

I had time to shoot 2 short videos of the engine running for the group. If I can figure out how to post them here, I will gladly share.

Thanks again everyone for the help and support. The project was successful and the engine ran well for our show!