Unbelievable!

[Jonah D'Avella]

As I did my 100 miles checkup on my t, I decided to adjust my coils and clean my pluggs.. Now my car usually starts in a few pulls with a little choke on bat, but never could hand start on mag. After the previously mentioned adjustments, it started so well on bar that I thought I'd try mag. So I set my spark down5 notches and being mindfull of the risk of kickback, I didn't wrap my thumb around it, but did spin it 4 or 5 times.. Amazingly, it started up great. What should this tell me about the condition of my engine and electrical system?

[JohnM]

That's great Jonah! They seem to run better when they are driven regularly. (Hint, hint)

[John kuehn]

Have to agree with JohnM. T’s that are run fairly often do run and start easier and better.

[Original Smith]

Why not try using the starter? It's a lot easier!

[JohnM]

Why not try using the starter? It's a lot easier!

Yes, but sometimes it's not as much fun.

[DHort]

Tells me that everything is working good including your mag. That you probably have everything set correctly or close to it. That now you can have some fun since you have a reliable T.

[Norman Kling]

Wait until someone asks you to demonstrate cranking! You will turn on the key and get a free start. Or you will crank and crank and no start. Finally use the starter and it starts right up. They usually crank start fine if you are alone or with someone in the family or close friends, but if a stranger asks you to demonstrate? It's like a few weeks one of our forum members was in the area and we went to lunch. We were angle parked, so I was being careful to back into traffic and he was watching. Well! right when I got out into the traffic lane, it quit. I had forgotten to turn on the gas!
Norm

[Jonah D'Avella]

Wait until someone asks you to demonstrate cranking! You will turn on the key and get a free start. Or you will crank and crank and no start. Finally use the starter and it starts right up. They usually crank start fine if you are alone or with someone in the family or close friends, but if a stranger asks you to demonstrate? It's like a few weeks one of our forum members was in the area and we went to lunch. We were angle parked, so I was being careful to back into traffic and he was watching. Well! right when I got out into the traffic lane, it quit. I had forgotten to turn on the gas!
Norm

I have forgotten the gas valve on many embarrasing occasion!

[Jonah D'Avella]

Why not try using the starter? It's a lot easier!

Not as fun, and plus, neither my starter or generator works.

[Jonah D'Avella]

That's great Jonah! They seem to run better when they are driven regularly. (Hint, hint)

I unfortanuntly haven't driven it for the last 6 months, mainly due to an elusive electrical problem that is grounding my coils.

[Jonah D'Avella]

Wait until someone asks you to demonstrate cranking! You will turn on the key and get a free start. Or you will crank and crank and no start. Finally use the starter and it starts right up. They usually crank start fine if you are alone or with someone in the family or close friends, but if a stranger asks you to demonstrate? It's like a few weeks one of our forum members was in the area and we went to lunch. We were angle parked, so I was being careful to back into traffic and he was watching. Well! right when I got out into the traffic lane, it quit. I had forgotten to turn on the gas!
Norm

I get a free start around 1 out of 50 starts. I used to get it all the time, but i was using an unrestored standard holly NH and I am now using a straight through holly nh.

[Jonah D'Avella]

Tells me that everything is working good including your mag. That you probably have everything set correctly or close to it. That now you can have some fun since you have a reliable T.

Indeed! i sure am glad to get back on the road!

[John kuehn]

It’s sort of neat (if that’s the right word) to hand crank a Model T. If you like to do it don’t forget to retard the spark! There is a reason that Ford and other companies developed an electric starter for their cars. Ford had a better idea and the sales of T’s increased. And life got easier when you owned a Model T that had a starter! That’s the reason more than a few brass era T’s have a later engine in them that’s set up for a starter.

[Jonah D'Avella]

I once made the mistake of cranking a hot engine with the spark and gas in idling position. due to the advice of experenced model ters, i had made sure to always have good hand and arm position so that that time when it started runnning backwards, spining the crank like a windmil, i didnt get a broken arm.

[Humblej]

Jonah,
Your first posts reads like you are spinning the hand crank a few times to start on mag. Thats a no-no. puts your body in a bad position should your engine kick backwards. The thumb under grip, in my opinion, is an old wives tale. Problem with a kick back is the engine is actually running backwards momentarily, so the hand crank cannot disengage and it swings around in a counterclockwise rotation and hits you hard enough to break anything in its way, often the wrist or lower arm. With you leaning over spinning the crank for several revolutions your upper arm, shoulder, and head could also be within range of a crank gone wild.

1/4 turn pull up from the 8:00 position to the 10:00 position is all you should be doing to hand crank a model T on bat or on mag.

How are you adjusting the points? if you are using wood coils you need a proper coil tester to set the points. They cannot be set by just feeler gage and or by sound. If you have adjusted them without a coil tester you will need to find someone with the proper equipment and know how to set them up for you.

If you do not have a copy of the Ford Service Manual, PM me with your address and I will send you one.

Good luck, and stay safe.

[dykker5502]

Here is how a well known elderly gentleman starts his '15 T - slooooowww!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCWnmPrxKo0

[Norman Kling]

This is how I start when cold: I leave the ignition switch OFF then with the spark lever in retard, I pull the throttle down about 1/4 way and open the fuel adjustment about 1/2 turn. I go around front and pull the choke wire and pull up the crank 4 times which will pull some fuel mixture into the intake and cylinders. Then without the choke I spin the crank once. After that I turn on the switch and go out and pull up on the crank with left hand and with the thumb on the same side of the handle as my fingers. Usually one or two quick pulls and it will start. Then I go around and quickly advance the spark and set the throttle fast enough to keep it running but not race the engine. as it warms up, I adjust the fuel mixture to the sweet spot.

When the engine is hat, such as after filling the gas tank at the station, or after a quick stop. I only push up the spark and pull the throttle down a few notches and turn on the switch. If I get a free start, I'm ready to go. If not, I pull up the crank with the left hand and thumb on same side. Usually one quick pull and it starts.

If I should flood the engine, I will turn OFF the ignition and open the throttle all the way and spin the crank a few times. Then move the throttle up to the starting position and turn on the ignition. Then pull up with left arm a time or two and it will usually start.
Norm

[Russ T Fender]

I do exactly what Norm does except that when starting cold I jack up a rear wheel to reduce drag and as a result often get a free start cold as well. I started doing that after noticing that when cold starting the engine it would often kick over a bit but not start when the switch was turned on. I assumed it was the extra drag from the thicker oil that was keeping it from starting and reducing the drag by raising a rear wheel made a big difference. It also made a difference in my back!

[Jonah D'Avella]

I just adjust the carburetor and when I gave it a 1/4 turn on mag, after choking it for two turns, it started right up!

[Charlie B in N.J.]

I was a buzz box guy for many years. Even made a few and sold them on E-Bay. When posting something about it years back a person who became a good friend and lived close contacted me through the Forum about setting up my coils with an HCCT setup. He did 5 I believe that first time. We installed them and for the first time since I owned it the car started dead cold on mag hand cranking. Ran a hell of a lot better too.

[Moxie26]

..... And your wife is an exceptional cook! Appreciated

[jiminbartow]

Jonah. How did you adjust your coils? By sound or with a piece of equipment. When I bought my Model T in 1970 at the age of 16, took 2 years to restore it and first tried to start it in 1972. I knew nothing about Model T’s and had no one to ask, so I adjusted the coils by sound, believing the coils were properly adjusted when the buzz sound was the loudest, strongest and most uniform. After God knows how many decades my T stood idle, my engine started on the second pull of the crank and ran like a sewing machine. Up until then,the most exiting time of my life. Of course this was after a full overhaul. Even when, years later, In 2010, when I had my coils professionally adjusted, my T never ran better than when I adjusted the coils by sound that first time in 1972. Maybe I was lucky, but it is true. I would assume that shade tree Model T mechanics in the 1910’s and 1920’s adjusted their coils by sound when they did not have the money nor access to a Ford mechanic nor the coil adjusting equipment. Jim Patrick

[Jonah D'Avella]

I am using an older version of the ecct

[speedytinc]

I am using an older version of the ecct

Coil function dont get any better. IMHO

[Steve Jelf]

The only difference between starting on MAG or BAT should be speed. On BAT the battery supplies voltage to the coils. Any turning of the engine should start it. Speed doesn't matter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pv6HWWOGYA

On MAG you are generating the voltage, so you have to pull faster. https://www.youtube.com/user/aqfarn/vid ... shelf_id=0


A kickback happens faster than you can react. Only pull up. Don't spin. https://www.youtube.com/user/aqfarn/vid ... shelf_id=0

The elderly gentleman in Michael's link preaches safe cranking because he once broke a wrist doing it wrong.

[jiminbartow]

If it back fired on the downstroke and started, it would not only break the wrist, it would mangle the entire arm from shoulder to wrist while beating it to a pulp before you could get it out of range of the spinning crank, most likely crippling you for life. It would not be a good day, so, be careful and wary of what can happen in a moment of distraction. Jim Patrick

[Jonah D'Avella]

Just asking, with the spark advance all the. way up, is it even possible for it to backfire?

[Steve Jelf]

I think not, if the timing is set correctly.

[jiminbartow]

My T broke my wrist in 1982 in a moment of distraction. I had it stored in a storage unit and was there on a Saturday giving it its’ weekly start. A stunningly beautiful girl in her early 20’s walked by and stopped in front of my unit to look at it. I was getting ready to start it when I saw her. So beautiful was she that I think my jaw may have dropped. The car was backed in so she was able to watch me crank start it from outside of the unit. It started on the first crank, I ran around to the driver’s window, but I only got as far as advancing the spark when it died. She asked me a question about it and I completely forgot to retard the spark as I walked back to answer her question and give it another try. I was intending to give her a ride and get more acquainted once it started. I had always positioned the crank at 7:00 and pulled up once, letting go at 12:00 and continuing upward with my hand, never wrapping my thumb around the crank. I pulled up on the crank and it huffed and backfired at 10:00 striking my wrist once, but luckily did not start. I knew it was broken and I made an excuse as I closed the garage door and locked it and got in my truck to drive myself to the hospital where it was set in a fiberglass cast. It would have almost been worth it had I thought to get her name and number. Jim Patrick