1953-1960 Classic Car Engines Troubleshooting Guide: Engine Misfires At All Speeds

The text for this Guide originally appeared in the 23rd edition of Motor's Repair Manual, published in 1960 and copyrighted by Motor Information Systems, and is used with their permission.

Things to Look For:

1. Fouled spark plug or broken porcelain.
2. Faulty spark plug cables.
3. Low battery voltage.
4. Low generator voltage.
5. Burned or pitted ignition points.
6. Incorrect ignition point gap.
7. Faulty condenser or coil.
8. Weak spark or no spark in one or more cylinders.
9. Faulty distributor cap or rotor.
10. Primary circuit restricted or open intermittently.
11. Primary circuit detoured by short intermittently.
12. Secondary circuit restricted or open intermittently.
13. Secondary circuit detoured by short intermittently.
14. Blown cylinder head gasket between cylinders. This can be noted when missing occurs in two adjacent cylinders.
15. Sticking valves.
16. Hydraulic tappet holds valve open slightly.
17. Broken valve spring.
18. Leak at intake manifold gaskets.
19. Mixture too rich or too lean.
20. High tension wire shorted in metal manifold.

The Complete Guide to Troubleshooting 1953-1960 Era American Classic Car Engines