VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans motor won't start

Hello:
I may have created a real mess for myself attempting to get my motor to run smoother. My problems began when I pulled the distributor out to replace the vacuum advance. Its been all downhill since becauce before that the motor ran rough but at least I could start it. I've replaced points, plugs, condensor, rotor, fuel pump, carburetor was rebuilt. Did find out that the coil was shot and I replaced that too. The motor will turn over but it won't fire. I've pulled the valve cover off and watched the intake valve on the #1 cylinder go up, that's closing right?, and then handcranked the flywheel around to the u/c mark on the flywheel. Checked the distributor to see that the points were opening and the rotor was lined up with #1 plug. I'm frustrated and lost. Any ideas.

If this is a 6 cylinder the ball on the flywheel should line up with the pointer and both valves on #1 cylinder should be closed.Valves are closed when "up"...Distributor installed with cap clips facing front and rear of car and #1 spark plug wire in the 4 O'clock position.Rotor shoud be pointing to the #1 plug wire (in cap).Dist. must be all the way down.

Thanks, Gene. One other thing. What is the best way to check and see if the spark plug is getting a good spark and if it isn't getting a good spark, what should I start looking at.

You can check the spark several ways.One way is to hold the spark plug terminal end about an 1/8" from a good clean metal part of the engine.Bright blue spark should easily junp the gap while turning over engine.Also you can increase the gap of an old spark plug,attach plug wire to it, and ground plug to engine....or you can purchase a spark tester made by KD (must be for non-HEI ignition).It consists of a spark plug with a very wide gap and a clip fastened to the side of the plug.Can be clipped to a good metal ground and wire attached.There again if spark is good it will jump the gap.

This might not work for you but I clamp a new sparkplug to the engine block or head with a pair of Vise-Grips making a good ground, where I can see it and with the wire on the new plug have someone crank the engine with the ignition on and watch the business end of the new spark plug, (cranking and hopefully running),by the way I leave the old plug screwed in the hole.

I used to do it Gene's way but sometimes I got the pee knocked out of me! I don't like to get shocked, that way.

i've had worse than the pee knocked out of me. mike

A quick way to test is with a good plastic handle screwdriver. Place the blade on the top of the plug (wire attached)and touch a metal spot on the engine with the end of the screwdriver. Slowly slide the screwdriver away from the metal spot and look for a spark from the end of the screwdriver to the metal spot.

I've also stuck a screwdriver inside the plug wire end and lay the screwdriver on the engine, with the screwdriver metal shaft near but not touching some metallic object (like a plated bracket)...have someone crank the engine and look for a spark between the screwdriver shaft and the metal engine object...

whatever method you use, if it entails holding the screwdriver, make certain that you and your appendages are far away from rotating objects like the fan or belts, in case you are zapped...you don't want your hand or elbow to jerk away and contact something that is moving...


epi

I made the same mistake pulling the distributor out all the way. The car started once since then, but idled roughly. Now I have good spark, but the engine still won't turnover.

scottb,

also make sure your battery is well charged & in good order, as the cranking engine can pull the voltage down quite a bit on a weak battery, to the point of not having adequate coil/spark voltage...


epi

scottb,
You can check to see if a spark is being created in the distributor by removing the coil wire from the cap and the cap from the dist. Turn the engine until the points are closed. With the key on, open and close the points with your finger while holding the bare end of the coil wire close enough to a ground that it will jump fire each time you open the points. You should have a nice blue spark that will jump 3/16 of an inch or more.
My guess is that your distributor is not in proper time with the camshaft. Good Luck.
Mike

Mike:
You were right about the distributor being out of time. After monkeying around and checking and rechecking virtually everything, I finally realized last night that the flywheel has been rotated about 60 degrees. I assumed that the markings on the flywheel were ok and was trying to time up to the u/c mark and could not get the motor to fire. I got the #1 cylinder on the compression stroke, lined up the rotor with the #1 plug and it fired. I don't have any timing mark to use a timing light on, but I think its running pretty good by sound after fine tuning the distributor by ear.
Thanks to all, Scott

There's a way to time an engine with a vacuum gauge. I'll bet some of the people using this website can come up with the method. I have it written down somewhere but I put the instructions somewhere safe where I wouldn't lose them and now I can't find them.

I never heard of timing with a vacuum gauge. I'd be interested myself.

Hi scottb,
You can time an engine using vacuum gauge. If engine has a vacuum advance on distributer disconect and plug. Connect vacuum gauge directly into intake manifold and you should get 18 - 21 inches of vacuum. We use to do this with a dwell meter hooked up to make sure gap on points was correct. This also told you many other secrets as well. In the front of the old Chiltons manuals was a section on reading a vacuum gauge.
Thanks
John

If I recall the procedure correctly the engine should be turning about 2000 RPM, the vacuum advance should be connected. The timing is advanced until maximum vacuum is reached and then the timing is retarded until the vacuum drops about 2" . The fellow who used this method said that he frequently ran into old engines with the wrong flywheel and this method always worked.