Car will not start

[Wally]

need some advice. Apparently i have all the ignition stuff on and was trying to fire up the car. It turns over great it just wont ignite and crank.

No idea what the issue is or even could be. Everything is rebuilt and new including new Ztherapy carbs, lines etc. Gas is being pushed from the mechanic fuel pump and all the plugs are sparking good.

Could some wires not 100% right at the ignition or ballast cause this? What about bad timing? Any thoughts are welcome

 

[Zed Head]

Here's something that I did when measuring voltage drop across my ignition wires.  Take a long piece of wire and run it from the battery positive post to the coil positive post.  If the engine turns over and has fuel it should start.  You'll have to remove the wire to get the engine to die.

Not sure how your wires are connected at the coil and ballast, and you don't have any test light or meter measurements or spark checks so that's just a quick and dirty check.  If it starts at least you know that there's hope.

And don't forget starter fluid.

 

p.s. "turn over" and "crank" are the same thing.

12 minutes ago, Wally said:

It turns over great it just wont ignite and crank.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Zed Head

[Wally]

 

Thanks will try that out this weekend and report findings

 

[SteveJ]

Missing data: What ignition do you have? Is it stock points? Pertronix? Crane? 1-2-3? ZX?

Stock wiring: There is a black/white wire that goes to coil positive. There is another black/white wire that goes to the ballast, and a green/white wire that goes to the other side of the ballast. @Captain Obvious has a nice drawing that he labeled. If you need to figure out which wire is which, I did this video.

 

However, you said you're getting spark, so in all likelihood that is wired correctly.

You have not said anything about verifying static timing.

You have not said anything about verifying firing order (1-5-3-6-2-4 counterclockwise)

Have you verified that there is fuel in the float bowls?

As @Zed Headsuggested, will it fire with starting fluid?

[Wally]

Thanks everyone!

I carried to car to a "mechanic" other day and they gave some "help" but weren’t able to get it running. He moved some wires around on the ignition side. I have a lot of images if needed on how he connected things. He seems to think its either timing or fuel but i am 

not too confident in their ability.

1.    They showed me the spark plugs were getting good spark with some tester.

2.    I am 99.9% sure the firing order is right. I did this and followed that image of 1-6 order.

3.    Not sure what static timing is…so no idea on anything related to that

4.    The float bowls. How do I check to see if its getting fuel? I did remove the air filter housing and spraying directly with starter fluid…it isn’t helping.

5.    Car came with points replaced by Pertonix II, the ignition coil is in picture. It’s a MSD #8222.

I tried the wire thing where I put one end of the positive battery and the other on positive end of coil. It didn't help. I included a short video of this with wife trying to crank the car. You can hear sound it makes. At end I tell her to stop b/c the battery needs recharging. I haven’t watched Steve's video yet but will ASAP. Im sure it will be helpful.

[SteveJ]

@Wally Your coil wiring doesn't look quite right.

For the Pertronix, the ignitor looks to be wired correctly to the coil. Just make sure the red wire is on the positive and black is on negative.

There should be a black/white wire going to coil positive. The green/white wire should be connected at the same terminal on the ballast resistor as the black/white wire. Again, watch the video I linked on how to differentiate between the black/white wires.

The jumper wire from the coil positive to the ballast resistor can go away once you have the other wires in the correct position.

Static timing would be to check to make sure the rotor has moved just barely past the terminal for the #1 spark plug wire when cylinder #1 is at TDC on the compression stroke. (That sounds like a future video.) Unless someone has removed the distributor or oil pump and reinstalled incorrectly, about the only way for the static timing to be off by much would be if someone forced the rotor onto the distributor shaft in the wrong orientation. That's a challenge, but I've seen some people try.

From your video I can tell you have a very weak battery. Make sure it is fully charged before you try again.

[KeysZ]

If the distributor was removed and reinstalled, you need to be sure the rotor points to #1 plug wire on the compression stroke.  The distributor runs at half speed.  I usually put a mark with a marker on the distributor body where the #1 wire is.  When you remove the cap, you can see where the rotor is pointing.  With the timing mark on the damper at zero advance on the tab, the engine should run. You can check the compression stroke by removing the plugs and crank the engine with your finger over the #1 spark plug hole.

[Wally]

forgot to add... In the area of photo for 2 carbs ....thats where i put that 
"special carb oil" right... I put it in there and am not worried i wasnt supposed to

[SteveJ]

Yes, just a little bit of 20w oil. I like using the 3-in-1 20w.

[Wally]

whew. thanks. here is what i was given...dont remember where atm...but i did mark it was for the carbs

[Wally]

working way thru list stuff here. rotor is quite bit off...should be pointing where green top is. I did remove oil pump and distributor.... 

does this mean i put it back in wrong?

[SteveJ]

That's probably the right stuff. I just like getting it like this: https://www.amazon.com/3-in-ONE-Motor-Oil-3-OZ/dp/B084VPH4LY

It's easier to put in the carburetor with that bottle.