After 3 days of installing my headers and overcoming every obstacle imaginable I finished putting my car back together. It won't start............... I know what the problem is, but I'm too big an idiot to fix it myself :mad :mad :mad Theirs plenty of fuel getting to the carb, plenty of spark reaching the distributor, plenty of spark reaching the spark plugs..........but it still wont start. Since I replaced the plug wires I can assume that the wires are not on correctly. I have 4 different wiring diagrams that show me how to wire the plugs, but appearently I am not reading them right or something. My first set up produced nothing, didn't try to start or backfire or anything. my second setup produced a backfire that was heard around the neighbor hood, my third and forth setups produced nothing again. Is their something else I can try or what??? Is their a dummy guide to spark plug wires. The diagrams look easy enough, and it appears I am doing everything right, but it won't start :confused: :confused: :confused:


[Modified by Warp70, 10:59 PM 1/22/2002]

 

NO, your to close to give up. If you didn't pull or turn the distributor when you did the headers then it must just be the wiring of the plugs. If you look at the distributor towards the rear of the engine. 12 o'clock being closest to windshield the 5 o'clock terminal should be for the #1 plug(front drivers side). Clockwise from the #1 plug it goes 8,4,3,6,5,7,2. With 1,3,5,7 being the drivers side plugs front to rear. hope that helps
Scott

 

Ditto!

 

Line up timing marks to TDC dist rotor should be pointing forward if not turn it half a turn Fireing order is 18436572 clock wise . drivers side cyl.s are 1 3 5 7 pass. side 2468

 

Warp-
Remember the 3 basics to bringing an engine to life. You need fuel, spark and timing. We'll get ya thru the plug wire mix, and take it from there. When you're at wits-end, always remember to go back to the basics and start from there. Plug wire sorting: remove no.1 plug and crank it over with your finger partly covering hole. You're gonna be feeling for the compression stroke, or air exiting hole. After a few tries, stop it when you feel no more air, and don't go past this point. Remove dist cap and the rotor will now be pointing to no.1 cyl position on cap. Here's your starting pt for correct firing order. The rotor rotates in clockwise direction. Next tower on cap is is no.8, etc... Correct firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2. Hook 'em all up and try it. Good Luck - Rod

 

Any help is greatly appreciated. I have tried that configuration before.....I believe it is when I got the back fire. From the diagram I have it states that the configuration you listed if for 1975 or newer V8's.....is that true?????

This response was for Scott78 :D as for the rest of the advice.......it gives me some more options. I havent taken the cap off yet, but I know it's got to be close. If the car is wired correctly now.........and I didn't touch the cap.....could I still need some adjustment under the cap???


[Modified by Warp70, 11:53 PM 1/22/2002]

 

could be you might have got it right ,but now it could be flooded just a thought

 

Did you move the distributor? Maybe it's 180 off. Man did my buddies new engine go boom when he started it up at 1am 180 off.

 

The firing order is the same all the way back to early 60's . The only difference is rather then #1 being at the 5 o'clock position it is at the 7 o'clock position on the distributor cap. The change over was '74, '74 and earlier at 7 o'clock after '74 at 5 o'clock. Thats is the points/HEI distributor change over.

Scott

 

Warp-
Are you running the orig style dist w/points?

 

So if I have a 1970 and I have points...... Then the #1 is at the 7 o'clock position and not the 5 o'clock position. And then it goes 8 then 3 then 4, and so on.....It's got to be that if I take my cap off it's not pointing to #1 when I start to crank it. That would throw everthing out of wack wouldn't it????

 

I have no idea how it reposted my earlier response???


[Modified by Warp70, 11:55 PM 1/22/2002]

 

I pulled off the cap, but I don't know what I am looking at. There is a metal pointer that is pointing to the 11 o'clock spot and on the back end of the metal pointer is a raised metal button, which looks to be pointing at the #1 cylinder????

 

Well it doesn't start pointed at the #1 position every time. When the timing mark on the damper is at 0 in the timing tab it can be at either #1 top dead center or 180 degrees off(remember 4 cycle engine 2 revolutions for each power stroke). So at TDC mark it'll point to 7 or 1 o'clock if the distributor is correctly aligned. If you haven't moved it since it ran last (the distributor) then it's just a matter of getting the wires to the right cyclinder. Now #1 at 7 o'clock is not a "solid" rule some enterprising person might of "rotated" #1 and moved the wires accordingly.

Scott

 

Assuming you have the stock-style pts dist cap. You'll see a little alum window at base of cap. Just above this is the no.2 cyl tower. The next one in CW dir is no.1. Does this help?

 

Is the aluminum window just to the right of the vaccume advance???

 

Since I haven't touched the cap, should I just keep rotating all of the wires clockwise until it starts????? I have tried about 4 different ways now, so their can't be too many left :crazy:

 

I'm not sure why everyone is assuming that #1 on the cap is definitely in either the 5 or 7 oclock position. It could be anywhere if the distributor has ever been removed and re-installled incorrectly. The only thing that will determine this is the position of the oil pump shaft when last installed. Unless you are the one that set the distributor in the last time and know where #1 is, you will need to find it for yourself. Follow ROD NOCK's procedure to do this or the following one.
Have someone crank the engine while your finger is covering the #1 spark plug hole. When the pressure pushes your finger away, STOP .You will see that the timing mark on the damper will be close to the timing marker tab. Just get it close to 0 and #1 will be where the rotor is pointing. Then you can reinstall plug wire accordingly. If it turns out that it is not where you want it to be and would preffer it to point in the 5 or 7 oclock position, then you must remove the distributor and turn the oil pump shaft with a long screw driver until you can drop the distbutor in completely with the rotor pointing to your preffered spot for #1 . This is "hit and miss" and will take a couple times of removing the distributor and turning the oil pump shaft until you get the distributor to drop all of the way down and be where you want it to be.

Tom

 

this is all OK but some could have put that dist. in any direction so #1 could be any where your going to have to pull #1 plug and bring it up to the compresion stroke then line up your timing marks then you will be at #1 firing. see where your rotor is pointing and that will be your starting point

 

Does it mater that I have a 305 harmonic balancer as opposed to a 350. I know I can't set the timing using a timing light, because the mark is off. Will this affect my trying to get to TDC and still have the mark meet up with the timing tab. I don't want to mess with the distributor since it worked fine before the wire swap........I am tempted to just keep moving the plug wires clockwise until it starts. I can't see why this wouldn't work if you guys state that #1 could be anywhere on the cap. Beside everyone else is asleep and I cant put my hand of the #1 plug and still crank the car :D