Race Car won't start...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 7,562
Likes: 9
From: B'Ville NY
Cruise-In III Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05
One trick when pulling a distributor is to line up the rotor with the fire wall that way it's easier to re-install. I'm with the other guys, you're probably of a tooth on the distributor.
BTW- Congrats on your child
BTW- Congrats on your child
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
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From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
GrandSportC3,
Well, if you've got spark and you've stated you have good fuel pressure and even tried starter fluid, then the issue has to be timing.
Try this:
Unhook/remove the spark plugs
Get a compression gauge and hook it up to the #1 cylinder.
Get a timing light and link it to the #1 spark plug wire.
Hold your finger over the pressure release valve(if available)on the neck of the compression gauge.
Point the timing light at the face of the compression gauge
Remotely/or get a pal to turn the motor over.
You should see the compression gauge jump with every flash.
If it's delayed or off, then set her to TDC and reinstall the dizzy
Good luck.
Well, if you've got spark and you've stated you have good fuel pressure and even tried starter fluid, then the issue has to be timing.
Try this:
Unhook/remove the spark plugs
Get a compression gauge and hook it up to the #1 cylinder.
Get a timing light and link it to the #1 spark plug wire.
Hold your finger over the pressure release valve(if available)on the neck of the compression gauge.
Point the timing light at the face of the compression gauge
Remotely/or get a pal to turn the motor over.
You should see the compression gauge jump with every flash.
If it's delayed or off, then set her to TDC and reinstall the dizzy
Good luck.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
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From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
I always take a lot of care when pulling the distributor. I mark exactly the way it came out (the position of the rotor when completely in the tunnel and the position of the rotor after pulling it out. That way, I have never gotten it wrong..
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Lakeland, FL
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St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
I doubt that the distributor is off. I also did try to move it in either direction and tried cranking and nothing...
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Race Director
Joined: May 2006
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From: Dayton, Ohio
If you don't mind removing the drivers valve cover to find TDC #1
bring your timing mark up on 0
#1 intake and exhaust should be closed
#3 intake and #5 exhaust will be open
if #3 and #5 are not open then bump the engine over 360 until the timing mark comes up again.
bring your timing mark up on 0
#1 intake and exhaust should be closed
#3 intake and #5 exhaust will be open
if #3 and #5 are not open then bump the engine over 360 until the timing mark comes up again.
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From: Lakeland, FL
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St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,486
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From: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
If the plugs got fouled by race fuel, they will never light the motor. They must be replaced, not just cleaned. They may spark some, but they are also shorting out. Race fuel is much harder to light off then pump gas, so the plugs have to be right. One of my race cars was terrible that way, wouldn't fire in cold weather and certainly if the plugs had gotten fouled, it would not start unless the motor was cranked over with plugs out to clean the cylinders with the pump turned off and then new plugs installed.
Last edited by RobRace10; Sep 20, 2010 at 11:24 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Lakeland, FL
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St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
If the plugs got fouled by race fuel, they will never light the motor. They must be replaced, not just cleaned. They may spark some, but they are also shorting out. Race fuel is much harder to light off then pump gas, so the plugs have to be right. One of my race cars was terrible that way, wouldn't fire in cold weather and certainly if the plugs had gotten fouled, it would not start unless the motor was cranked over with plugs out to clean the cylinders with the pump turned off and then new plugs installed.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
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From: Florida
Why don't you just borrow a stock hei dist to test. Easy 1 wire hookup and if nothing else use starter fluid. It should at least fart and eliminate the ignition as a problem.
Sometimes those fancy ign boxes fail in strange ways.
Forgot this, hook it directly to the bat pos to eliminate any switches etc.
Sometimes those fancy ign boxes fail in strange ways.
Forgot this, hook it directly to the bat pos to eliminate any switches etc.
Last edited by noonie; Sep 21, 2010 at 08:19 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,844
Likes: 99
From: Orrtanna Pa.
My 406 is not a race motor (close though), and has a Proform main body on the carb (No choke). One time I had a time of it starting it after it sat for a while. Cranked on it till the battery was almost dead. The next day I went in the garage and flipped the key just to see if it would crank,....and it started right up. The only difference was the previous day it was below 40 degrees out, Since then I have noticed it's tougher to start when the temps out are below 40.
Carbs,.....Gotta love em,......
Carbs,.....Gotta love em,......
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
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From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
It's not that simple.. I would have to find all the manuals again for all the components.. I wired that 3 years ago and have no idea how to eliminate components without having the wiring diagrams. I doubt that there is a problem with any of the components as I get a strong spark on all 8 cylinders..
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
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From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Why don't you just borrow a stock hei dist to test. Easy 1 wire hookup and if nothing else use starter fluid. It should at least fart and eliminate the ignition as a problem.
Sometimes those fancy ign boxes fail in strange ways.
Forgot this, hook it directly to the bat pos to eliminate any switches etc.
Sometimes those fancy ign boxes fail in strange ways.
Forgot this, hook it directly to the bat pos to eliminate any switches etc.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
It's not that simple.. I would have to find all the manuals again for all the components.. I wired that 3 years ago and have no idea how to eliminate components without having the wiring diagrams. I doubt that there is a problem with any of the components as I get a strong spark on all 8 cylinders..
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
I agree that this sounds like the problem.. I'll probably end up pulling the distributor again on the weekend and setting it to #1. The way I usually do that it to take the drivers side valve cover off, bring the balancer to ZERO and make sure that the #1 valves are closed (that way I'm sure that I'm not 180 degrees off). Then I set the distributors rotor to #1 and try cranking it. However, won't have time to do that during the week.. WIll have to wait for the weekend..