Can't get her started
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chandler AZ
Can't get her started
Hey Guys. I am restoring my 79 corvette that sat for 15 years. I did a lot of work to the motor but I can't get her to fire up and I was hoping to get some advice on what to do next.
The motor is cranking but it just won't fire up. I am getting spark, I checked and double checked the spark plug wires and the firing order. All are good there. I am basing the starting firing order on finding top dead center on cylinder #1 at 10 degrees before 0. I have a new holley carb 4175 that replaced my quadrajet. I can see that the squirters are putting fuel in when I pump the pedal. Electric choke seems to be doing it's job.
I haven't checked the timing chain but I think it would be ok because the vette got a new motor from chevy 10k miles before it was parked for those 15 years.
Here are the parts that are new:
Heads machined
Intake just cleaned off all the rust
New head gaskets, etc
New starter
New Holley Carb 4175
New fuel pump
I am not a great mechanic but I am pretty good at figuring things out. I am just stuck on stupid here. I think I might try testing the compression??? Anything I should be looking for??? Testing???
The motor is cranking but it just won't fire up. I am getting spark, I checked and double checked the spark plug wires and the firing order. All are good there. I am basing the starting firing order on finding top dead center on cylinder #1 at 10 degrees before 0. I have a new holley carb 4175 that replaced my quadrajet. I can see that the squirters are putting fuel in when I pump the pedal. Electric choke seems to be doing it's job.
I haven't checked the timing chain but I think it would be ok because the vette got a new motor from chevy 10k miles before it was parked for those 15 years.
Here are the parts that are new:
Heads machined
Intake just cleaned off all the rust
New head gaskets, etc
New starter
New Holley Carb 4175
New fuel pump
I am not a great mechanic but I am pretty good at figuring things out. I am just stuck on stupid here. I think I might try testing the compression??? Anything I should be looking for??? Testing???
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chandler AZ
Yes it does cough. I put in a new distributor. I pulled the cap and checked to see where the rotor was pointing, that is where I started my #1 plug wire and then went around clockwise from there. I used my Chilton book for the firing order so it should be right.
I checked for TDC with the valve cover off and cranking it by hand watching the valves open and close. I think that was the right way to make sure I was on the compression stroke and the valves were both closed for the TDC.
I checked for TDC with the valve cover off and cranking it by hand watching the valves open and close. I think that was the right way to make sure I was on the compression stroke and the valves were both closed for the TDC.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Grants Pass Oregon
Ok, that should work but, the best way is to pull #1 plug, put your finger over hole, have some one bump engine til you feel the compression. Then turn crank til your @ TDC. Then check to see were the rotor is pointing. Start plug wires from there. Rotor should point toward # 5
Last edited by 78 silver 78; Dec 21, 2010 at 02:33 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 202
Likes: 2
From: Enola PA
I had a similar issue with my 69 coupe this summer, seemed that i was one plug wire off or not quite at TDC as I had thought. I could have sworn I was too...
Triple check, pull the plug put your thumb over the plug hole and have someone crank it over. You will know it when your at TDC make sure the rotor is pointing there or change the plug wires. Once that is done, she should fire. Good luck, I know the frustrations...
Triple check, pull the plug put your thumb over the plug hole and have someone crank it over. You will know it when your at TDC make sure the rotor is pointing there or change the plug wires. Once that is done, she should fire. Good luck, I know the frustrations...
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 24,160
Likes: 78
Yes it does cough. I put in a new distributor. I pulled the cap and checked to see where the rotor was pointing, that is where I started my #1 plug wire and then went around clockwise from there. I used my Chilton book for the firing order so it should be right.
I checked for TDC with the valve cover off and cranking it by hand watching the valves open and close. I think that was the right way to make sure I was on the compression stroke and the valves were both closed for the TDC.
I checked for TDC with the valve cover off and cranking it by hand watching the valves open and close. I think that was the right way to make sure I was on the compression stroke and the valves were both closed for the TDC.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chandler AZ
Cool I will try that. For sure right now when I thought I had TDC the rotor was pointing at the driver, about 7 to 8 o'clock. Oh man I really hope that fixes it, I can't wait to start this thing for the first time!
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Probably a stupid thought but I thought that you couldn't use it unless the engine was actually running.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chandler AZ
Ok now I am really worried. My wife is cranking the motor and I am getting nothing pushing my thumb off the spark plug hole. I can't imagine my compression being so bad I can't feel anything. The motor only had 10k miles on it when I pulled the heads. I know the pistons aren't stuck because I can crank the motor a little bit and put in a screwdriver in the #1 hole and feel the piston be in different places and I cycle the motor. Damn this gets frustrating...
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,682
Likes: 3
From: League City TX
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Grants Pass Oregon
Ok now I am really worried. My wife is cranking the motor and I am getting nothing pushing my thumb off the spark plug hole. I can't imagine my compression being so bad I can't feel anything. The motor only had 10k miles on it when I pulled the heads. I know the pistons aren't stuck because I can crank the motor a little bit and put in a screwdriver in the #1 hole and feel the piston be in different places and I cycle the motor. Damn this gets frustrating...
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,570
Likes: 1
From: Algonac Michigan
You did say the distributer is turning, right?
For you not to be building any pressure in the # 1 cylinder it sounds like a valve is stuck open for some reason..
Badly bent valve, timing gear or chain shot...
I hope you didn't hit the top of a piston with a stuck open valve!
For you not to be building any pressure in the # 1 cylinder it sounds like a valve is stuck open for some reason..
Badly bent valve, timing gear or chain shot...
I hope you didn't hit the top of a piston with a stuck open valve!
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chandler AZ
You guys are my freaking heros. It was the valves and I was off by one spark plug wire when I was setting it up the new distributor. I took off all the rockers and started over. I found TDC by plugging the number 1 with an big vacuum line plug and when I was turning it by hand I could hear the hissing of pressure in the cylinder. Damn that was I nice sound. Then I checked my wires and sure enough off there too. I turned the key and it fired right up. I have been messing with this for 3 months and never even thought about the valves being out of adjustment. Thank you thank you thank you.
It is smoking like a mother right now but I think it is because she has been sitting so long.
It is smoking like a mother right now but I think it is because she has been sitting so long.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
What do you mean, "it was the valves" ? What was wrong with the valves? The camshaft controls the opening and closing of the valves, did you mess with the cam? maybe a new timing chain?
Scott
Scott
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 24,160
Likes: 78
It means he cranked down the lash so tight that the valves were never being allowed to fully close. Hence he had no compression.