Hello, looking for some guidance with an inexplicable engine malfunction; engine will crank but will not turn over. After cranking for some time, with no signs of firing, there is no noticeable scent of fuel, as may be expected after pumping the gas pedal repeatedly with no firing. Leading up to this malfunction, the following series of events / maintenance occurred in this order:

Car was driven without a tachometer filter and there were not noticeable issues (other than an inoperable tachometer, which was expected).
Air cleaner was removed, to better access top of the engine block for cleaning.
Vacuum pick-up line for head lights was temporarily disconnected.
New tachometer filter was bought and installed.
Various wires located near the firewall on the drivers side of the distributor were disconnected for ease of access to cover in braided wire wrap, and plugged back in the same location.
Attempted to start the car, and engine only cranked, but would not turn over. Smoke was observed at the newly installed tachometer filter. Removed the tachometer filter and car still would not start.

My initial thought with the smoking tachometer filter is that there may not have been a suitable ground, or it was installed backwards. This is an issue that needs to be fixed, however i am at a loss for ideas, as to why the engine will not turn over. Is it possible that the tachometer filter issues may have damaged something in the distributor? Any guidance / suggestions / lessons learned would be appreciated. Prior to this malfunction there have been no issues with starting or driving our 1980; car has been approximately 75% restored, most of the engine compartment is new and has been operating properly for over two years.

 

check for power going to the distributor. YOu may have blown a fuse that is giving the disitributor power, which is where the tach gets it signal. so check th econnection at the dizzy, the wires then check for power with a meter

 

There should have been two wires going to the distributor - one for the tach, the other to provide battery voltage. The tach connection is not required for the engine to start, so leave that unhooked. Make sure that you have 12 volts on the wire going to the connector labeled 'Bat'. If you have 12 volts, but you're still not getting any spark to the plugs, then the HEI module in the distributor might have gone bad. (also check that you didn't reverse the Bat and Tach connectors - I'm not sure if they can physically connect when reversed, but verify just to be certain).

BTW, the terms 'crank' and 'turn over' usually refer to the same thing (it means that the starter is spinning the engine). What you're experiencing is normally referred to as 'not firing'.

 

I second the comment above ^ I have gone through 3 of the HEI modules now which have caused the same issue.... I carry an extra with me now.

 

OP
You may have fried the module and / or the pickup ... both are relatively cheap to buy.
Module's easy to R&R ... Pickup not as easy ... pickup is under dist weight assembly ... must first pull dist from motor ...
... then remove gear & then slide shaft from top of dist ... then R&R pickup.

? Why might they be shorted ? Perhaps when moving the wires/harness around to clean, a wire was either broken open or closed-shorted.

Forty year old wires get brittle and crack and break.

Also, copper wires/tubing in motion do work-harden and can eventually break.

Another different rabbit hole: pickup alone may have failed because its two fine wires (often green & white) ...
... they contantly move along w/ vacuum and plate ...may've rubbed against inside of dist housing... frayed insulation ...
... and are shorting to ground ... Does happen ... You can see ithem well with cap & rotor removed.

sometimes ... when it rains; it pours.

 

Gentleman,

Really appreciate everyone quick and detailed replies; this is my first time using a forum for advise / guidance and i was please to see how much of a, "forum," it is for brainstorming, troubleshooting, and recommendations.

Finally got to troubleshooting today, after reviewing your comments and multiple online articles and troubleshooting guidance, and was able to get the engine to fire successfully. What I, "think," happened was when i re-attached the connector from the distributor HEI module, to the distributor cap, i inserted the plug backwards. When i inserted backwards, the hot wire was connected directly to the tach side and caused an overtemp scenario. I, "think," since i repeatedly tried to fire the engine in the 90 degree east coast heat, there was never enough time for the components to fully cool. This is just a theory, i recalled reading something about an over temperature function in the distributor, but could be completely wrong.

Needless to say, things seemed to be functioning properly. At least now ill be able to drive to my mechanic for a sanity check, rather than having her towed for maintenance.

Thanks.

 

Thanks for letting us know you got it running. It's always good forum etiquette to follow up after getting advice, so we're not left wondering if we were any help or not.