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Arghhhh - what now

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JPSmit

JPSmit

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1. We have fuel - confirmed.

2. We have spark - confirmed.

3. We have ensured that the dizzy is on correctly.

she has puffed and backfired a few times but mostly just turns over.

Fuel is coming out of the carb when we turn it over - to the point that the foam filter got wet.

any ideas?
 
Float stuck?
 
Yup... I'd triple check the timing and firing order.
 
If your filter is getting wet, it sounds like you could be flooding it, which could be a symptom of a float problem.

Do you have an electric or mechanical pump? If you have an electric pump, it could be overpowering your float and causing the carb to flood.
 
Foam filter elements shouldn't be wet with gas. You've got too much there somehow. Word of caution...take the foam elements off before you try to start it. If the engine backfires you could have a hot time with the car and not in a good way.
 
Recently had this problem, turns out that all my plugs wires were
off by one. With a firing order of 1 - 3 - 4 - 2, turns out that my rotor
was pointing to the wire on the dizzy for the #4 when my #1 cylinder was ready to fire.


Simple fix once I found it. Just changed the wires at the dizzy so the plug wire the rotor was pointing to went to wire #1, then continued so the wires went to 3 - 4 - 2.

Had the exact same symptoms.
 
foam filter is off the car - will check the floats.

we've done everything we can (which is to say my friend Larry)

marked the timing points on the crankshaft hub and block
lined them up
took off valve cover - front two valves were closed - compression
checked rotor - pointing at plug #1
tried it 180 deg away - front - one valve open, one valve closed - no compression
adjusted dizzy as I turned over the engine
no luck

four questions that I have

1. I have heard conversations about adjusting the needle - should I be worried about this?

2. what weight oil in the bell? I used engine oil

3. could vacuum (or lack thereof) be a factor?

4. I installed a manual choke - could this be a factor? when the manual choke is off and you are looking at it (ie. facing forward) the choke "tab" can swing from 12 O'clock to 3 O'clock. I presume 3 O'clock is open and 12 O'clock is closed - is this correct?
 
1. I have heard conversations about adjusting the needle - should I be worried about this?

In my experience, the 1500 will fire right and run very, very rich and pretty lean. You will need to adjust the needle, but I doubt needle adjustment would keep your from starting.

2. what weight oil in the bell? I used engine oil

That should work

3. could vacuum (or lack thereof) be a factor?

With the coil disconnected and the air cleaner removed, hold your hand over the carb while someone turns the car over. If you feel strong suction on your hand, you should be fine to start up. BE SURE THE COIL IS DISCONNECTED before performing this test. Otherwise the car could backfire on your hand. OUCH!

4. I installed a manual choke - could this be a factor? when the manual choke is off and you are looking at it (ie. facing forward) the choke "tab" can swing from 12 O'clock to 3 O'clock. I presume 3 O'clock is open and 12 O'clock is closed - is this correct?

Can't answer this question. Sorry.



Did you set "static timing?"

Here's how you do it... set the crank at 10° BTDC for #1 piston. Pull the #1 plug and ground the electrode against the frame. With ignition on, slowly turn the dizzy in one direction or the other until you get spark. Once you get spark, you can kinda wiggle the dizzy back and forth to confirm that you have it in the right place. Then button everything up and give her a crank.

Another common problem is forgetting to put the grounding strap on the front of the engine. It may be worth double checking that. Most of us have made that mistake.
 
If this engine has not run before it is the clasic symptons of being 180 out.
 
The car had not run for at least a decade before I got it - however, it was an accident that took it off the road not anything engine related.

I did rebuild the carb. used a VB carb rebuild kit as well as a new needle since I wrecked the old one.


Let me check some of your ideas after supper.

keep them coming

thanks all
 
Do you have life?

Mark
 
not yet - took the carb off today - checked the floats - fine (slight adjustment but not the problem. Just got back in from reinstalling. While it was off I did find the hole where the vacuum line used to be - hadn't noticed it before. Fixed it so now I have vacuum.

Did try to reverse the distributor cap. No luck

taking a bunch of books to bed tonite - I'm more and more thinking timing.

Anyone have a diagram (picture) of where the plug wires need to be on the distributor cap
 
you can't reverse the dizzy cap.

Your fireing order is 1342.

Now 180 out is 2431. One way to correct this, turn the spindle, drive 180 degrees.

How to check. Hook what is now number one high tenson wire to # 2 plug, 3 to 4, 4 to 3 and 2 to 1. Crank it and see if it will run. If so it was 180 out and you can change the spindle.
 
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/u...es_c#Post305681

Here's my rather odd way of finding approximate timing... worked for me.

"Pulled the valve cover off, jacked the rear left wheel off the ground. Connected the timing light to #1 wire.

Turned over the engine by hand, until the timing marks were at or just before BTDC, and valves 7/8 were both rocking, as suggested above. GREAT advice, very easy. (FYI, at TDC of the exhaust stroke, 7/8 are both dead still, so this is a pretty definitive check, but I did double-check with a piece of solder down the spark plug hole, to confirm that the piston was at the top of its travel.) Confirmed, my TDC is at approximately 12 o'clock.

Now for the confusing part. With the timing light on #1 wire, and the key in the 'run' position (to energize the coil) I continued to turn the rear wheel by hand, very slowly, until the timing light fired. (So I knew the rotor should be lined up with the #1 post in the distributor cap.) Went and pulled the cap... and the rotor looked like it was maybe 20deg *past* the post. Repeated this several times, same result. I have no explanation for this. But
in any case, I used an imaginary line about 20deg behind the rotor, and lined that up with the #1 post with the timing marks set to 10 BTDC.

I barely touched the remote switch I've been using (for timing etc.) and the motor immediately sprung to life, and settled to a nice idle. I put the timing light on it, and it was maybe 20+ BTDC... far left of the scale, in any case. I advanced it toward 10-12 BTDC, and the idle worsened slightly and slowed. I'll follow the correct tuning settings tomorrow.

So, I have no idea why the distributor seems to fire once the rotor is already well past the post, rather than (what my eyes tell me is) a straight line. But, once I let go of what my eyes see, and trust only what the timing light tells me, everything seems fine."
 
tosoutherncars said:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf...681/Re_1500_Fireball_timing_woes_c#Post305681

Here's my rather odd way of finding approximate timing... worked for me.

"Pulled the valve cover off, jacked the rear left wheel off the ground. Connected the timing light to #1 wire.
Click to expand...

Hmm, same way I did it. I adjusted my valves that way too (I employed a tire turner for the task, though). However, I can simplify- if the rotor is pointing at #1, timing mark is around 10 Degrees Advance and intake valve on #1 cylinder has come closed, you're in the ball park.
 
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