Car won't start....

[crazymagman]

I'm pretty much at my wits end on this one.
1) I have a good strong spark.
2) I have fuel going to the cylinders
3) Rotor button was at #1 position on distributor cap when engine was at TDC on compression stroke.
4) Had 120 compression on all cylinders before it decided to not start.

The car is not even trying to start. It turns over, but it never sounds like it is hitting at all. I pull a plug out, and it's firing a bright white spark, but in the cylinder it's not igniting anything. Could the timing be way off somehow?

Help!!!

Mike

 

[jlaird]

Squirt a bit of fuel into each carb throat. Now try it.

If you indeed have fire, and you say you have, it has to be fuel. Try Jacks sure fire check. We use to use an old coke bottle with gas in it but I would advise a small amount for a small engine.

 

[DrEntropy]

'74-1/2 B-GT? Single Stromberg?

If so, step one would be to remove air cleaner and oil damper cap, try lifting the piston with a finger. If it lifts easily put the damper back in and squirt an eyedropper's worth of fuel (NOT ether 'starting fluid'!) into the throat and crank it. If you get a "flutter" and stall, rebuild the carb.

This assumes the electrical timing to be correctly set, BTW. If it was running prior to this, don't question timing yet.

 

[crazymagman]

Well, she has a Weber DGV, and I tried pouring fuel down the carb throat last night to see if that would help, but to no avail.
I pulled the valve cover off, and moved the #1 cylinder to TDC(both valves closed) and the rotor button was pointing right at #1. However, the mark on the flywheel was well past(~20mm) the timing marks on the timing chain cover. Guessing I'll pull the timing chain cover off and see what I find.....

 

[DrEntropy]

Mike, "Mark on the flywheel"??? If you mean the harmonic damper I'll be relieved. There ain't a mark on the flywheel normally.

The timing marks on the damper should be at 8 to 10 degrees before TDC at firing of #1. You may be over-analyzing this. What was done between the last time it ran and now? These engines are awfully stout, I can't imagine needing to open up the chain cover just yet. Not unless there was something done to cam/chain/gears after it last ran. If the dizzy hasn't been "woggled around" (loosened and moved) since last running, LEAVE it where it is. If you've a good spark, it HAS to be a fuel issue. If it's been sitting for more than a few months the fuel can be gumming up some of the jet passages. The DGV has a number of very small orifi. A good exploded view of the carb would be helpful for you. I don't have one handy but there may be someone here who can post one or a location of it.

You can't get the cover off the cam gear without raising the engine off the mounts to remove the damper in any case.

<span style="font-style: italic">EDIT: Just a thought, but you said "compression test." Are you sure the firing order has been retained? 1-3-4-2, counter-clockwise with #1 being at an approximate 1 O'clock looking at the dizzy from the starboard side of the engine.</span>

 

[crazymagman]

Ha, flywheel..... I meant harmonic balancer. I got her set at 5degrees before TDC by the timing marks right now, the #1 piston is at the top of the cylinder, rotor button is at #1, and the trigger mark appears correct also for the electronic trigger on the dizzy. Maybe I should just siphon this tank of gas and put new in and see what happens. There is only a couple gallons in it anyway.

 

[RickB]

If you get no fire by putting gas down the carb then you have another problem, not gas.
How many times have you checked for spark?
Sometimes while doing several things trying to remedy a problem you can break something you are not aware of.
(don't ask me how I know) :wink:

 

[jlaird]

Really, only two things can be wrong, spark and fuel.

Start over.

 

[Billm]

Pull all of the plug wires off and hook one wire between the coil and one of the plugs. This way that plug (doesn't matter which one you use)will fire all of the time and if there is ANY chance of getting a hic-up this will give it. If you do get some hic-ups then you have an ignition question but if not then it is probably fuel.
Good Luck
Bill

 

[crazymagman]

I tried hooking the coil directly to the #1 cylinder and it fired back through the carb, and got the same result on #2.

Mike

 

[tony barnhill]

When I started reading this thread & before I got to the point where you told us which carb you had, I was already thinking 'Weber' or one of the Weber knock-off's.

Do you have either the original carb setup or a dual HIF-4 setup available?

& has it ever run?

if so, what did you do after it ran & before it wouldn't?

 

[78mgbfan]

Mike,

are you using dizzy with points or something like Petronics electronic module?

You might need to reset the timing a bit to more like 10-14 BTDC if you are using electronic module.

Also, as has been pointed out above, if the car has been setting a while, the carb is probably gunked up. There are several places to get info on the carb ... Redline is a good source. The carb might need to be cleaned up a bit. There are a couple of items to note on your Weber. First, the mixture screw setting might be too lean or too rich. Other thing is the float level could be out of wack.

Pat

 

[DrEntropy]

I tried hooking the coil directly to the #1 cylinder and it fired back through the carb, and got the same result on #2.

Mike

Back to a timing issue then...

Just a WAG here, BUT: try juggling the wires 180*. I've seen LBC engines reassembled with the dizzy drive 180* from where it should be. #4 wire then effectively becomes #1, then counter clockwise 3, 4 and 2.

 

[davester]

What DrEntropy said. Back near the beginning of time when I took high school auto shop, getting the dizzy 180 out of synch was one of the most common "it won't start" problems after an engine rebuild.

 

[jlaird]

I always seem to get them 180 out. It is just a fact of life.