Turns over but won't start

OK I am ready to take a sledge hammer!! I have replaced spark plugs (bosch platinim), spark plug wires, points, condensor, coil, cap, rotor, battery cables, and ballast resistor. It will turn over but won't start, I have tested the cable from the coil, yellow light, fuel is going to the carb.

Can you pull a spark plug to see if it is getting a spark. any other tests? What should the volts be at the coil when cranking? Please help!! :v6:

 

If the chenk the continuity of the coil, I touch the + POS side of the coil to the - NEG and its good. If I touch the POS of the coil and the dist housing I also get continuity... should I?

 

any sugestions?

 

Has it run before?

The usual no-start conditions are 1) no crank 2) no spark 3) no fuel. The simple test for spark is to pull the coil wire from the distributor and hold it near the cylinder block. Use something well insulated to hold the wire, for example, hold the wire to the end of a long stick with a rubber band, then hold the other end of the stick. Have your helper crank the engine while you look for spark. Good sprk should jump a 1/4" gap, be blue-white and make a little tick when it sparks. Now put the coil wire back and try it with one of the spark plug wires, then pull a spark plug and hold it against the block, and look for the spark jumping the gap. If your plugs are wet with fuel, the engine won't fire.

No spark fron the coil wire, start going in the reverse direction; points, condensor, etc. If you stop the engine so that the points are together, with the key on, you can make the coil wire spark by moving the points together and apart with a popsicle stick or such.

hth

 

Huh? It depends. If the points are closed, the neg side of the coil is grounded, so yes you should see continuity to the distributor body.

Better to measure voltages. With the points open, you should see 12V to ground everywhere - pos terminal, neg terminal, open side of the points, both sides of the ballast resistor. With the points closed, the ballast resistor side of the coil (pos) should be about 9V, and the negative side should be near zero, again with respect to ground.

 

OK when I test the voltage with the points closed... I get around 5.94 is the good?

 

yes

 

OK all the sparks plugs are fireing! I guess its down to fuel.

 

Or timing!

 

If it the timing... how do I check it if it won't start?

 

Another swing at the problem. Are the plug wires going to the correct cylinders? And is number one firing at close to TDC?
A quick check is to set the timing mark on the harmonic balencer/bottom pully at the Top Dead Center index and then pulling the number one spark plug. If the piston is at the top of the cylinder and the rotor is pointing to the number one plug wire in the distributor cap then the number one cylinder is either right on or its 180 degrees out.
If its set up OK then check the order of the other wires ie: 156432 or what ever is the firing order. Crank and shoot some ether at the carb throat and you should get some kind of bang. If that dosn't work try the 180 out of rotation TDC as the starting point. If you have help, you can feel for the compression at the #1 cylinder as its cranking. A woosh of air coming out of the plug hole as the piston rises on the compression stroke. Some air will come out as the piston rises on the exhaust stroke but not as much as the exhaust valve is open. You can also pull the valve cover and watch the intake valve close as the compression stroke starts, the next time the timing mark hits the TDC is where the points should closeand the rotor should be at the number one plug.
It will run at zero advance, it should run plus or minus 10 degrees. So just getting it close to TDC static timing it should run given it has gas.
Good Luck

 

could also braze an old spark plug to a metal spring clamp and check spark that way. sounds to me like the distrib is off. need to find TDC and go from there.