Thread: won't start.

Tweet

I know, but my fire bird manual, my chilton's manual, not sure about the timing gear instructions though. When I turned the motor before I disassembled it. I turned it to tdc. The camshaft gear was at 12:00 and the crankshaft was at 12:00. The dowel was at 9:00ishthat's how I pulled the cam out and that's how I put it back in. As it sits now I can watch the intake valve open then close, I get compression. The distributor comes around to #1 If I messed up the cam installation I don't think it would do that. From what I've read you install the cam at 6 and 12 to make it easy to match up then turn the motor to 12 & 12

damn, ya'll got me second guessing myself worse than I already am. I did do it right didn't I? Mine looked just like that but my mark was at top. When did they change it to 12 &12 from 12 & 6?

that's exactly how I set my chain up before I put it on. I'm unsure of myself cause I never did anything this in depth before. I'm learning a lot and I'm enjoying it. I'm looking for a bare 350 block to get machined and start to build my first motor. Sure the wife would appreciate me putting a motor together on the porch, but hey keeps me out of trouble.

I also spent some time thinking today how I could've got "two" compression strokes causing me to set it 180 out anyway. I came to the conclusion that like everything else. Water, electricity, etc. Compression will take the path of least resistance. and that's how I felt air pushing out my finger on the exhaust stroke. Espeically since I didn't have it tight to begin with.

i'm going to get a piece of plastic tubing and use a balloon

Dang,

Now I gotta go out and check the cam I installed in my Fast Burn 385.

Hey, Firebird.
Let me try to splain sumit to ya. More than likely you have the marks right. You are correct that when both marks are at 12:00 oclock, the engine is set to fire #1 cylinder. The marks should be set at 6 and 12 for ease of alignment. Makes it less more foolproof. Chevy has been doing this since the V8 came out so it is nothing new. By cranking it 360 degrees the timing mark will come up 12 and 12. The #1 cylinder is now at firing position.
Someone touched on this before, but I am going to hit it again for clarification.
Crank the engine by hand (a ratchet works better) until you see the intake valve begin to open. After it closes, watch carefully for the timing marks to begin to come up. Now, READ THIS CAREFULLY, IT WORKS. Stop the timing mark on about 12 -14 degrees BTDC. Check the distributor to make sure that it is coming up on #1 cylinder. I am not going to assume that you know anything, so I am telling you that the #1 cylinder is on the drivers front. Remember that the distributor turns clockwise. Put a spark plug in the loose end of the #1 spark plug wire and lay it on the engine so that it gets good ground. Loosen the distributor and turn the ignition on. Turn the distributor back and forth in the vicinity of the #1 location on the dist cap. Watch for the plug to fire. Do it several times getting slower each time. Make sure that you are turning the distributor Counter-clockwise when watching for it to fire. The reason you will want to turn it slowly is to help in not passing the position up where it fires. As close as you can stop it where it fires the plug, tighten the distributor down. Check all of the plugs to insure that they are not flooded. For some reason or another wet plugs don't fire very good.
Now, it should fire up if the marks on the chain are lined up. I have done this for years and most of the time I never have to reset the timing. Comes with experience.
I have had sme very experienced people raise their eyebrows when thay see me do this. I just grin and fire it up.
Ed

OK, now you guys made me go out in the garage and get all sweaty right after I took my shower.

First of all, my Fast Burn 385 has never been run except for the break in at the factory. I can't run it now because it's sitting in my finished, but unwired chassis.

I had to pull the distributor out because I installed a Crossfire cap. The original criss-cross wiring, the crappy (and expensive) Holly plug wires didn't fit right, so I solved it that way.

Anyhow, here's what I did.

- Pulled all the plugs.
- Removed the valve covers.
- Turned the engine around until the compression blew my finger off the #1 plug hole, set it at 12 BTDC. Intake closed on the way up to TDC. That's good.
- Fiddled with the distributor until it pointed at the #1 terminal on the cap.
Put my finger over the #8, turned a quarter turn . . . compression. Good.
Put my finger over the #4, turned a quarter turn . . . compression. More good.

That basically proved it to me, but I went through the other five just for drill and gollygee 3,6,5,7,2 all popped my finger off at a quarter turn, intake valve of each cylinder closed on the way up. Good x 5.

I know I installed the cam dot-to-dot.

I think I'm set.

I'm going to watch "The Shield" (recorded) and take another shower.

omg I'm sorry, I concede I was wrong. I was looking at the diesel engine in the chilton's omg do I feel stupid. Live and freakin learn. I tore the motor down and redid the timing and lined them up dot to dot. Still won't start though. backfires now, sounds like automatic gunfire at times. My distributor is probably 180 out now. After two weeks of messing with this car parked along side the street. I had it off the stands with the hood up and just finishing connecting the battery charger and a cop pulls up and tells me I can't work on my car along side the street. I was like wtf, where were you guys when I had it completely tore down to the heads. i do think I'm going to have problems though. I drained the oil and being since it was clean and unused I poured it back in. I noticed on the bottom of the pan there was some antifreeze. Makes me kind of sick, but I did have some antifreeze spill into the motor when I took the heads off. so tomorrow i'm going to flip the distributor 180 and see if it'll start

I'm still confused though, my dowel pin is now at the 3:00 position

im having the same problem with my motor (not starting, or making any noise), all i get is fireballs out the exhaust. I have double and triple checked the timing, finger on plug #1, everything. Im beginning to think the chain is off like everyone is saying. what would be the easiest way to check withot pulling the whole front end of the motor apart? its a brand new rebuild.

this damn car makes me want to drink

shade tree mechanic rule=if number 1 cylinder is on comp stroke,the distributor wire for number 1 should be right out front aimed at 1.....if not u r off......i think u r off on your timing, and if you keep messing around trying to start it like that,you gonna bend a valve....backfiring.......

Originally posted by mr_picklz
im having the same problem with my motor (not starting, or making any noise), all i get is fireballs out the exhaust. I have double and triple checked the timing, finger on plug #1, everything. Im beginning to think the chain is off like everyone is saying. what would be the easiest way to check withot pulling the whole front end of the motor apart? its a brand new rebuild.

Follow the steps in my post up above.

dot to dot is #6 TDC, #1 is cam gear dot at 12 o'clock and crank gear dot is at 12 o'clock. always been like that.