Thread: 350 Spark plug & wire change

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You were right I was outside with my flashlight.

Make sure all of the wires are seated on both ends, too. Make sure the ends that go into the top of the distributor are clicked down all the way, and also make sure the plug ends are not just sitting out there on the rubber boots. They have to be also clicked on tight.

The wire from the coil to the distributor is the one you really want to check.

PS: Don't hold onto that phillips screwdriver while you are cranking it, especially the metal part.

Don

I checked and all the wires are in order

This is going to be a real longshot, but if your car is carburated (gotta learn how to spell that word ) Pull off the air cleaner and look down into the bore while you manually open the throttle (key off) Do you see any gas squirting into the barrels?

It would be a real bummer if you just ran out of gas, or were getting none for some reason.

Don

When i tried cranking with the screwdriver in the #3 plug i didn't see any spark. What does this mean?

Wouldnt the rotor be fine if i had no problem with the car before and all i did was pull out the plugs and replaced them withnew ones? I hadn't even touched the distributor exept to snap on the wires.

what does this mean if i didnt see any spark when i tested it with a screw driver in a wire? The wire wasn't suppose to be near any metal right?

I think it's time for AAA.


Don

I do have an open mind i just didn't think thatnothing shouldbewrong with that since it wasn't right before i pulled the plugs but maybe so. thanks for trying to help me out you guys these are things i need to learn!

I feel Denny's pain.

Here is the problem. We have been trying to guide you through one of the most basic checks that can be done, checking for spark. Denny has graciously tried to tell you how to do it, but you aren't following through. You have to hold the metal part of the screwdriver close to the block (or intake) while someone cranks the engine, and you are looking to see if a spark jumps that small gap. It won't jump the gap if it is over that 1/4 inch.

I know you are inexperienced, so maybe you are getting in over your head. I am afraid, because you are playing with gasoline and sparks here. You could cause more trouble than just an engine that won't start.

Get some knowledgeable person to come and help you, and watch what they do. It is tough enough to help solve some engine problem over the computer anyway, but if the person has no idea what you are telling them it is really hard.

JMO,

Don

Oh so it has to be 1/4" away to check. Okay my bad.

Its gotten late so i can't get my girl to go outside and crank it for me again so ill try it tomorrow thanks for the help

Some basics.

If you have a problem, describe it fully and accurately.

When people tell you what to check, don't argue it. You're the one looking for help and others have the experience to help you.

Carefully read the advice you get and if you don't understand it, ask for an explanation.

Follow the advice.

Accurately describe the result of the test.

There are a lot of people on this forum that are less than impressed with Accel. I doubt that any of them feel that a new set of plug wires from Accel are so bad that your engine won't even start. I think that the majority who have contributed to this thread feel that as careful as you were, you messed up the sequence of plug wires. Most of us have done that somewhere along the way. To eliminate the possibility of something coincidentally happening, they have asked you to check for spark. This is basic. No spark, no run. If you are not getting spark, odds are you've accidentally disconnected or altered something. If you are getting spark, odds are a mistake you made messed up the wiring sequence.

Don't do it with a screwdriver, you will shock the hell out of yourself. Clamp the metal part of a sparkplug to some bare metal on the engine with a pair of vise grips. Hook the plug wire to it and crank over the engine. You will be able to see a good blue spark if everything is OK.