Help! No start!
4th Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,595
From: Va. Beach, VA
Sorry in reading of Father's passing - it is a rough chapter, I can relate.
My wife of 40 years passed away 16 months ago and it is a rough journey.
First thing is externally charge battery.
Remove air cleaner
Fuel - Pump throttle once and does a squirt of fuel shoot into carb?
If not, carb fuel bomb low on fuel - fuel pump has not primed itself yet
If stream, could be flooded - hold pedal to floor while cranking.
If bowl is dry, you can pour in a 1/2 cup of fuel into the bowl vent - the round tube.
Spark - pull plug wire, insert screwdriver into wire and hold screwdriver 1/4-3/8 inch away from good ground - crank engine and a blue spark should jump the gap.
Or, clamp on a timing light to a plug wire and battery posts for gun power, squeeze trigger and crank over - light should appear.
If no light, since HEI, missing spring and contact from coil to rotor or module bad, or pick up coil open, or module unplugged.
Air - plenty of it here on Mother Earth. As long as engine creates a vacuum during cranking, atmospheric air pressure pushes air into cylinders - done deal.
So, dry spark plugs, fuel being atomized, and spark at the correct time - engine should start.
You may need to disconnect inlet hose at pump and stuff shop air into tank filler tube to 'prime' fuel line and maybe to clean out old gas.
Carb may need torn apart and cleaned if gas has evaporated leaving everything inside carb a gummy mess.
My wife of 40 years passed away 16 months ago and it is a rough journey.
First thing is externally charge battery.
Remove air cleaner
Fuel - Pump throttle once and does a squirt of fuel shoot into carb?
If not, carb fuel bomb low on fuel - fuel pump has not primed itself yet
If stream, could be flooded - hold pedal to floor while cranking.
If bowl is dry, you can pour in a 1/2 cup of fuel into the bowl vent - the round tube.
Spark - pull plug wire, insert screwdriver into wire and hold screwdriver 1/4-3/8 inch away from good ground - crank engine and a blue spark should jump the gap.
Or, clamp on a timing light to a plug wire and battery posts for gun power, squeeze trigger and crank over - light should appear.
If no light, since HEI, missing spring and contact from coil to rotor or module bad, or pick up coil open, or module unplugged.
Air - plenty of it here on Mother Earth. As long as engine creates a vacuum during cranking, atmospheric air pressure pushes air into cylinders - done deal.
So, dry spark plugs, fuel being atomized, and spark at the correct time - engine should start.
You may need to disconnect inlet hose at pump and stuff shop air into tank filler tube to 'prime' fuel line and maybe to clean out old gas.
Carb may need torn apart and cleaned if gas has evaporated leaving everything inside carb a gummy mess.
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Been out of town for a week, so I wasn't ignoring your questions, just not here.
If you have a multi meter, it will do most electrical tests, but be sure you have a good ground, or you'll get false readings. Another tool I use often is a test light. A 12v. test light makes checking quickly an easy task.
If your car has spark, but wont fire with starting fluid, it may have a fuel delivery issue. I'm not sure what your comment about the fuel pump's external condition might mean? I've seen them look ugly and work. I've also seen them look like new and be bad. Visual appearance wont mean much, so need to see if it pumps. Removing the outlet side and connecting a hose to the pump will tell you if it works. Put the hose in a can, and crank the engine for about 15 seconds. Should see gas in the can, and not just a small amount. You do have gas in the tank, I assume?
If you have a multi meter, it will do most electrical tests, but be sure you have a good ground, or you'll get false readings. Another tool I use often is a test light. A 12v. test light makes checking quickly an easy task.
If your car has spark, but wont fire with starting fluid, it may have a fuel delivery issue. I'm not sure what your comment about the fuel pump's external condition might mean? I've seen them look ugly and work. I've also seen them look like new and be bad. Visual appearance wont mean much, so need to see if it pumps. Removing the outlet side and connecting a hose to the pump will tell you if it works. Put the hose in a can, and crank the engine for about 15 seconds. Should see gas in the can, and not just a small amount. You do have gas in the tank, I assume?
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