ok, ill give you the run on the sitch. i was driving down the road, everything is fine. i pull into the 7- 11 parking lot and as im goin into the space the car stalls, wont start back up, and still hasnt. the engine will turn over, but wont fire. its a 1985 camaro. 305ci 4bbl carb. mixture had always been rich, but still ran fine. it has air, has fuel, and im sure it has spark. dizzy and rotor are fine. i believe ive narrowed it down to a few things.

1. the timing is off( no idea how this can happen out of the blue, but im not ruling it out)

2. timing chain is busted

3. compression is bad (again, dunno how this could happen out of the blue without any horrible sounds or smells but its what leads me to no. 2.)

car has fresh oil. coolant and all the goodies.

so if anyone could provide some insight on this i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[X(] gonna have to start to check some basics. BE SURE your getting spark. if not then pull distributor cap and crank engine does dist rotor go round and round. if your getting both of these bring cyl.#1 to TDC and check that dist. rotor is pointing at #1 cyl plug wire get back to us after checking this stuff kurt

 

If you even think that the timing chain is busted you better verify that before doing anything else or you'll bend a valve so fast you won't know what hit you.

Pull a valve cover and turn the crank by hand (socket wrench) if the rockers are moving, then the chain is not busted.If you try to turn the engine over with the starter ane the chain is busted then you will have just bent every valve that was stuck open.

Other than that it's up to you to find the culprit. We can speculate all day long on the keyboards. If all else fails there is one thing to check.....there is a roll pin that holds the dist. gear to the dist. shaft. If that is broke (not very likely) then the gear will spin with the cam all day and not turn the distributor.

RM

 

Check for spark next, you could have a bad coil/module.

 

[X(] ive seen more than a few nifty stock plastic and aluminum timing gear sets disintegrate and or jump and not harm valves on stock chevy motors. they're not known as "interfearance" type motors. im not saying its impossible ive just never seen it

 

yea, ive read up on it, i dont think i have an interference type motor. anyway, i crank and the rotor spins. now, to get tdc, do i just socket the main pulley and turn. if so, will i have to remove any belts? and after i get tdc and check the rotor to make sure its on #1. what should i check next. because i was under the impression that the starter turned the flywheel, turning the crankshaft, chained to camshaft and turning the dizzy. is that wrong. and if its not, wouldnt it mean that my chain isnt broken?

 

ok, no 1 spark plug isnt firing. so im assuming numbers 2-8 arent either. i pulled the plug and connected it to the wire and had my dad ground it out. no
visible spark or popping sound. doesnt get hot either. i checked my coil, and everything looks fine. so im back at a stand still. i cant turn the main pulley without the bold coming loose. back and square one again.


edit..

ok, so ive been told that the chain can be broken and still be on the the sprockets, and there are many ways a timing set can break. so its become apparent that the timing is so far off that theres no way its sparking.. aside from what ive stated earlier and my lack of knowlege in this area, im still stumped lol. how do i get tdc.

 

[X(] to get mechanical tdc for #1 cyl remove spark plug and rotate engine until compression develops and bypasses the finger you have stuck in plug hole(this should be close to tdc) look on crank pulley for timing mark and rotate crank to line up crank mark with 0 on index tab. to verify dist timing is matched to crank pull dist cap, rotor should point in basic direction of #1 cyl(also lines up with terminal on cap that has #1 plug wire) try this and get back to us with the results another common problem with hei's is the ignition module itself fails (good GM afficinados cary a spare in the glove box) kurt

 

If no spark:
1) turn Key to ON
2) check for 12V at the coil (pink wire) BAT terminal on distributor, if no power check ignition switch and wiring between switch & coil or distributor.
3) If power is good then look for:
Rotor not turning when engine is being cranked (remove distributor cap & look at rotor)
Bad ignition coil
Bad ignition module
Bad pick up coil in distributor
Bad rotor
Bad distributor cap
4) Bad timing, eitherignition or camshaft,can prevent the engine from starting, but will not affect thespark output as long as the distributor rotates.

 

ive replaced the timing set, camshaft, and manifold. the later 2 had nothing to do with the problem, but i wanted to do it anyway. still not start. timing dots on the gears are matched up. i have everything back to where it was before. but its still not firing. rotor cap plugs and wires are all new. only a few months old. im completely stumped as theres no spark. now, correct me if im wrong. but the timing can be off as all hell and my dizzy still roduce a spark, just at the wrong time. im thinking that if thats the case, them my distibutor is dead. now if the timing is off, and that affects the spark completely then what. how do i time my engine. i have the manual for it. but the directions are rather convoluted. also have a brand new ignition module. all my fuses are intact as well.