I powerwashed the engine compartment a few days ago and after that the truck has not been the same. I could not get it to start until tonight. I checked the battery voltage and it was 12.3V and the coil was getting 3.1V with the key on. I replaced both the coil and voltage regulator and the truck starts but it takes awile and the generator light flickers on the instrument panel.

 

Did you cover the distributor with some plastic when pressure washing the engine? If not, I would bet you have moisture in the cap, causing misfiring.

Regarding the flickering generator light, when above idle the light should not come on at all. If the light is coming on above idle (with your new voltage regulator) you may have some water contamination in the generator itself. If the generator light is on at idle, this is normal. With the correct 475-500 rpm idle speed set (for 292s), the generator light should be on very dim at idle and extinguish when the rpm is just above idle.

 

I didn't cover the distributor. When it's running it runs smoothly without a misfire but it just takes along time to start- warm or cold. Before cleaning it the motor started right up warm or cold. The generator light flickers only when the rpm's are above idle. The higher the rpm's the faster it flickers. I just realized I forgot to polarize the regulator. Will that cause the light to flicker?

Thanks

P.S. the engine is a 262 I-6

 

Moisture in the distributor cap Will cause your hard starting problem, polarizing the regulator would be Good thing, water contamination will add to the problem you described w/ the generator & unless you Personally installed that I-6 engine, it'll be a 223, not a 262. Why, because the 262 didn't become available untill '61 in the 1st of the Unibodies.

 

I would open the distributor cap and dry things good with a hair dryer. Inside the cap, and the points area. Sounds to me like you have a small amount of moisture in the cap.

 

I would definitly pull the dist. cap and dry it as Walston mentioned; I had the same thing happen to me at a carwash, I even left the truck running however, I discovered later that the cap had a crack in it. I spent a loonog time at that car wash.

 

I'll pull the cap off and dry it out. I looked up the casting number on the block and it shows it to be a 262. It also has the screws around the lip of the valve cover and the oil cap is towards the center of the valve cover

 

And those casting numbers would be?
Because those casting number only i.d. specific year runs on blocks, not necessarily what they were used for.
Any one can change out a head, so that doesn't necessarily i.d. it as a 262 either.
Does it have the Re-enforced ribbing on the driverside on the lower portion of the block?
Does it have the Fuel Pump mounted on the Timing Cover?
Does it have the 1st of the PCV systems mounted on the driverside of the block where the down draft tube should be, going to the valve cover, going to the air cleaner?
I could go on, as there a lot more differences, but I believe that's enough questions for now.

 

C1te-6015-b

 

Thank'ee!
Would you Please answer the rest of my questions, if you'd be so kind.

 

It does have the re enforced ribbing and the fuel pump is mounted on the timing cover. However it just has the downdraft tube

 

Does it have the wire that bypasses the ignition resistor when starting? One of my trucks didn't have that wired correctly, and it made for hard starting. It could have been knocked off during the pressure washing, possibly.