Trying for first start, SO CLOSE, little help?
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From: Norton, MA
Trying for first start, SO CLOSE, little help?
It is a cooooold Massachusetts night, but I'm doing everything I can to warm it up, 408 Cleveland style, and I am very very close....
Engine's in (no converter since I'm just testing it), fuel pump, starter, carb and dist are all hooked up. Ignition is all wired in. Everything is working, it cranks good and hard, we have full current, fuel, and spark, and it is soooo close.
I just went through all 8 positions on the dist though, and none of them gave me that, OK, this is obviously it feeling. I was getting a combination of backfires, blowbacks through the carb, and nothing, at every position. I know whaaat I'm doing, but don't have the experience (only done this once before), so what should I do at this point to at least know which notch to put the dist in? Up the idle? Unchoke it as much as possible? Some Ether? My plugs are in the right order 13726548. What do the backfires and blowbacks mean, flooded?
Thanks for any help, I'm so close...... AleX
Engine's in (no converter since I'm just testing it), fuel pump, starter, carb and dist are all hooked up. Ignition is all wired in. Everything is working, it cranks good and hard, we have full current, fuel, and spark, and it is soooo close.
I just went through all 8 positions on the dist though, and none of them gave me that, OK, this is obviously it feeling. I was getting a combination of backfires, blowbacks through the carb, and nothing, at every position. I know whaaat I'm doing, but don't have the experience (only done this once before), so what should I do at this point to at least know which notch to put the dist in? Up the idle? Unchoke it as much as possible? Some Ether? My plugs are in the right order 13726548. What do the backfires and blowbacks mean, flooded?
Thanks for any help, I'm so close...... AleX
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From: Southaven,Ms
backfires and blowbacks ussually means timing. pull number one plug and bring it to top dead center, then drop in dizzy with rotor pointing at number one on the cap. this should get it close enough to start then you can set final timing with a timing light. hope this helps
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From: Norton, MA
Ya, thanks. I actually made a really stupid mistake, and have corrected it. I set the plug wires up in the right order, clockwise, woooops. Anyway I reversed the order, tried the dist in 5 positions, of the 8, and after the 5th didn't work, realized that I had a much much bigger problem, see thread I'm about to post......
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I remember years ago a friend was trying to get his 396 stroker to run for the first time. He had it set up open headers. He shot a flame up through the hole in the trans tunnel. In his case it ended up being that he had adjusted the rockers with the lifters basically completely dry. When they pumped up full of oil while cranking it held the valves open and thus he didn't have any compression.
Now this was a SBC with adjustable roller rockers but hey, it's a thought. Had us stumped. The distributor on that car only went on one way. If the cam was in time to the crank, the spark was in time with the cam.
Now this was a SBC with adjustable roller rockers but hey, it's a thought. Had us stumped. The distributor on that car only went on one way. If the cam was in time to the crank, the spark was in time with the cam.
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You need to verify that the timing marks are lined up to TDC (top of power stroke of #1 cylinder) and then make sure the dist rotor is pointing at the #1 spark plug position which can be anywhere on the cap. (usually there is a 1 on the spot it needs to go) then make sure all the wires are in order CClockwise.
You do have the correct firing order ?
http://www.boxwrench.net/specs/ford_351C.htm
You do have the correct firing order ?
http://www.boxwrench.net/specs/ford_351C.htm
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FWIW I tried to go around my distributor clockwise as well but I just could NOT make the firing order and the plug wire routing work out. I eventually figured out that I was an idiot, worked perfectly going counter clockwise.
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From: Southaven,Ms
Ya, thanks. I actually made a really stupid mistake, and have corrected it. I set the plug wires up in the right order, clockwise, woooops. Anyway I reversed the order, tried the dist in 5 positions, of the 8, and after the 5th didn't work, realized that I had a much much bigger problem, see thread I'm about to post......
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