Hi I have a F250 4x4 with a newly rebuilt 390. Also I have a rebuilt holley 4160 on there as well. My problem is timing! I have put the 390 on TDC three times and the starter turns the engine but I just cant get it to start???
I just put in a new distributor, cap, rotor, plugs, and wires. please please Help!

 

As long as your 100% you reassembled the engine at TDC with the #1 on the compression stroke your good...
Make shure you have gas and spark to the spark plugs...

Wire up a ignition under the hood (if you dont have a second pair of hands) and adjust the dizzy untill it starts.
Remove and plug the vaccume advance, time engine to around 10* BTDC, give or take a lil depending on what your engine likes the most...
Do the fine tuning on the carb so it is running proper then check/adjust your timing again...

 

how would i go about wiring up an ignition under the hood?

 

I think I might have a coil problem?

 

go to auto store and get a push button starter... like 5$ and wire it to the starter. Or just basically hot wire it, run a wire from your starter that you touch to the battery (+), you will have to have the key on so the coil is getting power...
do you have spark from the coil? dose the coil have power when key is on?
So if your thinking coil problem you dont have any spark at the spark plugs then???

Double check all your wiering, and especially all your ground wires, make shure your ground is actually grounded and so on...

 

You use a length of wire and touch the + post of the solenoid or battery and the "S" post of the solenoid, don't try to jump across the terminals (+ to starter) of the solenoid with a dinky wire. Good way to start a fire or kill yourself.

Josh

 

Is the engine trying to start at all?

You'll need a test light or DMM connected to - (neg) terminal of the coil and ground and try cranking it. The light or meter should *blink* if the dizzy is triggering the coil.

Test and report back, to go for further steps.

Josh

 

Ok I got the truck running, I put it on TDC and I put the old distributor back in with the old points and got it timed to "0" TDC and its doing ok. My question is, How can a new distributor not work and the old one works fine is there something I'm missing?