I have a 1967 F-100 with a 352. I just got the truck, it was running, although very rough. I did a tune up - wires/plugs, points/condenser (gap at .017), cap/button. Now it wont start. I have spark across the points, my wires are in order 15426378. I am not sure of the year of the engine though.

It coughs and spits now but will not start. Help!!!?


Thanks!!!

 

VanPollock,do you have a strong spark at the plugs,did you test the coil,are you getting fuel to the carb,is the engine grounded properly,getting enough volts to the ignition system as in 12 volt hookup to the starting solenoid when starting,a bad fuel pump and filter,bad carb or improperly set up choke,bad fuel-did your truck set for a long time before you bought it,did you reset the crank timing,is the vibration damper ok,ground wire at points hooked up,open vacuum lines,ruptured power brake booster diaphragm causing vacuum leak ?

If you do not know the previous owner these are some of the things you could check, there are probably more things to check but that's all I could come up with. Let us know what you find.

"bowties in the rearview mirror"

 

Did you replace one wire at the time? I'm wondering if a wire or 2 is crossed?




John

 

Make sure the rotor is facing plug one when it's supposed to.
When I bought my 68' after doing plugs and wires it to would not start. Long story short the previous owner wired everything 180 degrees out and it worked but the firing order did not match the Ford specs.

 

Thanks everybody! The truck WAS running and I was driving it before I did the tune up. The wires sequence is in exact order 15426378.

I've changed plugs/wires/caps, etc. on many cars/trucks in the last 30 years...never had this problem.

Must be something in the wire sequence, but how would I know?

 

This is a very long shot, but I have seen it happen. You say you've got a spark at the points, so I'll assume (I know, big mistake) that you also have spark at all the plugs. If this is accurate, then you might want to manually check your timing. Put #1 piston at TDC and make sure the rotor button is pointing where it is supposed to point, at the #1 terminal on the distributor cap. I've seen timing chains jump a tooth on the gear and you know what that can do.

With the engine being so old, there's a good chance your timing chain is pretty worn and stretched. It sounds to me like you are describing a timing problem, the truck running rough, though it did run before you tuned it up, and now it won't start, but you have a spark. If you've got air, fule and fire the engine should run as long as the timing is right.

Just a thought...

The Fool On The Hill

 

I've been hearing that my firing order could be off even though it is wired correctly....how would I know?

 

This explains it better than I can with the coffee still brewing:
The FORDification.com Forums • View topic - 352 firing order

 

VanPollack....

As I wrote above.....

"Put #1 piston at TDC and make sure the rotor button is pointing where it is supposed to point, at the #1 terminal on the distributor cap. "

If the previous owner ever pulled the distributor, it's possible that he did not get in back in properly. Or... as I mentioned above.....

"I've seen timing chains jump a tooth on the gear and you know what that can do."

This is why I say to manually (visually) check it for yourself. Never trust what anyone says. I do home repaire & remodeling work. You would not believe how many times homeowners have told me "Yes, I already checked that" and the light bulb was still burned out. People lie. It's a fact of life.

The Fool On The Hill