The rebuilt engine looks great, It is in the frame and I followed Julie's advice on basic wiring to test the engine. It cranks and sparks at the right time but I am not very close to having it run. I am just using a gravity feed to the carb - a clear squeeze bottle suspended on a rod connected to the fuel line. I can get gas out of the accelerator pump and it will fire - maybe once. With starting fluid it may fire a few times but that's it. The longer I try the less it responds. I can see from the fuel level in the bottle that fuel is disappearing so now I am wondering if I am flooding it. I really doesn't smell like a lot of gas but of course by the time I am done with starting fluid etc. everything smells. I have read everyone else's trouble shooting but I haven't seen anything that seems like an answer. The engine has never run since being rebuilt - the rebuilder assured me he had good compression all the way around and he is a top notch shop. This is 6 volt, positive ground - and anxious to run! All suggestions are appreciated.

 

OK, nothing to worry about. Take a step back, grab a frosty cold beverage and lets start from the beginning and check a few things

Is this a positive ground or negative ground set-up? Is this a points type distributor or electronic ignition?

For points style;

Lets just look at the basic wiring to run. Since you have it cranking over good then the wiring to the starter is OK. For the ignition you'll need to run a jumper wire over to the coil. To the positive side of the coil for negative ground systems and to the negative side of the coil for positive ground systems.

That should get you spark, providing the points are set right (12 to 16 thousandths or so).

You might also verify that you have the distributor in correctly and not 180 degrees out. To do that, find #1 cylinder on top dead center of the compression stroke and make sure that the rotor is pointing towards #1 spark plug wire.

You might want to pull out one spark plug and see how wet it is. If it is in fact flooded then crank it a bit with the throttle wide open to get as much air in as you can.

Good luck. You'll get it figured out
Bobby

 

Which of "Julie's" diagrams did you use? There were some mistakes in some of them! Just to get it started, make up a jumper wire to go from the battery (-) terminal on the solenoid with an alligator clip to connect to the (-) terminal on the coil. (Disconnect the wire that is on the coil there first).

Be very careful not to flood it, with a fresh engine you need a well-lubed engine!

How do you know you are getting spark, and at the right time? Could you be 180 deg off on the distributor? Is the rotor pointing to #1 wire on the cap at TDC?

 

Thanks for the useful advice - the frosty one helped a lot but only temporarily. The system is a 6 volt positive ground. I have been through most of the numbskull stuff like having the distributor off 180 and I did catch the error in Julie's one diagram Ross. I have read through most all of those posts and I have pretty much made every mistake that everyone has posted to date.

At this point I have gapped the points correctly and I have used a timing light to determine that the #1 is firing right when the little bump on the pulley is at the pointer. I have been through backfiring through the carb when the timing was too early and through the exhaust when too late. I am not having that any more so I am thinking I am reasonable on timing.

I pull the coil wire from the distributor and hold it near the block and I get a very healthy spark. I have pulled #1 and grounded it against the bock and the spark looks reasonable - not a lightning bolt but in a brightly lit garage it still looks okay.

What has me thinking fuel is that I get it to fire a bit when I first start working on it. If I use the accelerator pump I get a small squirt of fuel and it will fire once or twice. If I use starting fluid it will fire a few times consecutively. As I keep working on it - it tends to fire less and less and eventually it won't fire at all. This led me to think maybe it was flooded. The plugs don't seem to be wet and there is not any strong fuel smell. I am going through fuel - I have fuel gravity fed to the carb from a small clear ketchup bottle suspended like an IV so I can see that the level is going down. With the few times it is firing I can't be burning it.

The compression seems good although I haven't measured it the rebuilder assured me it all checked out and it does seem really good. When I hold my hand over the top of the carb while cranking it sucks hard enough to leave a nice ring on the palm of my hand.

I am really stumped - the carb was rebuilt and looks and seems great - although I know nothing about setting the jets but I am assuming that comes once we get it running.

 

1-1/4 to 1-1/2 turns out from lightly seated on the idle mixture screws is a good place to begin.

 

Is there anyway you can fill the float bowl? Or remove the top of the carb
to see if gas is even getting past the needle valve?

 

Thanks Ross - I'll try those settings but as I listen to myself and talking to a guy at work - I am now less confident about not having it off 180 degrees. I am going to check that again because that could explain a lot of what is going on.

I am pretty sure on the float bowl getting fuel - I opened the brass plugs on the bottom side of the carb and got lots of gas, the accelerator pump produces a nice little squirt each time I activate it.

I may be fooling myself with the starting fluid - normal ignition needs fuel, compression and spark but starting fluid realistically needs only spark and so even if the distributor is off and valves are open I'd still get some fire.

I'll check this and let you know what I find.

 

Poke a hole in the bottom of that ketchup bottle to vent it as it will form a vacuum and not allow the gas to flow.

 

I've done the I.V. thing several times on my flat 6. A vent hole is a must on a small bottle. I used a 1gallon jug with a fitting in the bottom for the fuel line. Had the cap off and hung it on the underside of the hood .It works pretty good as long as you don't want to go for a spin around the block.

 

Hook the battery charger to it while you're working on it. If it quits firing, it "ain't gonna run" Perhaps the battery is weak. And you have tried hot wiring it, right.
Perhaps the starter is drawing too much current.
If you suspect battery or starter, run the starter direct with 12 volts.
Caution: Have a fire bottle near by. Don't set it on fire.

 

Well I have been through all of the electrical and I am now absolutely sure I have the timing right. I am still using the IV method of feeding the carb but the rate at which I am going through fuel without really ever firing except for the occasional firing through the exhaust or an occasional backfire through the carb makes me think I am flooding the daylights out of this thing. When I first start trying to make it go after it has been sitting for 24 hours or so it sounds like it is just about ready to go but then it quickly reverts to not really firing. I am thinking that somehow fuel is flowing through this carb at way to high a rate. I took the top off the carb - this is the Holley [Ford] carb - the float looks good there is a full bowl of fuel etc. Next I took the carb completely off and check the power valve - that looks good no fuel leaking through there. If however I tilt the carb slightly - fuel pours out of it. This carb was rebuilt and it looks like brand new. Could it be possible that the plugs in the main nozzle are wrong and the fuel is being pulled through in too high a volume? It is looking like a visit to a qualified carb specialist is in order.

 

Someone on the Ford Barn had similar problems, opened up his "newly rebuilt from eBay" carb and found not only had they used the wrong style power valve, they'd used 3 washers trying to get it to seal.

Take off the bottom of the carb (throttle section) and set the bowl on a flat surface. It should sit down flush all around, no rocking like if the PV is holding it up off the surface. Also see if there is fuel in the "bowl" under the PV, there should be any.

You could have a weak coil, or too much gap on the plugs. You should still be able to fire a plug that has a bit of gas on it. Washing the cylinders won't do any good tho!

 

I feel like I am working my way from top to bottom. I have been through the carb and have had quite an education but I can tell it is working like it should and the power valve is sealed well. So I put all of that back together. So now I am back to being suspicious that I don't have enough spark. When I hold the coil wire near the block I get a great spark. It will jump 3/4". But the spark at the plugs is weak and sometimes non existent. The dist cap is new, the rotor is new. I am a little suspicious of the spark plug wires. I bought them from LMC and they came with ends I had to put on them - they are far longer than necessary. I haven't really seen anyone blaming bad spark plug wires but that's about what I am down to. Does this make sense - would weak spark mean I can't start?

 

Hard to believe it wouldn't fire at all. Measure the resistance of each.

I would much more believe you are off on the timing, either by 180 or a tooth or two.

 

I think i started by saying i had made every numbskull mistake. NOT QUITE! Tonight i gapped the plugs a little wider and then i got thinking. Went and printed out the wiring diagram again. I had the plug wires completely screwed up and in the wrong order. Straightened it out and it purrs like a kitten. Now having had a celebratory cocktail i can confess.

I'll be back - plenty more opportunities for screw ups. Thanks to everyone for the help in this thread but also all of the many others. Ross your advice in all of these has been great. This truck is going to be nice so ill be back to show off.